Identification of a fungal 1,8-cineole synthase from Hypoxylon sp. with specificity determinants in common with the plant synthases.

Terpenes are an important and diverse class of secondary metabolites widely produced by fungi. Volatile compound screening of a fungal endophyte collection revealed a number of isolates in the family Xylariaceae, producing a series of terpene molecules, including 1,8-cineole. This compound is a commercially important component of eucalyptus oil used in pharmaceutical applications and has been explored as a potential biofuel additive. The genes that produce terpene molecules, such as 1,8-cineole, have been little explored in fungi, providing an opportunity to explore the biosynthetic origin of these compounds. Through genome sequencing of cineole-producing isolate E7406B, we were able to identify 11 new terpene synthase genes. Expressing a subset of these genes in Escherichia coli allowed identification of the hyp3 gene, responsible for 1,8-cineole biosynthesis, the first monoterpene synthase discovered in fungi. In a striking example of convergent evolution, mutational analysis of this terpene synthase revealed an active site asparagine critical for water capture and specificity during cineole synthesis, the same mechanism used in an unrelated plant homologue. These studies have provided insight into the evolutionary relationship of fungal terpene synthases to those in plants and bacteria and further established fungi as a relatively untapped source of this important and diverse class of compounds.

Shaw JJ ，Berbasova T ，Sasaki T ，Jefferson-George K ，Spakowicz DJ ，Dunican BF ，Portero CE ，Narváez-Trujillo A ，Strobel SA ... -  《-》

Cloning, functional characterization and genomic organization of 1,8-cineole synthases from Lavandula.

Demissie ZA ，Cella MA ，Sarker LS ，Thompson TJ ，Rheault MR ，Mahmoud SS ... -  《-》

Characterization of four endophytic fungi as potential consolidated bioprocessing hosts for conversion of lignocellulose into advanced biofuels.

Wu W ，Davis RW ，Tran-Gyamfi MB ，Kuo A ，LaButti K ，Mihaltcheva S ，Hundley H ，Chovatia M ，Lindquist E ，Barry K ，Grigoriev IV ，Henrissat B ，Gladden JM ... -  《-》

Syn stereochemistry of cyclic ether formation in 1,8-cineole biosynthesis catalyzed by recombinant synthase from Salvia officinalis.

Wise ML ，Urbansky M ，Helms GL ，Coates RM ，Croteau R ... -  《JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY》

Regulation of simultaneous synthesis of floral scent terpenoids by the 1,8-cineole synthase of Nicotiana suaveolens.

Roeder S ，Hartmann AM ，Effmert U ，Piechulla B ... -  《PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY》