Development of screening methods for functional characterization of UGTs from Stevia rebaudiana

Sci Rep. 2020 Sep 15;10(1):15137. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71746-9.

Abstract

Glycosylation is a key modification that contributes to determine bioactivity and bioavailability of plant natural products, including that of terpenoids and steviol glycosides (SVglys). It is mediated by uridine-diphosphate glycosyltransferases (UGTs), that achieve their activity by transferring sugars on small molecules. Thus, the diversity of SVglys is due to the number, the position and the nature of glycosylations on the hydroxyl groups in C-13 and C-19 of steviol. Despite the intense sweetener property of SVglys and the numerous studies conducted, the SVglys biosynthetic pathway remains largely unknown. More than 60 SVglys and 68 putative UGTs have been identified in Stevia rebaudiana. This study aims to provide methods to characterize UGTs putatively involved in SVglys biosynthesis. After agroinfiltration-based transient gene expression in Nicotiana benthamiana, functionality of the recombinant UGT can be tested simply and directly in plants expressing it or from a crude extract. The combined use of binary vectors from pGWBs series to produce expression vectors containing the stevia's UGT, enables functionality testing with many substrates as well as other applications for further analysis, including subcellular localization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biosynthetic Pathways*
  • Diterpenes, Kaurane / metabolism*
  • Glucosides / metabolism*
  • Glycosylation
  • Glycosyltransferases / genetics
  • Glycosyltransferases / metabolism*
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Stevia / enzymology*
  • Uridine Diphosphate / metabolism*

Substances

  • Diterpenes, Kaurane
  • Glucosides
  • Plant Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • stevioside
  • Uridine Diphosphate
  • Glycosyltransferases