Structure-function and engineering of plant UDP-glycosyltransferase

Mengya Wang; Qiushuang Ji; Bin Lai; Yirong Liu; Kunrong Mei

doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2023.10.046

Structure-function and engineering of plant UDP-glycosyltransferase

Comput Struct Biotechnol J. 2023 Oct 27:21:5358-5371. doi: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.10.046. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mengya Wang^{1

2}, Qiushuang Ji^{1

2}, Bin Lai³, Yirong Liu^{1

2}, Kunrong Mei^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Tianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery and High Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
² Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
³ BMBF junior research group Biophotovoltaics, Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig 04318, Germany.

Abstract

Natural products synthesized by plants have substantial industrial and medicinal values and are therefore attracting increasing interest in various related industries. Among the key enzyme families involved in the biosynthesis of natural products, uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) play a crucial role in plants. In recent years, significant efforts have been made to elucidate the catalytic mechanisms and substrate recognition of plant UGTs and to improve them for desired functions. In this review, we presented a comprehensive overview of all currently published structures of plant UGTs, along with in-depth analyses of the corresponding catalytic and substrate recognition mechanisms. In addition, we summarized and evaluated the protein engineering strategies applied to improve the catalytic activities of plant UGTs, with a particular focus on high-throughput screening methods. The primary objective of this review is to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of plant UGTs and to serve as a valuable reference for the latest techniques used to improve their activities.

Keywords: Glycosyltransferase; Mechanism; Protein engineering; Structure; UGT.

Publication types

Review