scholarly journals Evidence that nuclear receptors evolved from terpene synthases

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas R Houston ◽  
Jane G Hanna ◽  
J Constance Lathe ◽  
Stephen G Hillier ◽  
Richard Lathe
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Steroid Receptors ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Primary Sequence ◽  
Sequence Alignments ◽  
Terpene Synthases ◽  
Sequence Comparisons ◽  
Enzyme Superfamily ◽  
Terpene Synthesis ◽  
Conserved Core

Ligand-activated nuclear receptors (NRs) including steroid receptors orchestrate development, growth, and reproduction across all animal lifeforms - the Metazoa - but how NRs evolved remains mysterious. Given the universality of terpenoids - including steroids and retinoids - as activating NR ligands, we asked if NRs might have evolved from enzymes that catalyze terpene synthesis and metabolism. We provide evidence suggesting that NRs are a sub-branch of the terpene synthase (TS) enzyme superfamily. Based on over ten thousand 3D structural comparisons, backed up by multiple primary sequence alignments and mapping of ligand-contacting residues, we report that the NR ligand-binding domain and TS enzymes share a conserved core of seven α-helical segments. Primary sequence comparisons reveal potential amino acid sequence similarities between NRs and the subfamily of cis-isoprene transferases, in particular dehydrodolichyl pyrophosphate synthase (DHDPPS) and its obligate partner, NUS1/NOGOB receptor. Our results suggest that a ligand-gated receptor may have arisen from an enzyme antecedent, and thus resolve the long-standing debate about whether the ancestral NR was unliganded. This would also explain aspects of NR ligand 'promiscuity', with implications for the development of pharmaceuticals targeting NRs and TS enzymes.

scholarly journals ATP-dependent release of glucocorticoid receptors from the nuclear matrix.

1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1989-2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Tang ◽  
D B DeFranco
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Nuclear Matrix ◽  
Nuclear Export ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptors ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Steroid Receptors ◽  
Simian Virus 40 ◽  
Atp Depletion ◽  
Nuclear Proteins ◽  
The Matrix

Glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) have the capacity to shuttle between the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments, sharing that trait with other steroid receptors and unrelated nuclear proteins of diverse function. Although nuclear import of steroid receptors, like that of nearly all other karyophilic proteins examined to date, requires ATP, there appear to be different energetic requirements for export of proteins, including steroid receptors, from nuclei. In an attempt to reveal which steps, if any, in the nuclear export pathway utilized by steroid receptors require ATP, we have used indirect immunofluorescence to visualize GRs within cells subjected to a reversible ATP depletion. Under conditions which lead to >95% depletion of cellular ATP levels within 90 min, GRs remain localized within nuclei and do not efflux into the cytoplasm. Under analogous conditions of ATP depletion, transfected progesterone receptors are also retained within nuclei. Importantly, GRs which accumulate within nuclei of ATP-depleted cells are distinguished from nuclear receptors in metabolically active cells by their resistance to in situ extraction with a hypotonic, detergent-containing buffer. GRs in ATP-depleted cells are not permanently trapped in this nuclear compartment, as nuclear receptors rapidly regain their capacity to be extracted upon restoration of cellular ATP, even in the absence of de novo protein synthesis. More extensive extraction of cells with high salt and detergent, coupled with DNase I digestion, established that a significant fraction of GRs in ATP-depleted cells are associated with an RNA-containing nuclear matrix. Quantitative Western blot (immunoblot) analysis confirmed the dramatic increase in GR binding to the nuclear matrix of ATP-depleted cells, while confocal microscopy revealed that GRs are bound to the matrix throughout all planes of the nucleus. ATP depletion does not lead to wholesale collapse of nuclear proteins onto the matrix, as the interaction of a subpopulation of simian virus 40 large tumor antigen with the nuclear matrix is not quantitatively altered in ATP-depleted Cos-1 cells. Nuclear GRs which are not bound to the nuclear matrix of metabolically active cells (i.e., a DNA-binding domain deletion mutant and a beta-galactosidase chimera possessing the GR nuclear localization signal sequence) are not recruited to the matrix upon depletion of cellular ATP. Thus, it appears that ATP depletion does not expose the GR to nuclear matrix interactions which are not normally encountered in cells but merely alters the dynamics of such interactions. The dynamic association of steroid receptors with the nuclear matrix may provide a mechanism which is utilized by these regulable transcription factors to facilitate their efficient scanning of the genome.

scholarly journals Transcriptome and proteome of the corm, leaf and flower of Hypoxis hemerocallidea (African potato)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253741
Author(s):  
Mihai-Silviu Tomescu ◽  
Selisha Ann Sooklal ◽  
Thuto Ntsowe ◽  
Previn Naicker ◽  
Barbara Darnhofer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Differential Expression Analysis ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Terpene Synthases ◽  
Illumina Hiseq ◽  
Prostate Hyperplasia ◽  
Inflammatory Conditions ◽  
Urinary Infections ◽  
Hypoxis Hemerocallidea

The corm of Hypoxis hemerocallidea, commonly known as the African potato, is used in traditional medicine to treat several medical conditions such as urinary infections, benign prostate hyperplasia, inflammatory conditions and testicular tumours. The metabolites contributing to the medicinal properties of H. hemerocallidea have been identified in several studies and, more recently, the active terpenoids of the plant were profiled. However, the biosynthetic pathways and the enzymes involved in the production of the terpene metabolites in H. hemerocallidea have not been characterised at a transcriptomic or proteomic level. In this study, total RNA extracted from the corm, leaf and flower tissues of H. hemerocallidea was sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. A total of 143,549 transcripts were assembled de novo using Trinity and 107,131 transcripts were functionally annotated using the nr, GO, COG, KEGG and SWISS-PROT databases. Additionally, the proteome of the three tissues were sequenced using LC-MS/MS, revealing aspects of secondary metabolism and serving as data validation for the transcriptome. Functional annotation led to the identification of numerous terpene synthases such as nerolidol synthase, germacrene D synthase, and cycloartenol synthase amongst others. Annotations also revealed a transcript encoding the terpene synthase phytoalexin momilactone A synthase. Differential expression analysis using edgeR identified 946 transcripts differentially expressed between the three tissues and revealed that the leaf upregulates linalool synthase compared to the corm and the flower tissues. The transcriptome as well as the proteome of Hypoxis hemerocallidea presented here provide a foundation for future research.

scholarly journals Identification of Sesquiterpene Synthases from Nostoc punctiforme PCC 73102 and Nostoc sp. Strain PCC 7120

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (18) ◽  
pp. 6084-6096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean A. Agger ◽  
Fernando Lopez-Gallego ◽  
Thomas R. Hoye ◽  
Claudia Schmidt-Dannert
Keyword(s):  
Functional Expression ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Putative Hybrid ◽  
Nostoc Punctiforme ◽  
Terpene Synthases ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Reductase Gene ◽  
Pcc 7120 ◽  
Defense Compound

ABSTRACT Cyanobacteria are a rich source of natural products and are known to produce terpenoids. These bacteria are the major source of the musty-smelling terpenes geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, which are found in many natural water supplies; however, no terpene synthases have been characterized from these organisms to date. Here, we describe the characterization of three sesquiterpene synthases identified in Nostoc sp. strain PCC 7120 (terpene synthase NS1) and Nostoc punctiforme PCC 73102 (terpene synthases NP1 and NP2). The second terpene synthase in N. punctiforme (NP2) is homologous to fusion-type sesquiterpene synthases from Streptomyces spp. shown to produce geosmin via an intermediate germacradienol. The enzymes were functionally expressed in Escherichia coli, and their terpene products were structurally identified as germacrene A (from NS1), the eudesmadiene 8a-epi-α-selinene (from NP1), and germacradienol (from NP2). The product of NP1, 8a-epi-α-selinene, so far has been isolated only from termites, in which it functions as a defense compound. Terpene synthases NP1 and NS1 are part of an apparent minicluster that includes a P450 and a putative hybrid two-component protein located downstream of the terpene synthases. Coexpression of P450 genes with their adjacent located terpene synthase genes in E. coli demonstrates that the P450 from Nostoc sp. can be functionally expressed in E. coli when coexpressed with a ferredoxin gene and a ferredoxin reductase gene from Nostoc and that the enzyme oxygenates the NS1 terpene product germacrene A. This represents to the best of our knowledge the first example of functional expression of a cyanobacterial P450 in E. coli.

scholarly journals A Comprehensive Survey on the Terpene Synthase Gene Family Provides New Insight into Its Evolutionary Patterns

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2078-2098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Ye Jiang ◽  
Jingjing Jin ◽  
Rajani Sarojam ◽  
Srinivasan Ramachandran
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Terpene Synthases ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Family Expansion ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Terpenes are organic compounds and play important roles in plant growth and development as well as in mediating interactions of plants with the environment. Terpene synthases (TPSs) are the key enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of terpenes. Although some species were employed for the genome-wide identification and characterization of the TPS family, limited information is available regarding the evolution, expansion, and retention mechanisms occurring in this gene family. We performed a genome-wide identification of the TPS family members in 50 sequenced genomes. Additionally, we also characterized the TPS family from aromatic spearmint and basil plants using RNA-Seq data. No TPSs were identified in algae genomes but the remaining plant species encoded various numbers of the family members ranging from 2 to 79 full-length TPSs. Some species showed lineage-specific expansion of certain subfamilies, which might have contributed toward species or ecotype divergence or environmental adaptation. A large-scale family expansion was observed mainly in dicot and monocot plants, which was accompanied by frequent domain loss. Both tandem and segmental duplication significantly contributed toward family expansion and expression divergence and played important roles in the survival of these expanded genes. Our data provide new insight into the TPS family expansion and evolution and suggest that TPSs might have originated from isoprenyl diphosphate synthase genes.

scholarly journals Promiscuous terpene synthases from Prunella vulgaris highlight the importance of substrate and compartment switching in terpene synthase evolution

2019 ◽  
Vol 223 (1) ◽  
pp. 323-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean R. Johnson ◽  
Wajid Waheed Bhat ◽  
Radin Sadre ◽  
Garret P. Miller ◽  
Alekzander Sky Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Prunella Vulgaris ◽  
Terpene Synthases

scholarly journals Function and Evolution of Nuclear Receptors in Environmental-Dependent Postembryonic Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Taubenheim ◽  
Constantin Kortmann ◽  
Sebastian Fraune
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Steroid Receptors ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Postembryonic Development ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Signaling Systems ◽  
Decision Points ◽  
Complex Signaling

Nuclear receptors (NRs) fulfill key roles in the coordination of postembryonal developmental transitions in animal species. They control the metamorphosis and sexual maturation in virtually all animals and by that the two main environmental-dependent developmental decision points. Sexual maturation and metamorphosis are controlled by steroid receptors and thyroid receptors, respectively in vertebrates, while both processes are orchestrated by the ecdysone receptor (EcR) in insects. The regulation of these processes depends on environmental factors like nutrition, temperature, or photoperiods and by that NRs form evolutionary conserved mediators of phenotypic plasticity. While the mechanism of action for metamorphosis and sexual maturation are well studied in model organisms, the evolution of these systems is not entirely understood and requires further investigation. We here review the current knowledge of NR involvement in metamorphosis and sexual maturation across the animal tree of life with special attention to environmental integration and evolution of the signaling mechanism. Furthermore, we compare commonalities and differences of the different signaling systems. Finally, we identify key gaps in our knowledge of NR evolution, which, if sufficiently investigated, would lead to an importantly improved understanding of the evolution of complex signaling systems, the evolution of life history decision points, and, ultimately, speciation events in the metazoan kingdom.

scholarly journals Differential gene expression associated with a floral scent polymorphism in the evening primrose Oenothera harringtonii (Onagraceae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey L. Bechen ◽  
Matthew G. Johnson ◽  
Geoffrey T. Broadhead ◽  
Rachel A. Levin ◽  
Rick P. Overson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Differential Gene Expression ◽  
Floral Scent ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Terpene Biosynthesis ◽  
Terpene Synthases ◽  
Evening Primrose ◽  
Differential Gene

AbstractBackgroundPlant volatiles play an important role in both plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore interactions. Intraspecific polymorphisms in volatile production are ubiquitous, but studies that explore underlying differential gene expression are rare. Oenothera harringtonii populations are polymorphic in floral emission of the monoterpene (R)-(-)-linalool; some plants emit (R)-(-)-linalool (linalool+ plants) while others do not (linalool-plants). However, the genes associated with differential production of this floral volatile in Oenothera are unknown. We used RNA-Seq to broadly characterize differential gene expression involved in (R)-(-)-linalool biosynthesis. To identify genes that may be associated with the polymorphism for this trait, we used RNA-Seq to compare gene expression in six different Oenothera harringtonii tissues from each of three linalool+ and linalool-plants.ResultsThree clusters of differentially expressed genes were enriched for terpene synthase activity: two were characterized by tissue-specific upregulation and one by upregulation only in plants with flowers that produce (R)-(-)-linalool. A molecular phylogeny of all terpene synthases identified two putative (R)-(-)-linalool synthase transcripts in Oenothera harringtonii, a single allele of which is found exclusively in linalool+ plants.ConclusionsBy using a naturally occurring polymorphism and comparing different tissues, we were able to identify genes putatively involved in the biosynthesis of (R)-(-)-linalool. Expression of these genes in linalool-plants suggests a regulatory polymorphism, rather than a population-specific loss-of-function allele. Additional terpene biosynthesis-related genes that are up-regulated in plants that emit (R)-(-)-linalool may be associated with herbivore defense, suggesting a potential economy of scale between plant reproduction and defense.

scholarly journals A novel terpene synthase controls differences in anti-aphrodisiac pheromone production between closely related Heliconius butterflies

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. e3001022
Author(s):  
Kathy Darragh ◽  
Anna Orteu ◽  
Daniella Black ◽  
Kelsey J. R. P. Byers ◽  
Daiane Szczerbowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Floral Scent ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Terpene Synthases ◽  
Common Component ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Mapping Gene ◽  
Functional Analyses ◽  
Heliconius Cydno ◽  
Aphrodisiac Pheromone

Plants and insects often use the same compounds for chemical communication, but not much is known about the genetics of convergent evolution of chemical signals. The terpene (E)-β-ocimene is a common component of floral scent and is also used by the butterfly Heliconius melpomene as an anti-aphrodisiac pheromone. While the biosynthesis of terpenes has been described in plants and microorganisms, few terpene synthases (TPSs) have been identified in insects. Here, we study the recent divergence of 2 species, H. melpomene and Heliconius cydno, which differ in the presence of (E)-β-ocimene; combining linkage mapping, gene expression, and functional analyses, we identify 2 novel TPSs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that one, HmelOS, is able to synthesise (E)-β-ocimene in vitro. We find no evidence for TPS activity in HcydOS (HmelOS ortholog of H. cydno), suggesting that the loss of (E)-β-ocimene in this species is the result of coding, not regulatory, differences. The TPS enzymes we discovered are unrelated to previously described plant and insect TPSs, demonstrating that chemical convergence has independent evolutionary origins.

scholarly journals Terpene synthase genes in eukaryotes beyond plants and fungi: Occurrence in social amoebae

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (43) ◽  
pp. 12132-12137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinlu Chen ◽  
Tobias G. Köllner ◽  
Qidong Jia ◽  
Ayla Norris ◽  
Balaji Santhanam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Functional Study ◽  
Terpene Biosynthesis ◽  
Terpene Synthases ◽  
Multicellular Development ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
Volatile Terpenes ◽  
Social Amoebae

Terpenes are structurally diverse natural products involved in many ecological interactions. The pivotal enzymes for terpene biosynthesis, terpene synthases (TPSs), had been described only in plants and fungi in the eukaryotic domain. In this report, we systematically analyzed the genome sequences of a broad range of nonplant/nonfungus eukaryotes and identified putative TPS genes in six species of amoebae, five of which are multicellular social amoebae from the order of Dictyosteliida. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that amoebal TPSs are evolutionarily more closely related to fungal TPSs than to bacterial TPSs. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum was selected for functional study of the identified TPSs. D. discoideum grows as a unicellular organism when food is abundant and switches from vegetative growth to multicellular development upon starvation. We found that expression of most D. discoideum TPS genes was induced during development. Upon heterologous expression, all nine TPSs from D. discoideum showed sesquiterpene synthase activities. Some also exhibited monoterpene and/or diterpene synthase activities. Direct measurement of volatile terpenes in cultures of D. discoideum revealed essentially no emission at an early stage of development. In contrast, a bouquet of terpenes, dominated by sesquiterpenes including β-barbatene and (E,E)-α-farnesene, was detected at the middle and late stages of development, suggesting a development-specific function of volatile terpenes in D. discoideum. The patchy distribution of TPS genes in the eukaryotic domain and the evidence for TPS function in D. discoideum indicate that the TPS genes mediate lineage-specific adaptations.

Mechanistic Investigations on Microbial Type I Terpene Synthases through Site-directed Mutagenesis

Synthesis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Houchao Xu ◽  
Jeroen Dickschat
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structures ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Type I ◽  
Terpene Synthases ◽  
Conserved Motifs ◽  
Sequence Identity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mechanistic Investigations

During the past three decades many terpene synthases have been characterised from all kingdoms of life. The type I of these enzymes from bacteria, fungi and protists commonly exhibit several highly conserved motifs and single residues, and the available crystal structures show a shared -helical fold, while the overall sequence identity is generally low. Several enzymes have been studied by site-directed mutagenesis, giving valuable insights into terpene synthase catalysis and the intriguing mechanisms of terpene synthases. Some mutants are also preparatively useful and give higher yields than the wildtype or a different product that is otherwise difficult to access. The accumulated knowledge obtained from these studies is presented and discussed in this review.

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