Discovery and functional characterization of two novel glycosyltransferases associated with the biosynthesis of α-hederin in Dipsacus asperoides

Weilin Yao; Tengfei Niu; Jie Pan; Xiaolin Yang; Chaokang Huang; Huida Guan; Li Yang; Zhengtao Wang; Rufeng Wang

doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.109273

Discovery and functional characterization of two novel glycosyltransferases associated with the biosynthesis of α-hederin in Dipsacus asperoides

Plant Physiol Biochem. 2024 Nov 5:217:109273. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.109273. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Weilin Yao¹, Tengfei Niu¹, Jie Pan¹, Xiaolin Yang¹, Chaokang Huang¹, Huida Guan¹, Li Yang², Zhengtao Wang², Rufeng Wang³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China; The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China.
² Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China; The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China; The SATCM Key Laboratory for New Resources and Quality Evaluation of Chinese Medicines, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China.
³ Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China; The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China; The SATCM Key Laboratory for New Resources and Quality Evaluation of Chinese Medicines, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39515003
DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.109273

Abstract

Triterpenoid saponins are crucial natural products widely distributed in various medicinal plants, with Dipsacus asperoides being particularly rich in these compounds. However, the glycosyltransferases responsible for the biosynthesis of α-hederin, one of the primary bioactive secondary metabolites in D. asperoides, have not been elucidated. In this study, transcriptomic and compound analyses revealed 359 differentially expressed genes associated with secondary metabolism, with 271 involved in triterpenoid saponin glycosylation. Through correlation analysis, 71 candidate glycosyltransferases were identified, and two novel glycosyltransferases were functionally characterized. It was shown that DaUGT121 catalyzes the conversion of hederagenin into cauloside A, while DaUGT103 acts as a cauloside A 1,2-rhamnosyltransferase transforming cauloside A into α-hederin. These findings illuminate the biosynthesis of triterpenoid saponins in D. asperoides, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms and offering novel tools for synthesizing natural products with diverse sugar moieties.

Keywords: Biosynthesis; Glycosyltransferases; Transcriptome; Triterpenoid saponin; α-hederin.