Phenylpropanoid Metabolism: The Lignan Branch

木脂素和新木脂素是一个日益重要的类别 在植物界无处不在的化合物， 植物防御、植物抗毒素、细胞分裂 促进和药物特性现在才开始， 得到充分承认。 虽然它们最常被发现 对映体纯，其非手性 前体进行立体选择性偶联， 偶联后对映体特异性转化，已经回避了 定义了几十年。 该提案涉及的基本未知的生物化学， 苯丙烷类代谢物的主要类，缺乏知识 这极大地限制了我们 在基因水平上研究这一代谢领域。 预后 然而，这是非常好的：最近在这个实验室的研究 发现了一种极不寻常的新型耦合 直接立体选择性偶联非手性 前体：它不是典型的H2 O2依赖性过氧化物酶。 因此，在本发明中， 人们可以系统地确定其作用机制， 定义可以由以下方式生成的转换的范围： 这种酶。 在类似的静脉中，后- 可以系统地检查耦合变换。 因此，本研究显然将对此进行梳理 苯丙烷代谢的混沌分支， 阐明所涉及的生化途径。 以下 将感兴趣的酶纯化至表观均一， 免疫细胞化学方法的应用将允许 我们来确定亚细胞位置和组织特异性 木脂素的形成，以及代谢物是否进入 发生木酚素和木质素途径。 %%% 众所周知，植物能够产生新的化学物质， 可用于医疗和工业的化合物 人类使用。 这些化合物的化学合成通常是 由于某些化合物的详细化学性质而不切实际。 然而，通过首先纯化植物必需的酶， 生物化学途径中的步骤被理解， 可以克服化学合成中的关键步骤。 此外，这导致了负责基因的分离， 酶的产生和表达化合物的能力 在其他植物中。 一类称为木脂素的化合物是新的 可作为新型生物材料的生物化学品。 这 研究将研究酶和必要的反应， 他们的合成。

Lignans and neolignans are an ever-increasingly important class of compounds ubiquitous throughout the plant kingdom, whose rather remarkable plant defense, phytoalexin, cell-division promoting and pharmaceutical properties are only now beginning to be fully recognized. Although they are most often found enantiomerically pure, the mechanisms by which their achiral precursors undergo stereoselective coupling, and their subsequent postcoupling enantiospecific transformations, have eluded definition for several decades. This proposal addresses the essential unknown biochemistry of major class of phenylpropanoid metabolites, the lack of knowledge of which has placed an enormous constraint on our ability to study this area of metabolism at the gene level. The prognosis is, however, excellent: recent studies in this laboratory resulted in the discovery of a highly unusual, novel coupling enzyme which directly and sterioselective couples achiral precursors: it is not a typical H2O2-dependent peroxidase. Thus, one can systematically determine its mechanism of action and to define the scope of the transformations that can be engendered by this enzyme. In a similar vein, the enantiospecificity of post- coupling transformations can be systematically examined. Consequently, this study will bring order to this apparently chaotic branch of phenylpropanoid metabolism in terms of elucidating biochemical pathways involved. Following purification of the enzymes of interest to apparent homogeneity, the application of immunocytochemical methodologies will permit us to determine the subcellular location and tissue specificity of lignan formation, and whether metabolite channeling into lignan and lignin pathways occurs. %%% Plants are well known for their ability to produce novel chemical compounds which can be utilized in both medical and industrial use by humans. Often chemical synthesis of these compounds is impractical due the detailed chemistry of some of the compounds. However, by first purifying the enzymes in the plant essential steps in the biochemical pathway are understood and often an essential step in the chemical synthesis can be overcome. Furthermore, this leads to isolation of the genes responsible for the enzyme production and the capability to express the compound in other plants. The class of compounds called lignans are novel biochemicals which can be use an novel biomaterials. This research will study the enzymes and the reactions necessary for their synthesis.