Daurichromenic Acid-producing Oxidocyclase in the Young Leaves of Rhododendron dauricum

Autor: Yoshinori Asakawa, Jung-Bum Lee, Futoshi Taura, Fumiya Kurosaki, Toshihiro Hashimoto, Miu Iijima
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Scopus-Elsevier
ISSN: 1555-9475
1934-578X
DOI: 10.1177/1934578x1400900928
Popis: Rhododendron dauricum L., a flowering tree popular in Hokkaido, produces daurichromenic acid (DCA), a terpenophenol with a potent anti-HIV activity. The DCA-producing enzyme, named DCA synthase, could be detected in the soluble protein fraction prepared from the young leaves of R. dauricum. DCA synthase catalyzed oxidocyclization of the farnesyl group of grifolic acid to form (+)-DCA as the major reaction product. The DCA synthase reaction proceeds without the need for any cofactors and coenzymes except for molecular oxygen. Interestingly, these catalytic properties of DCA synthase are quite similar to those reported for cannabinoid synthases in the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa L.
Databáze: OpenAIRE