Functional identification of bacterial spermine, thermospermine, norspermine, norspermidine, spermidine, and N1-aminopropylagmatine synthases.

Spermine synthase is an aminopropyltransferase that adds an aminopropyl group to the essential polyamine spermidine to form tetraamine spermine, needed for normal human neural development, plant salt and drought resistance, and yeast CoA biosynthesis. We functionally identify for the first time bacterial spermine synthases, derived from phyla Bacillota, Rhodothermota, Thermodesulfobacteriota, Nitrospirota, Deinococcota, and Pseudomonadota. We also identify bacterial aminopropyltransferases that synthesize the spermine same mass isomer thermospermine, from phyla Cyanobacteriota, Thermodesulfobacteriota, Nitrospirota, Dictyoglomota, Armatimonadota, and Pseudomonadota, including the human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Most of these bacterial synthases were capable of synthesizing spermine or thermospermine from the diamine putrescine and so possess also spermidine synthase activity. We found that most thermospermine synthases could synthesize tetraamine norspermine from triamine norspermidine, that is, they are potential norspermine synthases. This finding could explain the enigmatic source of norspermine in bacteria. Some of the thermospermine synthases could synthesize norspermidine from diamine 1,3-diaminopropane, demonstrating that they are potential norspermidine synthases. Of 18 bacterial spermidine synthases identified, 17 were able to aminopropylate agmatine to form N1-aminopropylagmatine, including the spermidine synthase of Bacillus subtilis, a species known to be devoid of putrescine. This suggests that the N1-aminopropylagmatine pathway for spermidine biosynthesis, which bypasses putrescine, may be far more widespread than realized and may be the default pathway for spermidine biosynthesis in species encoding L-arginine decarboxylase for agmatine production. Some thermospermine synthases were able to aminopropylate N1-aminopropylagmatine to form N12-guanidinothermospermine. Our study reveals an unsuspected diversification of bacterial polyamine biosynthesis and suggests a more prominent role for agmatine.

Identification and Functional Characterization of Tissue-Specific Terpene Synthases in Stevia rebaudiana.

In addition to the well-known diterpenoid steviol glycosides, Stevia rebaudiana (Stevia) produces many labdane-type diterpenoids and a wide range of mono- and sesquiterpenoids. However, biosynthesis of mono- and sesquiterpenoids in Stevia remains unknown. Here we analyzed the extracts of Stevia leaves, flowers, stems, and roots by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and putatively identified a total of 69 volatile organic compounds, most of which were terpenoids with considerably varied quantities among the four tissues of Stevia. Using Stevia transcriptomes, we identified and functionally characterized five terpene synthases (TPSs) that produced major mono- and sesquiterpenoids in Stevia. Transcript levels of these Stevia TPSs and levels of corresponding terpenoids correlated well in Stevia tissues. Particularly, the root-specific SrTPS4 and SrTPS5 catalyzed the formation of γ-curcumene/zingiberene/ß-sesquiphellandrene and α-longipinene/ß-himachalene/himachalol as multifunctional sesqui-TPSs, respectively. Most of the SrTPSs were highly responsive to various environmental stresses in a tissue-specific manner. Taken together, our results provide new insights into how Stevia produces diverse terpenoids to confer differential responses to various environmental factors in each tissue.

Functional characterization of a new terpene synthase from Plectranthus amboinicus.

Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng is an aromatic medicinal herb known for its therapeutic and nutritional properties attributed by the presence of monoterpene and sesquiterpene compounds. Up until now, research on terpenoid biosynthesis has focused on a few mint species with economic importance such as thyme and oregano, yet the terpene synthases responsible for monoterpene production in P. amboinicus have not been described. Here we report the isolation, heterologous expression and functional characterization of a terpene synthase involved in P. amboinicus terpenoid biosynthesis. A putative monoterpene synthase gene (PamTps1) from P. amboinicus was isolated with an open reading frame of 1797 bp encoding a predicted protein of 598 amino acids with molecular weight of 69.6 kDa. PamTps1 shares 60-70% amino acid sequence similarity with other known terpene synthases of Lamiaceae. The in vitro enzymatic activity of PamTps1 demonstrated the conversion of geranyl pyrophosphate and farnesyl pyrophosphate exclusively into linalool and nerolidol, respectively, and thus PamTps1 was classified as a linalool/nerolidol synthase. In vivo activity of PamTps1 in a recombinant Escherichia coli strain revealed production of linalool and nerolidol which correlated with its in vitro activity. This outcome validated the multi-substrate usage of this enzyme in producing linalool and nerolidol both in in vivo and in vitro systems. The transcript level of PamTps1 was prominent in the leaf during daytime as compared to the stem. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and quantitative real-time PCR analyses showed that maximal linalool level was released during the daytime and lower at night following a diurnal circadian pattern which correlated with the PamTps1 expression pattern. The PamTps1 cloned herein provides a molecular basis for the terpenoid biosynthesis in this local herb that could be exploited for valuable production using metabolic engineering in both microbial and plant systems.

Characterisation of three terpene synthases for ß-barbatene, ß-araneosene and nephthenol from social amoebae.

The products of three terpene synthases from two social amoebae, Dictyostelium discoideum and Dictyostelium purpureum, were identified, showing sesquiterpene synthase activity for one and diterpene synthase activity for the other two enzymes. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed the importance of a newly identfied highly conserved residue for catalytic activity. For one of the enzyme products, ß-araneosene, a bromonium ion induced transannular cyclisation was investigated, yielding the first brominated derivatives of this diterpene.

Regulation of gene expression by miR-144/451 during mouse erythropoiesis.

The microRNA (miRNA) locus miR-144/451 is abundantly expressed in erythrocyte precursors, facilitating their terminal maturation and protecting against oxidant stress. However, the full repertoire of erythroid miR-144/451 target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and associated cellular pathways is unknown. In general, the numbers of mRNAs predicted to be targeted by an miRNA vary greatly from hundreds to thousands, and are dependent on experimental approaches. To comprehensively and accurately identify erythroid miR-144/451 target mRNAs, we compared gene knockout and wild-type fetal liver erythroblasts by RNA sequencing, quantitative proteomics, and RNA immunoprecipitation of Argonaute (Ago), a component of the RNA-induced silencing complex that binds miRNAs complexed to their target mRNAs. Argonaute bound ∼1400 erythroblast mRNAs in a miR-144/451-dependent manner, accounting for one-third of all Ago-bound mRNAs. However, only ∼100 mRNAs were stabilized after miR-144/451 loss. Thus, miR-144 and miR-451 deregulate <10% of mRNAs that they bind, a characteristic that likely applies generally to other miRNAs. Using stringent selection criteria, we identified 53 novel miR-144/451 target mRNAs. One of these, Cox10, facilitates the assembly of mitochondrial electron transport complex IV. Loss of miR-144/451 caused increased Cox10 mRNA and protein, accumulation of complex IV, and increased mitochondrial membrane potential with no change in mitochondrial mass. Thus, miR-144/451 represses mitochondrial respiration during erythropoiesis by inhibiting the production of Cox10.

Systematic overexpression study to find target enzymes enhancing production of terpenes in Synechocystis PCC 6803, using isoprene as a model compound.

Of the two natural metabolic pathways for making terpenoids, biotechnological utilization of the mevalonate (MVA) pathway has enabled commercial production of valuable compounds, while the more recently discovered but stoichiometrically more efficient methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway is underdeveloped. We conducted a study on the overexpression of each enzyme in the MEP pathway in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, to identify potential targets for increasing flux towards terpenoid production, using isoprene as a reporter molecule. Results showed that the enzymes Ipi, Dxs and IspD had the biggest impact on isoprene production. By combining and creating operons out of those genes, isoprene production was increased 2-fold compared to the base strain. A genome-scale model was used to identify targets upstream of the MEP pathway that could redirect flux towards terpenoids. A total of ten reactions from the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, lower glycolysis and co-factor synthesis pathways were probed for their effect on isoprene synthesis by co-expressing them with the MEP enzymes, resulting in a 60% increase in production from the best strain. Lastly, we studied two isoprene synthases with the highest reported catalytic rates. Only by expressing them together with Dxs and Ipi could we get stable strains that produced 2.8 mg/g isoprene per dry cell weight, a 40-fold improvement compared to the initial strain.

Engineering Isoprene Synthase Expression and Activity in Cyanobacteria.

Efforts to heterologously produce quantities of isoprene hydrocarbons (C5H8) renewably from CO2 and H2O through the photosynthesis of cyanobacteria face barriers, including low levels of recombinant enzyme accumulation compounded by their slow innate catalytic activity. The present work sought to alleviate the "expression level" barrier upon placing the isoprene synthase (IspS) enzyme in different fusion configurations with the cpcB protein, the highly expressed ß-subunit of phycocyanin. Different cpcB*IspS fusion constructs were made, distinguished by the absence or presence of linker amino acids between the two proteins. Composition of linker amino acids was variable with lengths of 7, 10, 16, and 65 amino acids designed to test for optimal activity of the IspS through spatial positioning between the cpcB and IspS. Results showed that fusion constructs with the highly expressed cpcB gene, as the leader sequence, improved transgene expression in the range of 61 to 275-fold over what was measured with the unfused IspS control. However, the specific activity of the IspS enzyme was attenuated in all fusion transformants, possibly because of allosteric effects exerted by the leader cpcB fusion protein. This inhibition varied depending on the nature of the linker amino acids between the cpcB and IspS proteins. In terms of isoprene production, the results further showed a trade-off between specific activity and transgenic enzyme accumulation. For example, the cpcB*L7*IspS strain showed only about 10% the isoprene synthase specific-activity of the unfused cpcB-IspS control, but it accumulated 254-fold more IspS enzyme. The latter more than countered the slower specific activity and made the cpcB*L7*IspS transformant the best isoprene producing strain in this work. Isoprene to biomass yield ratios improved from 0.2 mg g-1 in the unfused cpcB-IspS control to 5.4 mg g-1 in the cpcB*L7*IspS strain, a 27-fold improvement.

Overexpression of endogenous 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) in cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 accelerates protein aggregation.

1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, which is responsible for the production of precursors of all isoprenoids. In a previous study, we had examined the overexpression of an endogenous DXS in a Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 mutant (DXS_ox), and found that the dxs mRNA level was 4-fold higher than that in the wild-type (WT) strain. However, the DXS protein level was only 1.5-fold higher, leading to the assumption that the level might be regulated by post-transcriptional events. In this study, we have additionally introduced an exogenous isoprene synthase (IspS; which can release MEP pathway products from the cell as gaseous isoprene) into the WT and DXS_ox strains (WT-isP and DXSox-isP strains, respectively), and their detailed DXS expression profiles were investigated from the induction phase through to the late-logarithmic phase. In the induction phase, the isoprene productivity of the DXSox-isP strain was slightly but significantly (1.4- to 1.8-fold) higher than that of the WT-isP strain, whereas the levels were comparable in the other phases. Interestingly, the ratios of soluble:insoluble DXS protein were remarkably low in the DXSox-isP strain during the induction phase to the early-logarithmic phase, resulting in a moderate level of soluble DXS. All our results suggested that the high translation rate of DXS disturbs the refolding process of DXS. To enhance the concentration of the active DXS in cyanobacteria, the enhancement of the DXS maturation system or the introduction of exogenous and robust DXS proteins might be necessary.

Purification and characterization of human dehydrodolychil diphosphate synthase (DHDDS) overexpressed in E. coli.

Protein asparagine (N)-linked glycosylation is a post-translational modification that occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum; it plays an important role in protein folding, oligomerization, quality control, sorting, and transport. Accordingly, disorders of glycosylation may affect practically every organ system. Dehydrodolichyl diphosphate synthase (DHDDS) is an eukaryotic cis prenyltransferase (cis-PT) that catalyzes chain elongation of farnesyl diphosphate via multiple condensations with isopentenyl diphosphate to form dehydrodolichyl diphosphate, a precursor for the glycosyl carrier dolichylpyrophophate involved in N-linked glycosylation. Mutations in DHDDS were shown to result in retinitis pigmentosa, ultimately leading to blindness, but the exact molecular mechanism by which the mutations affect DHDDS function remains elusive. In addition, bacterial cis-PT homologs are involved in bacterial wall synthesis and are therefore potential targets for new antibacterial agents. However, as eukaryotic cis-PT were not thoroughly characterized structurally and functionally, rational design of prokaryotic cis-PT specific drugs is currently impossible. Here, we present a simple protocol for purification of functionally active human DHDDS under non-denaturating conditions using a codon-optimized construct. The purified protein forms a stable homodimer, similar to its bacterial homologs, and shows time- and substrate-dependent activity. Purification of this protein requires the presence of a detergent for protein solubility. The protocol described here may be utilized for the overexpression of other eukaryotic cis-PT. Future structural and functional studies of the recombinant DHDDS may shed light on the mechanisms underlying DHDDS-related retinitis pigmentosa and lead to novel therapeutic approaches.

Optimization of thermophilic trans-isoprenyl diphosphate synthase expression in Escherichia coli by response surface methodology.

We optimized the heterologous expression of trans-isoprenyl diphosphate synthase (IDS), the key enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of trans-polyisoprene. trans-Polyisoprene is a particularly valuable compound due to its superior stiffness, excellent insulation, and low thermal expansion coefficient. Currently, trans-polyisoprene is mainly produced through chemical synthesis and no biotechnological processes have been established so far for its large-scale production. In this work, we employed D-optimal design and response surface methodology to optimize the expression of thermophilic enzymes IDS from Thermococcus kodakaraensis. The design of experiment took into account of six factors (preinduction cell density, inducer concentration, postinduction temperature, salt concentration, alternative carbon source, and protein inhibitor) and seven culture media (LB, NZCYM, TB, M9, Ec, Ac, and EDAVIS) at five different pH points. By screening only 109 experimental points, we were able to improve IDS production by 48% in close-batch fermentation.

The COQ2 genotype predicts the severity of coenzyme Q10 deficiency.

COQ2 (p-hydroxybenzoate polyprenyl transferase) encodes the enzyme required for the second step of the final reaction sequence of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) biosynthesis. Its mutations represent a frequent cause of primary CoQ deficiency and have been associated with the widest clinical spectrum, ranging from fatal neonatal multisystemic disease to late-onset encephalopathy. However, the reasons of this variability are still unknown.We have characterized the structure of human COQ2, defined its subcellular localization and developed a yeast model to validate all the mutant alleles reported so far.Our findings show that the main functional transcript of COQ2 is shorter than what was previously reported and that its protein product localizes to mitochondria with the C-terminus facing the intermembrane space. Complementation experiments in yeast showed that the residual activity of the mutant proteins correlates with the clinical phenotypes observed in patients.We defined the structure of COQ2 with relevant implications for mutation screening in patients and demonstrated that, contrary to other COQ gene defects such as ADCK3, there is a correlation between COQ2 genotype and patient's phenotype.

Expression, crystallization and structure elucidation of γ-terpinene synthase from Thymus vulgaris.

The biosynthesis of γ-terpinene, a precursor of the phenolic isomers thymol and carvacrol found in the essential oil from Thymus sp., is attributed to the activitiy of γ-terpinene synthase (TPS). Purified γ-terpinene synthase from T. vulgaris (TvTPS), the Thymus species that is the most widely spread and of the greatest economical importance, is able to catalyze the enzymatic conversion of geranyl diphosphate (GPP) to γ-terpinene. The crystal structure of recombinantly expressed and purified TvTPS is reported at 1.65 Šresolution, confirming the dimeric structure of the enzyme. The putative active site of TvTPS is deduced from its pronounced structural similarity to enzymes from other species of the Lamiaceae family involved in terpenoid biosynthesis: to (+)-bornyl diphosphate synthase and 1,8-cineole synthase from Salvia sp. and to (4S)-limonene synthase from Mentha spicata.

Batch production of coenzyme Q10 by recombinant Escherichia coli containing the decaprenyl diphosphate synthase gene from Sphingomonas baekryungensis.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an important antioxidant used in medicine, dietary supplements, and cosmetic applications. In the present work, the production of CoQ10 using a recombinant Escherichia coli strain containing the decaprenyl diphosphate synthase from Sphingomonas baekryungensis was investigated, wherein the effects of culture medium, temperature, and agitation rate on the production process were assessed. It was found that Luria-Bertani (LB) medium was superior to M9 with glucose medium. Higher temperature (37 °C) and higher agitation rate (900 rpm) improved the specific CoQ10 content significantly in LB medium; on the contrary, the use of M9 medium with glucose showed similar values. Specifically, in LB medium, an increase from 300 to 900 rpm in the agitation rate resulted in increases of 55 and 197 % in the specific CoQ10 content and COQ10 productivity, respectively. Therefore, the results obtained in the present work are a valuable contribution for the optimization of CoQ10 production processes using recombinant E. coli strains.

Lonafarnib is a potential inhibitor for neovascularization.

Atherosclerosis is a common cardiovascular disease that involves the build-up of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries. Intraplaque neovacularization has been shown to be essential in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Previous studies showed that small-molecule compounds targeting farnesyl transferase have the ability to prevent atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that lonafarnib, a specific inhibitor of farnesyl transferase, elicits inhibitory effect on vascular endothelial capillary assembly in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, we showed that lonafarnib treatment led to a dose-dependent decrease in scratch wound closure in vitro, whereas it had little effect on endothelial cell proliferation. These data indicate that lonafarnib inhibits neovascularization via directly targeting endothelial cells and disturbing their motility. Moreover, we demonstrated that pharmacological inhibition of farnesyl transferase by lonafarnib significantly impaired centrosome reorientation toward the leading edge of endothelial cells. Mechanistically, we found that the catalytic ß subunit of farnesyl transferase associated with a cytoskeletal protein important for the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity. Additionally, we showed that lonafarnib remarkably inhibited the expression of the cytoskeletal protein and interrupted its interaction with farnesyl transferase. Our findings thus offer novel mechanistic insight into the protective effect of farnesyl transferase inhibitors on atherosclerosis and provide encouraging evidence for the potential use of this group of agents in inhibiting plaque neovascularization.

GOT1/AST1 expression status as a prognostic biomarker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Prognostication in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a challenge. Recently, a link between mutated KRAS and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT1/AST1) has been described as part of the metabolic reprogramming in PDAC. The clinical relevance of this novel metabolic KRAS-GOT1 link has not been determined in primary human patient samples. Here we studied the GOT1 expression status as a prognostic biomarker in PDAC. We employed three independent PDAC cohorts with clinicopathological- and follow-up data: a) ICGC, comprising 57 patients with whole-exome sequencing and genome-wide expression profiling; b) ULM, composed of 122 surgically-treated patients with tissue-samples and KRAS status; c) a validation cohort of 140 primary diagnostic biopsy samples. GOT1 expression was assessed by RNA level (ICGC) or immunolabeling (ULM/validation cohort). GOT1 expression varied (ICGC) and correlation with the KRAS mutation- and expression status was imperfect (P = 0.2, ICGC; P = 0.8, ULM). Clinicopathological characteristics did not differ when patients were separated based on GOT1 high vs. low (P = 0.08-1.0); however, overall survival was longer in patients with GOT1-expressing tumors (P = 0.093, ICGC; P = 0.049, ULM). Multivariate analysis confirmed GOT1 as an independent prognostic marker (P = 0.009). Assessment in univariate (P = 0.002) and multivariate models in the validation cohort (P = 0.019), containing 66% stage IV patients, confirmed the independency of GOT1. We propose the GOT1 expression status as a simple and reliable prognostic biomarker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The effect of benzyl isothiocyanate and its computer-aided design derivants targeting alkylglycerone phosphate synthase on the inhibition of human glioma U87MG cell line.

Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) has been shown to have inhibitory potential for human glioma U87MG cells; however, the effect and mechanism were not fully clear. In the present study, we found that BITC could inhibit U87MG cell proliferation, adhesion, invasion, and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation potential and induce oxidative stress, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest. We also found that the expression of proliferation, invasion, VM oxidative stress, apoptosis, and cell cycle-related gene and the activity of tumor-related signaling pathways, including protein kinase C (PKC) ζ and Akt/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathways, were suppressed by BITC treatment. We also explored the anti-tumor potential of BITC in vivo, and we found that BITC also could regulate the expression of tumor-related gene and angiogenesis in nude mice model. Finally, we optimized the BITC construction targeting alkylglycerone phosphate synthase (AGPS) by computer-aided design, and the derivants also showed anti-tumor potential in vitro.

Cloning and characterization of the nicotianamine synthase gene in Eruca vesicaria subsp sativa.

Nicotianamine (NA) is a ubiquitous metabolite in plants that bind heavy metals, is crucial for metal homeostasis, and is also an important metal chelator that facilitates long-distance metal transport and sequestration. NA synthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme nicotianamine synthase (NAS). Eruca vesicaria subsp sativa is highly tolerant to Ni, Pb, and Zn. In this study, a gene encoding EvNAS was cloned and characterized in E. vesicaria subsp sativa. The full-length EvNAS cDNA sequence contained a 111-bp 5'-untranslated region (UTR), a 155-bp 3'-UTR, and a 966-bp open reading frame encoding 322-amino acid residues. The EvNAS genomic sequence contained no introns, which is similar to previously reported NAS genes. The deduced translation of EvNAS contained a well-conserved NAS domain (1-279 amino acids) and an LIKI-CGEAEG box identical to some Brassica NAS and to the LIRL-box in most plant NAS, which is essential for DNA binding. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that EvNAS was most closely related to Brassica rapa NAS3 within the Cruciferae, followed by Thlaspi NAS1, Camelina NAS3, and Arabidopsis NAS3. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction indicated that EvNAS expression was greatest in the leaves, followed by the flower buds and hypocotyls. EvNAS was moderately expressed in the roots.

A simple real-time assay for in vitro translation.

A high-throughput assay for real-time measurement of translation rates in cell-free protein synthesis (SNAP assay) is described. The SNAP assay enables quantitative, real-time measurement of overall translation rates in vitro via the synthesis of O(6)-alkylguanine DNA O(6)-alkyltransferase (SNAP). SNAP production is continuously detected by fluorescence produced by the reaction of SNAP with a range of quenched fluorogenic substrates. The capabilities of the assay are exemplified by measurements of the activities of Escherichia coli MRE600 ribosomes and fluorescently labeled E. coli mutant ribosomes in the PURExpress translation system and by determination of the 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of three common macrolide antibiotics.

Clinical utility of PDSS2 expression to stratify patients at risk for recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Identification of novel genetic and epigenetic alterations is required for optimal stratification of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at risk for recurrence and adverse prognosis. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which mediates apoptosis, is synthesized by prenyl diphosphate synthase subunit 2 (PDSS2). In the present study we evaluated the clinical significance and regulatory mechanisms of PDSS2 expression in HCC. PDSS2 expression levels and those of genes encoding potentially interacting proteins as well as the methylation status of the PDSS2 promoter region were analyzed in HCC cell lines. PDSS2 mRNA levels in 151 pairs of resected specimens were determined to evaluate the association of PDSS2 expression and clinicopathological factors. The expression and distribution of PDSS2 were determined using immunohistochemistry. PDSS2 mRNA expression was decreased in six of nine HCC cell lines and significantly correlated with those of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α. PDSS2 transcription in HCC cells with decreased PDSS2 expression accompanying hypermethylation was reactivated after treating these cells with a methylation inhibitor. Mean expression levels of PDSS2 mRNA relative to that of uninvolved liver diminished gradually in the order of chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis, and each was significantly higher than those of HCCs. PDSS2 and PDSS2 mRNA levels were consistent. Decreased PDSS2 mRNA levels were detected in HCC tissues of 56 patients, correlated with shorter disease-specific survival, and was identified as an independent prognostic factor. PDSS2 is a putative tumor suppressor, and promoter hypermethylation is a key regulatory mechanism in HCC. Decreased levels of PDSS2 mRNA expression may represent a novel biomarker of HCC.

RNA interference-mediated repression of SmCPS (copalyldiphosphate synthase) expression in hairy roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza causes a decrease of tanshinones and sheds light on the functional role of SmCPS.

Tanshinones are a group of bioactive abietane-type norditerpenoid quinone compounds in Salvia miltiorrhiza. Copalyldiphosphate synthase of S. miltiorrhiza (SmCPS) is the first key enzyme in tanshinone biosynthesis from the universal diterpene precursor geranylgeranyl diphosphate. Hairy roots of S. miltiorrhiza were transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes carrying an RNA interference (RNAi) construct designed to silence SmCPS, and we examined the resulting SmCPS expression and tanshinone accumulation. In SmCPS­RNAi hairy roots, the transcript level of SmCPS was reduced to 26 % while the dihydrotanshinone I and cryptotanshinone levels were decreased by 53 and 38 % compared to those of the vector control hairy roots; tanshinone IIA was not detected. Therefore, the decreased expression of SmCPS caused a decrease in tanshinone levels which verifies that SmCPS is a key enzyme for tanshinone biosynthesis in S. miltiorrhiza.