Functionally divergent alleles and duplicated Loci encoding an acyltransferase contribute to acylsugar metabolite diversity in Solanum trichomes.

Glandular trichomes from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and other species in the Solanaceae produce and secrete a mixture of O-acylsugars (aliphatic esters of sucrose and glucose) that contribute to insect defense. Despite their phylogenetic distribution and diversity, relatively little is known about how these specialized metabolites are synthesized. Mass spectrometric profiling of acylsugars in the S. lycopersicum x Solanum pennellii introgression lines identified a chromosome 11 locus containing a cluster of BAHD acyltransferases with one gene (named Sl-ASAT3) expressed in tip cells of type I trichomes where acylsugars are made. Sl-ASAT3 was shown to encode an acyl-CoA-dependent acyltransferase that catalyzes the transfer of short (four to five carbons) branched acyl chains to the furanose ring of di-acylsucrose acceptors to produce tri-acylsucroses, which can be further acetylated by Sl-ASAT4 (previously Sl-AT2). Among the wild tomatoes, diversity in furanose ring acyl chains on acylsucroses was most striking in Solanum habrochaites. S. habrochaites accessions from Ecuador and northern Peru produced acylsucroses with short (≤C5) or no acyl chains on the furanose ring. Accessions from central and southern Peru had the ability to add short or long (up to C12) acyl chains to the furanose ring. Multiple ASAT3-like sequences were found in most accessions, and their in vitro activities correlated with observed geographical diversity in acylsugar profiles.

Acylsugar Acylhydrolases: Carboxylesterase-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Acylsugars in Tomato Trichomes.

Glandular trichomes of cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and many other species throughout the Solanaceae produce and secrete mixtures of sugar esters (acylsugars) on the plant aerial surfaces. In wild and cultivated tomato, these metabolites consist of a sugar backbone, typically glucose or sucrose, and two to five acyl chains esterified to various positions on the sugar core. The aliphatic acyl chains vary in length and branching and are transferred to the sugar by a series of reactions catalyzed by acylsugar acyltransferases. A phenotypic screen of a set of S. lycopersicum M82 × Solanum pennellii LA0716 introgression lines identified a dominant genetic locus on chromosome 5 from the wild relative that affected total acylsugar levels. Genetic mapping revealed that the reduction in acylsugar levels was consistent with the presence and increased expression of two S. pennellii genes (Sopen05g030120 and Sopen05g030130) encoding putative carboxylesterase enzymes of the α/ß-hydrolase superfamily. These two enzymes, named ACYLSUGAR ACYLHYDROLASE1 (ASH1) and ASH2, were shown to remove acyl chains from specific positions of certain types of acylsugars in vitro. A survey of related genes in M82 and LA0716 identified another trichome-expressed ASH gene on chromosome 9 (M82, Solyc09g075710; LA0716, Sopen09g030520) encoding a protein with similar activity. Characterization of the in vitro activities of the SpASH enzymes showed reduced activities with acylsugars produced by LA0716, presumably contributing to the high-level production of acylsugars in the presence of highly expressed SpASH genes.

Dependence of negative-mode electrospray ionization response factors on mobile phase composition and molecular structure for newly-authenticated neutral acylsucrose metabolites.

Authentic standards of known concentrations serve as references for accurate absolute quantification of plant metabolites using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). However, often such standards are not commercially available or not amenable for custom syntheses. Despite the widespread use of electrospray ionization for metabolite analyses, the fundamentals needed for reliable prediction of molecular response factors have yet to be explored in detail for analytes that lack ionized functional groups. In order to lay a foundation for quantifying unknown neutral plant metabolites in absence of authentic standards, sub-milligram quantities of purified homologous acylsucrose metabolites were authenticated by subjecting each to basic hydrolysis and quantifying the sucrose product using stable-isotope dilution ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Once authenticated, molar response factors of [M + formate](-) ions for the acylsucrose metabolites were determined at different mobile phase compositions ranging from 40%-80% acetonitrile, and demonstrated relationships of response factors with mobile phase composition and metabolite structural features including nonpolar surface areas, the length of the longest acyl chain, and the number of hydroxyl groups. This approach was employed to calculate predicted response factors for three authenticated acylsucroses based on mean values for all isomers with a common number of total acyl carbon atoms. Absolute UHPLC-MS quantification was performed on these three metabolites in an extract from leaves of the wild tomato Solanum habrochaites LA1777, yielding deviations of 26%, 6.7%, and 7.3% from values established using compound-specific response factors.

Ni, Co, and Mo-metal-catalyzed alkynes hydrostannations using Bu(3)SnCl/PMHS/KF/18-crown-6 as an in situ Bu(3)SnH source.

A number of terminal alkynes were subjected to nickel, cobalt, and molybdenum catalyzed hydrostannations in presence of tributyltin chloride, polymethylhydrosiloxane, potassium fluoride and 18-crown-6 as an situ organotin hydride source to produce vinylstannanes.

Comparative structural profiling of trichome specialized metabolites in tomato (Solanumlycopersicum) and S. habrochaites: acylsugar profiles revealed by UHPLC/MS and NMR.

Many plants accumulate large quantities of specialized metabolites in secretory glandular trichomes (SGTs), which are specialized epidermal cells. In the genus Solanum, SGTs store a diverse collection of glucose and sucrose esters. Profiling of extracts from two accessions (LA1777 and LA1392) of Solanum habrochaites using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC/MS) revealed wide acylsugar diversity, with up to 11 isomers annotated for each individual elemental formula. These isomers arise from differences in ester chain lengths and their positions of substitution or branching. Since fragment ion masses were not sufficient to distinguish all isomers, 24 acylsucroses were purified from S. habrochaites accessions and cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum M82) and characterized using NMR spectroscopy. Two-dimensional NMR spectra yielded assignments of positions of substitution of specific acyl groups, and locations of branching. The range of substitution was wider than reported earlier, and in contrast to previous reports, tetra- and penta-acylsucroses were substituted at position 2 with acyl groups other than acetate. Because UHPLC/MS fails to yield sufficient information about structure diversity, and quantitative NMR of acylsugar mixtures is confounded by structural redundancy, the strategic combination of NMR and UHPLC/MS provides a powerful approach for profiling a class of metabolites with great structural diversity across genotypes.

A one-pot allylation-hydrostannation sequence with recycling of the intermediate tin waste.

A one-pot allylation and hydrostannation of alkynals where the tin byproduct formed in the first step of the reaction is recycled and used in the second step of the sequence is presented. Specifically, a BF3·OEt2-promoted allylstannation of the aldehyde moiety in the alkynal is followed by the introduction of polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) and catalytic B(C6F5)3, which convert the tin byproduct of the allylation into Bu3SnH, which then hydrostannates the alkyne in the molecule. (119)Sn and (11)B NMR data suggest an organotin fluoride species is formed during the allylation step and involved in the tin recycling step.