A cellulose synthase-derived enzyme catalyses 3-O-glucuronosylation in saponin biosynthesis

Soo Yeon Chung, Hikaru Seki, Yukiko Fujisawa, Yoshikazu Shimoda, Susumu Hiraga, Yuhta Nomura, Kazuki Saito, Masao Ishimoto () and Toshiya Muranaka ()
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Soo Yeon Chung: Osaka University
Hikaru Seki: Osaka University
Yukiko Fujisawa: Institute of Crop Science, NARO
Yoshikazu Shimoda: Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO
Susumu Hiraga: Institute of Crop Science, NARO
Yuhta Nomura: Osaka University
Kazuki Saito: RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Masao Ishimoto: Institute of Crop Science, NARO
Toshiya Muranaka: Osaka University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Triterpenoid saponins are specialised metabolites distributed widely in the plant kingdom that consist of one or more sugar moieties attached to triterpenoid aglycones. Despite the widely accepted view that glycosylation is catalysed by UDP-dependent glycosyltransferase (UGT), the UGT which catalyses the transfer of the conserved glucuronic acid moiety at the C-3 position of glycyrrhizin and various soyasaponins has not been determined. Here, we report that a cellulose synthase superfamily-derived glycosyltransferase (CSyGT) catalyses 3-O-glucuronosylation of triterpenoid aglycones. Gene co-expression analyses of three legume species (Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Glycine max, and Lotus japonicus) reveal the involvement of CSyGTs in saponin biosynthesis, and we characterise CSyGTs in vivo using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. CSyGT mutants of L. japonicus do not accumulate soyasaponin, but the ectopic expression of endoplasmic reticulum membrane–localised CSyGTs in a L. japonicus mutant background successfully complement soyasaponin biosynthesis. Finally, we produced glycyrrhizin de novo in yeast, paving the way for sustainable production of high-value saponins.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19399-0

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