Identification of chalcone isomerase in the basal land plants reveals an ancient evolution of enzymatic cyclization activity for synthesis of flavonoids

Flavonoids ubiquitously distribute to the terrestrial plants and chalcone isomerase (CHI)-catalyzed intramolecular and stereospecific cyclization of chalcones is a committed step in the production of flavonoids. However, so far the bona fide CHIs are found only in vascular plants, and their origin a...

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Published in:The New phytologist 2018-01, Vol.217 (2), p.909-924
Main Authors: Cheng, Ai‐Xia, Zhang, Xuebin, Han, Xiao‐Juan, Zhang, Yu‐Ying, Gao, Shuai, Liu, Chang‐Jun, Lou, Hong‐Xiang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic plants
Chalcone isomerase
Divergence
Evolution
Flavonoids
Flowers & plants
Freshwater plants
liverwort
Phenotypes
Phylogeny
Plants
Plants (botany)
Proteins
Seed coats
Selaginella
Selaginella moellendorffii (Spikemoss)
Terrestrial environments
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Summary:Flavonoids ubiquitously distribute to the terrestrial plants and chalcone isomerase (CHI)-catalyzed intramolecular and stereospecific cyclization of chalcones is a committed step in the production of flavonoids. However, so far the bona fide CHIs are found only in vascular plants, and their origin and evolution remains elusive. We conducted transcriptomic and/or genomic sequence search, subsequent phylogenetic analysis, and detailed biochemical and genetic characterization to explore the potential existence of CHI proteins in the basal bryophyte liverwort species and the lycophyte Selaginella moellendorffii. We found that both liverwort and Selaginella species possess canonical CHI-fold proteins that cluster with their corresponding higher plant counterparts. Among them, some members exhibited bona fide CHI activity, which catalyze stereospecific cyclization of both 6′-hydroxychalcone and 6′-deoxychalcone, yielding corresponding 5-hydroxy and 5-deoxyflavanones, resembling the typical type II CHIs currently known to be ‘specific’ for legume plants. Expressing those primitive bona fide CHIs in the Arabidopsis chi mutant restores the seed coat transparent testa phenotype and the accumulation of flavonoids. These findings, in contrast to our current understanding of the evolution of enzymatic CHIs, suggest that emergence of the bona fide type II CHIs is an ancient evolution event that occurred before the divergence of liverwort lineages.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/nph.14852