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Publication Abstract from PubMed

O-Methylated stilbenes are prominent nutraceuticals but rarely produced by crops. Here, the inherent ability of two Saccharinae grasses to produce regioselectively O-methylated stilbenes is reported. A stilbene O-methyltransferase, SbSOMT, is first shown to be indispensable for pathogen-inducible pterostilbene (3,5-bis-O-methylated) biosynthesis in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). Phylogenetic analysis indicates the recruitment of genus-specific SOMTs from canonical caffeic acid O-methyltransferases (COMTs) after the divergence of Sorghum spp. from Saccharum spp. In recombinant enzyme assays, SbSOMT and COMTs regioselectively catalyze O-methylation of stilbene A-ring and B-ring respectively. Subsequently, SOMT-stilbene crystal structures are presented. Whilst SbSOMT shows global structural resemblance to SbCOMT, molecular characterizations illustrate two hydrophobic residues (Ile144/Phe337) crucial for substrate binding orientation leading to 3,5-bis-O-methylations in the A-ring. In contrast, the equivalent residues (Asn128/Asn323) in SbCOMT facilitate an opposite orientation that favors 3'-O-methylation in the B-ring. Consistently, a highly-conserved COMT is likely involved in isorhapontigenin (3'-O-methylated) formation in wounded wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum). Altogether, our work reveals the potential of Saccharinae grasses as a source of O-methylated stilbenes, and rationalize the regioselectivity of SOMT activities for bioengineering of O-methylated stilbenes.

Regioselective stilbene O-methylations in Saccharinae grasses.,Lui ACW, Pow KC, Lin N, Lam LPY, Liu G, Godwin ID, Fan Z, Khoo CJ, Tobimatsu Y, Wang L, Hao Q, Lo C Nat Commun. 2023 Jun 12;14(1):3462. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38908-5. PMID:37308495^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.