Functional characterization of a small gene family coding for putrescine hydroxycinnamoyltransferases, involved in phenolamide accumulation, in tomato

Phytochemistry. 2025 Jan:229:114271. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2024.114271. Epub 2024 Sep 12.

Abstract

Phenolamides are specialized metabolites widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Their structure is composed by the association of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives to mono-/poly-amine through an amination catalyzed by N-hydroxycinnamoyltransferases enzymes. Tomato plants accumulate putrescine-derived phenolamides in their vegetative parts. Recently, two first genes coding for putrescine-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (PHT, Solyc11g071470 and Solyc11g071480) were identified in tomato and demonstrated to control the leaf accumulation of caffeoylputrescine in response to leafminer infestation. In this study, two additional genes (Solyc06g074710 and Solyc11g066640) were functionally characterized as new tomato PHT. The substrate specificity and the expression pattern in planta were determined for the four tomato PHT. Taken together the results give a comprehensive view of the control of the putrescine-derived phenolamide accumulation in tomato plant through the biochemical specificity and the spatial expression of this small family of PHT.

Keywords: Phenolamide; Putrescine hydroxycinnamoyl transferase; Tomato.

MeSH terms

  • Acyltransferases / genetics
  • Acyltransferases / metabolism
  • Amides / chemistry
  • Amides / metabolism
  • Molecular Structure
  • Putrescine* / metabolism
  • Solanum lycopersicum* / enzymology
  • Solanum lycopersicum* / genetics
  • Solanum lycopersicum* / metabolism
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • Putrescine
  • Acyltransferases
  • Amides