Endophytic fungi are ubiquitous plant endosymbionts that establish complex and poorly understood relationships with their host organisms. Many endophytic fungi are known to produce a wide spectrum of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with potential energy applications, which have been described as "mycodiesel". Many of these mycodiesel hydrocarbons are terpenes, a chemically diverse class of compounds produced by many plants, fungi, and bacteria. Due to their high energy densities, terpenes, such as pinene and bisabolene, are actively being investigated as potential "drop-in" biofuels for replacing diesel and aviation fuel. In this study, we rapidly discovered and characterized 26 terpene synthases (TPSs) derived from four endophytic fungi known to produce mycodiesel hydrocarbons. The TPS genes were expressed in an E. coli strain harboring a heterologous mevalonate pathway designed to enhance terpene production, and their product profiles were determined using Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME) and GC-MS. Lastly, out of the 26 TPS’s profiled, 12 TPS’s were functional, with the majority of them exhibiting both monoterpene and sesquiterpene synthase activity.
Wu, Weihua, et al. "Rapid discovery and functional characterization of terpene synthases from four endophytic xylariaceae." PLoS ONE, vol. 11, no. 2, Feb. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146983
Wu, Weihua, Tran, William, Taatjes, Craig A., Alonso-Gutierrez, Jorge, Lee, Taek Soon, Gladden, John M., & Hamberger, Bjorn (2016). Rapid discovery and functional characterization of terpene synthases from four endophytic xylariaceae. PLoS ONE, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146983
Wu, Weihua, Tran, William, Taatjes, Craig A., et al., "Rapid discovery and functional characterization of terpene synthases from four endophytic xylariaceae," PLoS ONE 11, no. 2 (2016), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146983
@article{osti_1257274,
author = {Wu, Weihua and Tran, William and Taatjes, Craig A. and Alonso-Gutierrez, Jorge and Lee, Taek Soon and Gladden, John M. and Hamberger, Bjorn},
title = {Rapid discovery and functional characterization of terpene synthases from four endophytic xylariaceae},
annote = {Endophytic fungi are ubiquitous plant endosymbionts that establish complex and poorly understood relationships with their host organisms. Many endophytic fungi are known to produce a wide spectrum of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with potential energy applications, which have been described as "mycodiesel". Many of these mycodiesel hydrocarbons are terpenes, a chemically diverse class of compounds produced by many plants, fungi, and bacteria. Due to their high energy densities, terpenes, such as pinene and bisabolene, are actively being investigated as potential "drop-in" biofuels for replacing diesel and aviation fuel. In this study, we rapidly discovered and characterized 26 terpene synthases (TPSs) derived from four endophytic fungi known to produce mycodiesel hydrocarbons. The TPS genes were expressed in an E. coli strain harboring a heterologous mevalonate pathway designed to enhance terpene production, and their product profiles were determined using Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME) and GC-MS. Lastly, out of the 26 TPS’s profiled, 12 TPS’s were functional, with the majority of them exhibiting both monoterpene and sesquiterpene synthase activity.},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0146983},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1257274},
journal = {PLoS ONE},
issn = {ISSN 1932-6203},
number = {2},
volume = {11},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Public Library of Science},
year = {2016},
month = {02}}