Isolation and characterization of β-cadinene synthase cDNA from Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum

Abstract

Abstract Chamaecyparis formosensis is a precious conifer endemic in Taiwan. To understand the sesquiterpene synthesis mechanism in this tree, full-length cDNA of a putative sesquiterpene synthase (sesqui-TPS), designated Cf-Cad, was obtained by rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends-polymerase chain reaction. Cf-Cad is 1812 bp in length. To identify its function, recombinant protein from Escherichia coli was incubated with farnesyl diphosphate, which produced one major product, the structure of which was elucidated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. GC/MS analysis, GC retention time and MS matching with authentic standards revealed that the major product was β-cadinene. This is the first report of the cloning, functional expression in E. coli and identification of a sesqui-TPS from a Cupressaceae conifer.