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Overexpressing codon-adapted fusion proteins of 4-coumaroyl-CoA ligase (4CL) and stilbene synthase (STS) for resveratrol production in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

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Abstract

Resveratrol is a plant phenolic secondary metabolite derived from phenylpropane metabolic pathway. It is a phytoalexin of high pharmaceutical interest produced in the defense response of plants. To produce resveratrol in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, 4-coumaroyl-CoA ligase (4CL) and stilbene synthase (STS), two enzymes in the last two steps of resveratrol synthesis in higher plants, were fused together by a glycine–serine–glycine (GSG) tripeptide linker after codon adaptation according to the genome of C. reinhardtii. The fusion protein 4CL-GSG-STS was overexpressed in a wild-type (CC125) and a wall-deficient C. reinhardtii (CC 425). A high level of resveratrol accumulation (22.8 μg g−1, dry weight) was obtained in CC125 transformed with codon-adapted 4CL-GSG-STS after supplementary of cinnamic acid in the culture medium.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 31370674).

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Author notes

  1. Chen Xiang and Jia Liu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Northern Urban Agriculture of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, 102206, People’s Republic of China

    Chen Xiang, Jia Liu, Lanqing Ma & MingFeng Yang

  2. Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, 102206, People’s Republic of China

    Lanqing Ma

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  1. Chen Xiang
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  2. Jia Liu
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Correspondence to Lanqing Ma or MingFeng Yang.

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Xiang, C., Liu, J., Ma, L. et al. Overexpressing codon-adapted fusion proteins of 4-coumaroyl-CoA ligase (4CL) and stilbene synthase (STS) for resveratrol production in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. J Appl Phycol 32, 1669–1676 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02123-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02123-2

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