Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Published Online March 20, 2008
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1154990

Reports

Submitted on January 8, 2008
Accepted on March 7, 2008

Metabolic Diversification—Independent Assembly of Operon-Like Gene Clusters in Plants

Ben Field 1 and Anne E. Osbourn 1*

1 Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Anne E. Osbourn , E-mail: anne.osbourn{at}bbsrc.ac.uk

Operons are clusters of unrelated genes with related functions that are a feature of prokaryotic genomes. Here we report on an operon-like gene cluster in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana that is required for triterpene synthesis (the thalianol pathway). The clustered genes are coexpressed, as in bacterial operons. However, despite the resemblance to a bacterial operon, this gene cluster has been assembled from plant genes by gene duplication, neofunctionalization and genome reorganization rather than by horizontal gene transfer from bacteria. Furthermore, recent assembly of operon-like gene clusters for triterpene synthesis has occurred independently in divergent plant lineages (Arabidopsis and oat). Thus selection pressure may act during the formation of certain plant metabolic pathways to drive gene clustering.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Evolution of a Novel Phenolic Pathway for Pollen Development.
M. Matsuno,, V. Compagnon, G. A. Schoch, M. Schmitt, D. Debayle, J.-E. Bassard, B. Pollet, A. Hehn, D. Heintz, P. Ullmann, et al. (2009)
Science 325, 1688-1692
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
OsTGAP1, a bZIP Transcription Factor, Coordinately Regulates the Inductive Production of Diterpenoid Phytoalexins in Rice.
A. Okada, K. Okada, K. Miyamoto, J. Koga, N. Shibuya, H. Nojiri, and H. Yamane (2009)
J. Biol. Chem. 284, 26510-26518
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
A Serine Carboxypeptidase-Like Acyltransferase Is Required for Synthesis of Antimicrobial Compounds and Disease Resistance in Oats.
S. T. Mugford, X. Qi, S. Bakht, L. Hill, E. Wegel, R. K. Hughes, K. Papadopoulou, R. Melton, M. Philo, F. Sainsbury, et al. (2009)
PLANT CELL 21, 2473-2484
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Plant-Microbe Interactions: Chemical Diversity in Plant Defense.
P. Bednarek and A. Osbourn (2009)
Science 324, 746-748
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)