Purification and characterization of UDP-glucose:: hydroxycoumarin 7-O-glucosyltransferase, with broad substrate specificity from tobacco cultured cells

The enzyme UDP-glucose: hydroxycoumarin 7-O-glucosyltransferase (CGTase), which catalyzes the formation of scopolin from scopoletin, was purified approximately 1200-fold from a culture of 2,4-D-treated tobacco cells (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Bright Yellow T-13) with a yield of 7%. Purification to apparent homogeneity, as judged by SDS-PAGE, was achieved by sequential anion-exchange chromatography, hydroxyapatite chromatography, gel filtration, a second round of anion-exchange chromatography, and affinity chromatography on UDP-glucuronic acid agarose. The purified enzyme had a pH optimum of 7.5, an isoelectric point (pI) of 5.0, and a molecular mass of 49 kDa. The enzyme did not require metal cofactors for activity. Its activity was inhibited by Zn2+, Co2+ and Cu2+ ions, as well as by SH-blocking reagents. The K-m values for UDP-glucose, scopoletin and esculetin were 43, 150 and 25 mu M. respectively. A study of the initial rate of the reaction suggested that the reaction proceeded via a sequential mechanism. The purified enzyme preferred hydroxycoumarins as substrates but also exhibited significant activity with flavonoids. A database search using the amino terminus amino acid sequence of CGTase revealed strong homology to the amino acid sequences of other glucosyltransferases in plants. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.