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Gene Review:

pds - phytoene desaturase

Solanum lycopersicum

Simkin, A.J. et al., Pecker, I. et al., Pecker, I. et al., Giuliano, G. et al., Mann, V. et al.

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Disease relevance of pds

Cells of Escherichia coli that expressed the tomato pds gene could convert phytoene to zeta-carotene [1].
The deduced amino acid sequence of phytoene desaturase indicates that this enzyme in tomato contains 583 amino acids that are highly conserved with respect to the homologous enzymes in cyanobacteria and algae [1].
The primary structure of lycopene cyclase in higher plants is significantly conserved with the enzyme from cyanobacteria but different from that of the non-photosynthetic bacteria Erwinia. mRNA of CrtL and Pds, which encodes phytoene desaturase, was measured in leaves, flowers and ripening fruits of tomato [2].

High impact information on pds

Phytoene synthase (Psy) and phytoene desaturase (Pds) are the first dedicated enzymes of the plant carotenoid biosynthesis pathway [3].
The cDNA of the gene pds from tomato, encoding the carotenoid biosynthesis enzyme phytoene desaturase, was cloned, and its nucleotide sequence was determined [1].
In tomato Pds is comprised of 15 exons that, together with the introns occupy over 8 kb [4].
A decrease in the expression of several carotenogenic genes, namely pds, zds (carotenoid desaturases) and ptox (plastid terminal oxidase), was observed following the removal of the light (when carotenoid content is at its highest) [5].
In the dark, norflurazon treatment led to only a weak decrease in carotenoid content and only a small increase in pds and zds gene expression [5].

Biological context of pds

An increase in gene expression was observed before the return to light for pds and zds (when carotenoid levels were at their lowest), or following the return to light for ptox [5].

Associations of pds with chemical compounds

This result suggests that one polypeptide, the product of the pds gene, can carry out phytoene desaturation in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway [1].
The phytoene desaturation inhibitor norflurazon leads to a decrease coloured carotenoid content and, in the light, this correlated with pds and zds gene induction [5].

References

A single polypeptide catalyzing the conversion of phytoene to zeta-carotene is transcriptionally regulated during tomato fruit ripening. Pecker, I., Chamovitz, D., Linden, H., Sandmann, G., Hirschberg, J. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (1992) [Pubmed]
Cloning and characterization of the cDNA for lycopene beta-cyclase from tomato reveals decrease in its expression during fruit ripening. Pecker, I., Gabbay, R., Cunningham, F.X., Hirschberg, J. Plant Mol. Biol. (1996) [Pubmed]
Regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis during tomato development. Giuliano, G., Bartley, G.E., Scolnik, P.A. Plant Cell (1993) [Pubmed]
Cloning and characterization of the gene for phytoene desaturase (Pds) from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Mann, V., Pecker, I., Hirschberg, J. Plant Mol. Biol. (1994) [Pubmed]
Comparison of carotenoid content, gene expression and enzyme levels in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) leaves. Simkin, A.J., Labouré, A.M., Kuntz, M., Sandmann, G. Z. Naturforsch., C, J. Biosci. (2003) [Pubmed]

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