Expression of Brugmansia candida hyoscyamine 6beta-hydroxylase gene in saccharomyces cerevisiae and its potential use as biocatalyst

Abstract

Background: Tropane alkaloids, mainly hyoscyamine and scopolamine, are widely used in medicine due to their anticholinergic activity. Scopolamine has a higher demand being the more valuable alkaloid due to its fewer side effects and higher physiological activity. Anisodamine (6β-hydroxyhyoscyamine) is the intermediate in the conversion of hyoscyamine into scopolamine. Current studies report that this alkaloid is potentially applicable in medicine. The gene that codifies for Hyoscyamine 6-β hydroxylase, the enzyme responsible for hyoscyamine hydroxylation and epoxidation, leading to scopolamine was isolated from Brugmansia candida. Results: The h6hcDNA was cloned into pYES2.1 and pYES2.1/V5-His-TOPO vectors to produce an untagged and a tagged protein, respectively. The H6H enzyme was produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in order to obtain a biological catalyst for potential industrial applications. Protein extracts of the induced yeast were analyzed by Western blot. The expression was detected 4 h after induction and no degradation was observed during the period assayed. The tagged and the untagged proteins were able to transform hyoscyamine, showing a functional expression of the h6hcDNA. Conclusion: The strains obtained in this work are promising and potentially applicable in biocatalytic processes. © 2008 Cardillo et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.