Metabolism of monoterpenes: specificity of the dehydrogenases responsible for the biosynthesis of camphor, 3-thujone, and 3-isothujone

Arch Biochem Biophys. 1987 Oct;258(1):287-91. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(87)90346-8.

Abstract

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is shown to contain two electrophoretically distinct dehydrogenases for the respective oxidations of (+)-borneol to (+)-camphor, and of (+)-cis-sabinol to (+)-sabinone en route to (-)-3-isothujone. Similarly, tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is shown to contain two electrophoretically distinct dehydrogenases for the respective oxidations of (-)-borneol to (-)-camphor and of (+)-cis-sabinol to (+)-sabinone en route to (+)-3-thujone. These results demonstrate that separate dehydrogenases are responsible for the biosynthesis of camphor from borneol and of the thujyl ketones via cis-sabinol, and they also indicate that the previously reported oxidations of various thujanols by the borneol dehydrogenases are only coincidental activities not relevant to the formation of 3-thujone and 3-isothujone.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alcohol Oxidoreductases / metabolism
  • Bicyclic Monoterpenes
  • Camphor / metabolism*
  • Chromatography, Gel
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Molecular Weight
  • Monoterpenes*
  • NAD / pharmacology
  • NADP / pharmacology
  • Oxidoreductases / metabolism*
  • Plants / enzymology*
  • Terpenes / metabolism*

Substances

  • Bicyclic Monoterpenes
  • Monoterpenes
  • Terpenes
  • NAD
  • NADP
  • Camphor
  • beta-thujone
  • Oxidoreductases
  • Alcohol Oxidoreductases
  • sabinol dehydrogenase
  • borneol dehydrogenase