S. Sommer et L. Heide, EXPRESSION OF BACTERIAL CHORISMATE PYRUVATE-LYASE IN TOBACCO - EVIDENCE FOR THE PRESENCE OF CHORISMATE IN THE PLANT CYTOSOL, Plant and Cell Physiology, 39(11), 1998, pp. 1240-1244
The bacterial gene ubiC encodes chorismate pyruvatelyase, an enzyme wh
ich converts chorismate to 4-hydroxybenzoate and which is not normally
present in plants. The UbiC protein was expressed in tobacco, with ta
rgeting of the gene product either to the plastids or to the cytosol.
In both cases, chorismate pyruvate-lyase activity and a resulting form
ation of 4-hydroxybenzoate was detected. This suggests that chorismate
, a metabolite of the shikimate pathway, is present not only in the pl
astids but also in the cytosol of plant cells.