Molecular cloning, characterization and functional analysis of a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase gene from Jatropha curcas.

Abstract

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR, EC: 1.1.1.34) catalyzes the first committed step in mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway for biosynthesis of isoprenoids. The full-length cDNA encoding HMGR was isolated from Jatropha curcas for the first time (designated as JcHMGR), which contained a 1950 bp ORF encoding 584 amino acids. The JcHMGR genomic DNA sequence was also obtained, revealing JcHMGR had 4 exons and 3 introns. The deduced JcHMGR protein showed high identity to other plant HMGRs and contained 2 transmembrane domains and a catalytic domain. The potential significance of JcHMGR gene was also discussed.