Phlorisovalerophenone synthase (VPS), a novel aromatic polyketide synthase, was purified to homogeneity from 4.2 mg protein extract obtained from hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cone glandular hairs. The enzyme uses isovaleryl-CoA or isobutyryl-CoA and three molecules of malonyl-CoA to form phlorisovalerophenone or phlorisobutyrophenone, intermediates in the biosynthesis of the hop bitter acids (a-and b-acids). VPS is an homodimeric enzyme, with subunits of 45 kDa. The pI of the enzyme was 6.1. K m values of 4 mm for isovaleryl-CoA, 10 mm for isobutyryl-CoA and 33 mm for malonyl-CoA, were found. The amino-acid sequences of two peptides, obtained by digestion of VPS, showed that the enzyme is highly homologous to plant chalcone synthases. The functional and structural relationship between VPS and other aromatic polyketide synthases is discussed.Keywords: Humulus lupulus; chalcone synthase; polyketide synthase; hop bitter acids; phlorisovalerophenone synthase.The cones of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.) have been used for centuries in the beer-brewing process. Their major contribution to beer is the characteristic bitterness that results from the isomerization of the hop a-acids into a more soluble and stable form during the brewing process; isomerized a-acids are the main bitter substances in beer. In the plant, hop bitter acids consist of both a-acids, mainly humulone, cohumulone and adhumulone, and b-acids, mainly lupulone, colupulone and adlupulone [1]. These compounds are synthesized during the development of the H. lupulus female inflorescences into cones and are accumulated in the yellow glands covering the basal part of the bracteoles of the cones [2,3]. In general, glands are a rich source of secondary metabolites. Recently, strategies for bioengineering the development and metabolism in glandular tissues have been reviewed [4].In previous papers [5,6] a novel biosynthetic pathway leading to the bitter acids in H. lupulus was proposed. The suggested intermediates phlorisovalerophenone and phlorisobutyrophenone were also detected in hop cones. Furthermore, protein extracts from the cones were able to synthesize these compounds from malonyl-CoA plus either isovaleryl-CoA or isobutyryl-CoA. Apparently, the catalytic mechanism involved in this biosynthesis is similar to that observed in other plant condensing enzymes, like chalcone synthase and stilbene synthase (Fig. 1). These enzymes catalyze a reaction which proceeds by a sequential condensation of three acetate units to a starter residue to form the tetraketide intermediate that is folded to form a ring [7,8]. This type of reaction, which was first described by Birch and Donovan [9], classifies chalcone synthase and stilbene synthase as polyketide synthases. Chalcone synthase is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of flavonoids. It catalyzes the formation of naringenin from three molecules of malonyl-CoA and coumaroyl-CoA. Stilbene synthase, an enzyme in the biosynthesis of stilbene phytoalexins, is structurally and functionally related to chalcone synthase. Usi...
