Partial Purification and Properties of (S)-Norlaudanosoline Synthase from Eschscholtzia tenuifolia Cell Cultures.

A new enzyme, (S)-norlaudanosoline synthase, which catalyses the synthesis of (S)-norlaudanosoline from dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde was isolated from the soluble protein extract of ESCHSCHOLTZIA TENUIFOLIA cell suspension cultures and purified approximately 40-fold. The apparent molecular weight of the enzyme is 15 500 Dalton. The pH optimum is 7.8, temperature optimum 40 degrees C, apparent K (M) values for dopamine and dihydroxyphenyl-acetaldehyde are 1.5 mM and 0.7 mM respectively. The synthase shows high substrate specificity in that only the phenylacetaldehydes are transformed but not the phenylpyruvates. No apparent cofactor requirement could be demonstrated. By means of isoelectric focusing and disc-gel electrophoresis evidence was obtained for the existence of four norlaudanosoline synthase isoenzymes, none of which catalyses the reaction of dopamine with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpyruvate. These enzymes are responsible for the synthesis of (S)-norlaudanosoline, the key intermediate in the formation of isoquinoline alkaloids occurring in the plant kingdom.