New insights into natural rubber biosynthesis from rubber‐deficient lettuce mutants expressing goldenrod or guayule cis‐prenyltransferase

• DOI: 10.1111/nph.18994
• Publication Date: 2023-05-29T17:48:43Z
• Authors: Moonhyuk Kwon; Connor L. Hodgins; Eman M. Salama; Kayla R. Dias; Aalap Parikh; Ashlyn V. Mackey; Karizza F. Catenza; John C. Vederas; Dae‐Kyun Ro
• Keywords: Prenyltransferase

Summary Lettuce produces natural rubber (NR) with an average M w of > 1 million Da in laticifers, similar to NR from trees. As lettuce is annual, self‐pollinating, and easily transformable plant, it excellent model for molecular genetic studies biosynthesis. CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis was optimized using hairy roots, NR‐deficient generated via bi‐allelic mutations cis ‐prenyltransferase ( CPT ). This the first null mutant deficiency plants. In mutant, orthologous counterparts guayule Parthenium argentatum ) goldenrod Solidago canadensis were expressed under a laticifer‐specific promoter examine how affected. No developmental defects observed mutants. The mutants expressing produced 1.8 14.5 times longer NR, respectively, than plants their origin. suggests that, although cannot synthesize sufficiently lengthy has catalytic competence produce high‐quality cellular context laticifers. Thus, alone does not determine length NR. Other factors, such as substrate concentration, additional proteins, and/or nature protein complexes including CPT‐binding influence activity determining length.