Genes encoding γ‑glutamyl‑transpeptidases in the allicin biosynthetic pathway in garlic (<em>Allium sativum</em>)

Baltzi,Eleni; Papaloukas,Costas; Spandidos,Demetrios A.; Michalopoulos,Ioannis

doi:10.3892/br.2024.1733

Genes encoding γ‑glutamyl‑transpeptidases in the allicin biosynthetic pathway in garlic (Allium sativum)

Authors:
- Eleni Baltzi
- Costas Papaloukas
- Demetrios A. Spandidos
- Ioannis Michalopoulos
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Affiliations: Centre of Systems Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece, Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
Published online on: January 23, 2024 https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2024.1733
Article Number: 45
Copyright: © Baltzi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Allicin is a thiosulphate molecule produced in garlic (Allium sativum) and has a wide range of biological actions and pharmaceutical applications. Its precursor molecule is the non‑proteinogenic amino acid alliin (S‑allylcysteine sulphoxide). The alliin biosynthetic pathway in garlic involves a group of enzymes, members of which are the γ‑glutamyl‑transpeptidase isoenzymes, Allium sativum γ‑glutamyl‑transpeptidase AsGGT1, AsGGT2 and AsGGT3, which catalyze the removal of the γ‑glutamyl group from γ‑glutamyl‑S‑allyl‑L‑cysteine to produce S‑allyl‑L‑cysteine. This removal is followed by an S‑oxygenation, which leads to the biosynthesis of alliin. The aim of the present study is to annotate previously discovered genes of garlic γ‑glutamyl‑transpeptidases, as well as a fourth candidate gene (AsGGT4) that has yet not been described. The annotation includes identifying the loci of the genes in the garlic genome, revealing the overall structure and conserved regions of these genes, and elucidating the evolutionary history of these enzymes through their phylogenetic analysis. The genomic structure of γ‑glutamyl‑transpeptidase genes is conserved; each gene consists of seven exons, and these genes are located on different chromosomes. AsGGT3 and AsGGT4 enzymes contain a signal peptide. To that end, the AsGGT3 protein sequence was corrected; four indel events occurring in AsGGT3 coding regions suggested that at least in the garlic variety Ershuizao, AsGGT3 may be a pseudogene. Finally, the use of protein structure prediction tools allowed the visualization of the tertiary structure of the candidate peptide.

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