Optimization of the Biosynthesis of B-Ring <i>Ortho</i>-Hydroxy Lated Flavonoids Using the 4-Hydroxyphenylacetate 3-Hydroxylase Complex (HpaBC) of <i>Escherichia coli</i>

• Main Authors: Longji Wang, Xiubing Ma, Haixiang Ruan, Yang Chen, Liping Gao, Ting Lei, Yan Li, Lin Gui, Lina Guo, Tao Xia, Yunsheng Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: B-ring <i>ortho</i>-hydroxylation; <i>Escherichia coli</i>; flavonoids; 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase; biosynthesis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/10/2919

Flavonoids are important plant metabolites that exhibit a wide range of physiological and pharmaceutical functions. Because of their wide biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiaging and anticancer, they have been widely used in foods, nutraceutical and pharmaceuticals industries. Here, the hydroxylase complex <i>HpaBC</i> was selected for the efficient in vivo production of <i>ortho</i>-hydroxylated flavonoids. Several <i>HpaBC</i> expression vectors were constructed, and the corresponding products were successfully detected by feeding naringenin to vector-carrying strains. However, when <i>HpaC</i> was linked with an S-Tag on the C terminus, the enzyme activity was significantly affected. The optimal culture conditions were determined, including a substrate concentration of 80 mg·L⁻¹, an induction temperature of 28 °C, an M9 medium, and a substrate delay time of 6 h after IPTG induction. Finally, the efficiency of eriodictyol conversion from P2&3-carrying strains fed naringin was up to 57.67 ± 3.36%. The same strategy was used to produce catechin and caffeic acid, and the highest conversion efficiencies were 35.2 ± 3.14 and 32.93 ± 2.01%, respectively. In this paper, the catalytic activity of <i>HpaBC</i> on dihydrokaempferol and kaempferol was demonstrated for the first time. This study demonstrates a feasible method for efficiently synthesizing in vivo B-ring dihydroxylated flavonoids, such as catechins, flavanols, dihydroflavonols and flavonols, in a bacterial expression system.