Molecular cloning, characterization and functional analysis of a new isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase gene (IPI) from Curcuma wenyujin

A new isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase gene cwipi (GenBank: GU724874) was cloned from the Curcuma Wenyujin cDNA library. The full-length cDNA contained a 708 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein of 235 amino acids with calculated molecular mass of 27.36 kDa and isoelectric point of 5.14. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that cwipi has a high level similarity to other IPIs belonged to angiosperm group. The protein encoded by cwipi was subcellularly localized to the cytoplasm using TargetP prediction software. Semi-quantity RT-PCR results indicated that the transcriptional level of cwipi in roots was higher than that of in stems and leaves. Cwipi could accelerate the accumulation of β-carotene when it was expressed in Escherichia coli harbouring reconstructed carotenoid synthetic pathway. The cloning, characterization and functional analysis of cwipi will be useful for understanding the role of IPI in isoprenoid biosynthesis of C. Wenyujin.