Molecular Basis of the Evolution of Methylthioalkylmalate Synthase and Diversity of Methionine-Derived Glucosinolates

Methylthioalkylmalate synthase catalyzes the committed step in the side-chain elongation of methionine-derived aliphatic glucosinolates and likely evolved from the isopropylmalate synthases of leucine biosynthesis. The globally cultivated Brassica species possess diverse aliphatic glucosinolates important for plant defense and animal nutrition; however, the molecular basis for the evolution of methylthioalkylmalate synthase and its generation of natural product diversity in Brassica is poorly understood. Here we show that Brassica genomes encode multiple methylthioalkylmalate synthase that have differences in expression profiles and 2-oxo substrate preference that account for diversity of aliphatic glucosinolates across Brassica accessions. The 2.1 A resolution x-ray crystal structure of B. juncea methylthioalkylmalate synthase identifies key active site residues responsible for controlling specificity for different 2-oxo substrates and the determinants of side-chain length in aliphatic glucosinolates. Overall, these results provide the evolutionary and biochemical foundation for diversification of glucosinolates profiles across globally-cultivated Brassica species, which could be used with ongoing breeding strategies towards manipulation of beneficial glucosinolates compounds for animal health and plant protection.