Characterization of Guaiene Synthases from Stellera chamaejasme L. Flowers and Their Application in De novo Production of (−)-Rotundone in Yeast

Four terpene synthases for the biosynthesis of volatile terpenoids were identified from the transcriptome of Stellera chamaejasme L. flowers, including SchTPS1, SchTPS2, SchTPS3, and SchTPS4. Their functions were characterized by synthetic biology approaches in Escherichia coli and in vitro enzymatic assays. SchTPS1, SchTPS2, and SchTPS3 are guaiene synthases, while SchTPS4 is an ( E, E )-geranyl linalool synthase. Next, SchTPS1 and α-guaiene 2-oxidase VvSTO2 were co-expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to reconstruct the biosynthetic pathway of (−)-rotundone, which is a unique aroma compound in fruits, vegetables, and wines. This is the first report for the construction of a (−)-rotundone-producing microbial platform.