AUTHOR=Shimizu Bun-Ichi 

TITLE=2-Oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases in the biosynthesis of simple coumarins

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 5 - 2014

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2014.00549

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2014.00549

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=Coumarins are natural plant products that have been the subject of extensive phytochemical and pharmacological research studies in the past few decades.  The core structure of coumarins, 2H-1-benzopyran-2-one, is derived from the respective cinnamates via ortho-hydroxylation of the aromatic ring, trans/cis isomerization, and lactonization.  Various substitution patterns of coumarins have been reported, whereas the biosynthesis of coumarins remains elusive.  Ortho-hydroxylation is a key step in simple coumarin biosynthesis as a branch point from the lignin biosynthetic pathway.  2-Oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (2OGDs) from plants convert cinnamate derivatives into simple coumarins through the process of ortho-hydroxylation.  This review describes the 2OGDs involved in coumarin biosynthesis and their substrate specificities.