ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Metabolism and Chemodiversity
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1632036
Identification of the first plant caffeoyl-quinate esterases in Cichorium intybus
Provisionally accepted
- 1Univ. Lille, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Université de Liège, Junia, UMRT 1158 BioEcoAgro-Joint Laboratory CHIC41H University of Lille-Florimond-Desprez, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
- 2Plateforme Analytique (PFA), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
- 3Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Université de Liège, Univ. Lille, Junia, UMRT 1158 BioEcoAgro, Amiens, France
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Chlorogenic acid (5-CQA) is a caffeic acid ester widely accumulated in higher plants. It plays roles in defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. As its biosynthetic pathway shares common enzymes and intermediates with that of lignin, 5-CQA has long been hypothesized to be involved in lignin formation. However, to date, no plant enzymes have been identified that efficiently convert 5-CQA into lignin precursors. While investigating enzymes involved in the conversion of 5-CQA to isochlorogenic acid (3,5-DiCQA) in chicory (Cichorium intybus), we identified two enzymes from the GDSL esterase/lipase family, CiCQE1 and CiCQE3, capable of hydrolyzing 5-CQA and 3,5-DiCQA to release caffeic acid (CA) both in vitro and in planta. The genes encoding CiCQE1 and CiCQE3 are predominantly expressed in chicory roots, where 5-CQA and 3,5-DiCQA accumulate to high levels. When transiently expressed in tobacco leaves, accumulation of caffeoyl-putrescine in addition to CA was observed. This may suggest that released CA may be converted to caffeoyl-CoA to fuel other metabolic paths. The hydrolysis of caffeoyl-shikimate, a compound structurally close to 5-CQA, to caffeic acid, and its subsequent conversion to caffeoyl-CoA, has been shown to be an important step in the biosynthesis of G and S monolignols. Since CiCQE1 and CiCQE3 catalyze similar reactions using 5-CQA as substrate, these enzymes may represent a novel route for 5-CQA remobilization in chicory roots. Further functional characterization of the role of these genes using mutant lines is still required to fully understand their role in planta.
Keywords: Chlorogenic acids, GDSL, Chicory, Caffeic acid, caffeoyl-putrescine, Tobacco
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 24 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mallavergne, Mathiron, Molinie, HILBERT and Gagneul. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: David Gagneul, Univ. Lille, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Université de Liège, Junia, UMRT 1158 BioEcoAgro-Joint Laboratory CHIC41H University of Lille-Florimond-Desprez, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
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