US 7,514,251 B2
O-methyltransferases of tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis in Papaver somniferum
Toni M. Kutchan, St. Louis, Mo. (US); Anan Ounaroon, Bangkae (Thailand); Stefanie Haase, Werben (Germany); and Susanne Frick, Augsburg (Germany)
Assigned to Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Mo. (US)
Filed on Jul. 08, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/888,656.
Claims priority of application No. 03020023 (EP), filed on Sep. 03, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2005/0106588 A1, May 19, 2005
Int. Cl. C12N 9/10 (2006.01); C12N 5/10 (2006.01); C07H 21/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 435—193  [435/419; 536/23.2] 3 Claims
 
1. Isolated or purified protein having (R,S)-reticuline 7-O-methyltransferase activity, said protein comprising:
i) the amino acid sequence illustrated in FIG. 9 (SEQ. ID NO: 2), or
ii) a fragment of the amino acid sequence illustrated in FIG. 9 (SEQ. ID NO: 2), said fragment comprising an N- or C-terminal truncation of said amino acid sequence and having at least 350 amino acids, or
iii) a variant of the amino acid sequence of FIG. 9 (SEQ. ID NO: 2), said variant having at least 95% identity with the amino acid sequence of FIG. 9 (SEQ. ID NO: 2) over a length of at least 350 amino acids and having amino acid motifs LVDVGGG LVDGGG, PXXDAXXMK, XGKVI, DLPHV, HVGGDMF, and GKERT, wherein X represents any amino acid and wherein said amino acid sequence of i), said fragment of ii), and said variant of iii) possesses (R,S)-reticuline 7-O-methyltransferase activity.