该团队发现二甲二硫醚（DMDS）是一种挥发性化合物，可以吸引腐草传粉者，它是由马兜铃科植物Asarum中的二硫合酶（DSS）产生的。DSS来源于甲硫醇氧化酶（MTOX），这是一种在动物和植物中保守的酶，类似的DSS酶在其他两个植物属中独立进化。在独立起源的DSS中共享的三个氨基酸变化足以介导MTOX和DSS之间的功能切换。少量的氨基酸变化和高度保守的酶的共同选择可能解释了为什么DMDS发射花在花模拟物中广泛存在。
研究人员表示，识别赋予进化新颖性的代谢和遗传变化对于理解促进或限制特征发生的因素至关重要。
附：英文原文
Title: Convergent acquisition of disulfide-forming enzymes in malodorous flowers
Author: Yudai Okuyama, Kenji Fukushima, Satoshi Kakishima, Anna K. Valchanova, Kohei Takenaka Takano, Yasuko Ito-Inaba, Takeru Nakazato, Atsushi J. Nagano
Issue&Volume: 2025-05-08
Abstract: Identifying the metabolic and genetic changes that confer evolutionary novelty is essential for understanding the factors facilitating or constraining the occurrence of traits. We show that dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), a volatile compound that attracts saprophilous pollinators, is produced by a disulfide synthase (DSS) in the plant genus Asarum (Aristolochiaceae). DSS is derived from methanethiol oxidase (MTOX), an enzyme conserved among animals and plants, and similar DSS enzymes have independently evolved in two other plant genera. Three amino acid changes shared among the DSSs of independent origins were sufficient to cause a functional switch between MTOX and DSS. The small number of amino acid changes and the co-option of a highly conserved enzyme may explain why DMDS-emitting flowers are widespread among floral mimics.
DOI: adu8988
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu8988