How basil gets its zing

October 03, 2007

LA JOLLA, CA - The blend of aromatic essential oils that gives fresh basil leaves their characteristic warm and sweet aroma is well characterized but not much is known about the enzymatic machinery manufacturing the odiferous mix. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of Michigan followed their noses and solved part of the molecular puzzle.

Their study, published in the Oct. 4 issue of the journal PLoS ONE, provides a three-dimensional snapshot of the enzyme basil Eugenol Synthase frozen in mid-action as it produces eugenol, the fragrant molecule responsible for basil's spicy overtones reminiscent of cloves and cinnamon.

"This particular enzyme is very interesting since it belongs to a large family of enzymes that perform what we call 'household reactions' but, through evolutionary selection, acquired an additional and completely new function," says Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Joseph P. Noel, Ph.D, director of the Jack H. Skirball Center for Chemical Biology and Proteomics, who led the study.

"Eugenol Synthase takes a basic building block that is usually employed to make wood and turns it into something that is almost the complete opposite of wood - a volatile molecule that easily becomes airborne, is highly aromatic and possesses antimicrobial and pain-dulling properties," marvels Noel.

Traditionally, plant biology has been focusing on genetic approaches but in recent years plant biochemistry has been undergoing a sort of renaissance, not least because the natural food movement sparked newfound interest in the health-promoting and medicinal properties of natural plant chemicals.

"Plant genetics uncovered a lot of genes with important functions but ultimately we need to understand how these systems work at a biochemical level," notes Noel. "We are consuming all these chemicals as part of our diet, some of which are very beneficial, preserve our food and impart some really interesting flavors and fragrances for our taste buds and noses, but some of which are toxic."

Plants rely on a complex set of bioactive volatile chemicals, which diffuse easily through the membranes of cells that produce them to communicate and interact with the outside world. These often aromatic and highly specialized compounds entice pollinators, fend off pathogens, bacteria, and leaf-munching animals alike.

Since antiquity, humans have exploited both the antimicrobial properties and pleasing aromas and flavors of plants rich in certain secondary metabolites - better known as spices - to preserve and flavor food. The food-preserving and analgesic properties of eugenol-rich cloves lured explorers like Ferdinand Magellan and Christopher Columbus across the seas in search of new routes to the Far East, which was, at the time, the sole source of cloves. Although Columbus never reached India, he did discover the Americas and, incidentally, found the source for a new spice, allspice, which contains the closely related chemical isoeugenol.

In an earlier study, also performed by the collaborative team led by Dr. Noel and University of Michigan plant biochemistry professor Eran Pichersky, the enzymes that synthesize eugenol and isoeugenol from biosynthetic precursors of the plant polymer lignin, the "woody" component of trees, were identified. But how the enzymes accomplished their task at the molecular level remained unclear.

With the help of x-ray crystallography and a small chemical - custom-tailored by senior staff chemist Thomas J. Baiga in Noel's lab -the research team was able to lock basil eugenol synthase in mid-reaction thereby capturing a detailed, three-dimensional view of the enzyme's interaction with its substrate and vitamin co-factor.

"The enzyme utilizes an unusual mechanism involving two distinct steps," explains HHMI research specialist and first author Gordon V. Louie, Ph.D. "A subtle change in the substrate binding site after natural selection during the course of plant evolution added the capability to form a reactive intermediate through a concerted push-pull mechanism, which facilitates the second chemical step, a classic reduction reaction carried out by many evolutionary relatives of eugenol synthase."

The next step for Noel, Pichersky and their research teams will be to compare eugenol synthases and closely related synthases making natural chemicals similar to eugenol from a wide variety of plants. "It allows you to peer back in time and see how these systems arose and how they are used in the present day."

Understanding the biosynthetic pathways used by plants to make all of these secondary metabolites may help the Noel-Pichersky research team and others to improve the flavor and nutritional quality of plants that are part of our diet. Being able to tinker with natural scents could resurrect the waning scent of roses or create novel fragrances for the perfume industry. But scent engineering has the potential to do more than just pleasing human noses. It could increase crop yields by enticing new pollinators or natural pest controllers such as parasitic wasps to visit commercially grown plants.

Salk Institute

---

---

	Basil by Wilkie Collins (Author) This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare s finesse to Oscar Wilde s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library.
	Basil: An Herb Lover's Guide by Thomas DeBaggio (Author), Susan Belsinger (Author) Thoroughly explores basil, demystifying the cultivation and propagation. Includes 36 recipes, from appetizers, soups, breads, and salads to main dishes, sauces, desserts, and beverages.
	Basil by Janet Hazen (Author) a delightful book about basil with lots of pictures , recipes and lore
	On the Holy Spirit: St. Basil the Great (Popular Patristics) by Stephen M. Hildebrand (Author) This volume presents a new translation of St Basil s On the Holy Spirit, a classic expression of the Church's faith in the Spirit, and a lasting testimony to the author s Christian erudition. In the words of St Gregory the Theologian, St Basil s treatise was written by a pen borrowed from the Spirit s store. This work sets forth the distinction of the divine Persons, and their perpetual communion and conjunction. It talks also about the nature of theological language, and the theological significance of the Church s tradition of worship and proclamation. Although the book was written for St Basil s fourth-century contemporaries, its message is valid for all ages.
	From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Author), E.L. Konigsburg (Illustrator) When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn't just want to run from somewhere she wants to run to somewhere--to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and preferably elegant. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Knowing that her younger brother, Jamie, has money and thus can help her with the serious cash flow problem she invites him along. Once settled into the museum, Claudia and Jamie, find themselves caught up in the mystery of an angel statue that the museum purchased at an auction for a bargain price of $250. The statue is possibly an early work of the Renaissance master Michelangelo, and therefore worth millions. Is it? Or isn't it? Claudia is determined to find out. This quest leads Claudia to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the...
	Growing & Using Basil: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-119 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) by Ellen Ogden (Author) EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BASIL – AND MORE!                Basil is one of the most popular and widely grown herbs in the world.  With its delicate aroma and sweet-spicy flavor, it’s no wonder that basil, a staple in kitchens around the world, is the favorite culinary herb of today’s chefs!In Growing & Using Basil, Ellen Ogden offers all the information you'll need to grow, harvest, and cook with basil in all its varieties of flavor. Whatever the basil you want to grow--sweet, purple, opal, lemon, cinnamon, anise, napoleatano, camphor, holy, or something more exotic--the information you need is right at your fingertips. Better still, you'll find dozens of recipes for using your basil in everything from pestos and basil vinegars to grilled bluefish...
	The World's Great Sermons, Volume 01 Basil to Calvin This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
	Spacehawk by Basil Wolverton (Author), Monte Wolverton (Introduction) The complete collection of Wolverton's legendary costumed crusader.Basil Wolverton is one of the greatest, most idiosyncratic talents in comic book history. Though he is best known for his humorous grotesqueries in MAD magazine, it is his science-fiction character Spacehawk that Wolverton fans have most often demanded be collected. The wait is over, as The Complete Spacehawk features every story from Spacehawk’s intergalactic debut in 1940 to his final, Nazi-crushing adventure in 1942.Spacehawk is the closest thing to a colorfully-costumed, conventional action hero Wolverton ever created, yet the strip is infused with Wolverton’s quintessential weirdness: controlled, organic artwork of strangely repulsive aliens and monsters and bizarre planets, and stories of gruesome retribution...
	Creeping Death From Neptune: Horror & Science Fiction Comics by Basil Wolverton by Basil Wolverton (Author) A pioneer from the first generation of comic book artists, Basil Wolverton arrived just as publishers began embracing original material, turning away from the newspaper-strip reprints that had been sustaining the industry since its inception four years earlier. One of the first to realize the value of "in-house" features was Centaur Publications, whose art director Lloyd Jacquet gave Wolverton his big break in comics in 1938, accepting "Meteor Martin" for Amazing Man Comics and "Space Patrol" for Amazing Mystery Funnies. Jacquet soon established an independent comics packager, Funnies, Inc., for which he asked Wolverton to invent a new science-fiction character. The artist came up with the iconic "Spacehawk," who made thirty appearances in Target Comics. Prime examples of Wolverton's...
	Karl's Last Flight Luck is not always on your side. Karl Alexander was an adrenaline junky. Whether flying Harriers in the Marines, piloting the shuttle for NASA, or as the chief astronaut for StrataCorp Space Flight he was only happy at five Gs. But when his ship crashes in the desert of an unknown country, Karl finds a new kind of rush as he is swept into a raging torrent of the world at the edge of war. Enjoy the read and be sure to put your tray table in the upright and locked position and fasten your safety belt... it's going to be a wild ride. Leave a comment on this book between Jan 1 and Dec 31 2012 and be entered to win a new Kindle Fire. Get the details at www.basilsands.com. "Basil Sands has a knack for blending action and intrigue in an all-too...