Stemodene is a

labdane Labdane is a natural bicyclic diterpene. It forms the structural core for a wide variety of natural products collectively known as ''labdanes'' or ''labdane diterpenes''. The labdanes were so named because the first members of the class were ori ...

-related

diterpene Diterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of four isoprene units, often with the molecular formula C20H32. They are biosynthesized by plants, animals and fungi via the HMG-CoA reductase pathway, with geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate being ...

whose corresponding

terpene synthase Terpene synthases include: * β-farnesene synthase * (3R,6E)-nerolidol synthase * (-)-α-pinene synthase * (E)-β-ocimene synthase These synthases' structures may include: * Terpene synthase N terminal domain * Terpene synthase C terminal do ...

has been discovered in

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

and subsequently cloned and functionally characterized. The gene responsible for stemodene production has not been found in the completed rice

genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding ge ...

, thus suggesting that perhaps other genes are as yet undiscovered in the "completed" genome.

Stemarene Stemarene is a diterpene hydrocarbon can be produced biosynthetically through enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrat ...

synthase demonstrates high sequence

homology Homology may refer to: Sciences Biology *Homology (biology), any characteristic of biological organisms that is derived from a common ancestor * Sequence homology, biological homology between DNA, RNA, or protein sequences *Homologous chrom ...

with stemodene synthase, thus accounting for the latter's discovery by Dana Morrone in 2005. Additionally, the corresponding

olefin In organic chemistry, an alkene is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. Alkene is often used as synonym of olefin, that is, any hydrocarbon containing one or more double bonds.H. Stephen Stoker (2015): General, Organic, an ...

produced by each

cyclase A cyclase is an enzyme, almost always a lyase, that catalyzes a chemical reaction to form a cyclic compound. Important cyclase enzymes include: * Adenylyl cyclase, which forms cyclic AMP from adenosine triphosphate (EC 4.6.1.1) ** ADCY1 ** ADCY2 ...

shows structural similarities and is derived from the common precursor of ''syn''-copalyl diphosphate.

References

Diterpenes Cyclopentanes {{Organic-compound-stub