5-EPI-ARISTOLOCHENE 3-HYDROXYLASE FROM GREEN-PEPPER

5-epi-Aristolochene-3-hydroxylase, one of the key enzymes of the biosynthetic Pathway leading to capsidiol, a major phytoalexin of green pepper (Capsicum annuum), is localized in the microsomes of elicitor treated green pepper fruit. The enzyme was found to be a P-450-dependent enzyme with an estimated molecular mass of 59 kDa. The total microsomal P-450 content increased and the lambda(max) of the GO-binding spectrum changed in response to elicitation. Immunoblot analysis of fruit microsomal proteins was performed with anti-tulip constitutive P-450 antibody during the elicitation period. A 48 kDa protein strongly immunoreacted with the P-450 antibody, and a decrease of this P-450-like 48 kDa protein was observed with time. These results suggest that elicitation induces the production of P-450 isoforms.