Requires a divalent metal ion, preferably Mg2+, for activity. This class II terpene synthase produces syn-copalyl diphosphate, a precursor of several rice phytoalexins, including oryzalexin S and momilactones A and B. Phytoalexins are diterpenoid secondary metabolites that are involved in the defense mechanism of the plant, and are produced in response to pathogen attack through the perception of elicitor signal molecules such as chitin oligosaccharide, or after exposure to UV irradiation. The enzyme is constitutively expressed in the roots of plants where one of its products, momilactone B, acts as an allelochemical (a molecule released into the environment to suppress the growth of neighbouring plants). In other tissues the enzyme is upregulated by conditions that stimulate the biosynthesis of phytoalexins.
Biological functions of ent- and syn-copalyl diphosphate synthases in rice: key enzymes for the branch point of gibberellin and phytoalexin biosynthesis.
Functional identification of rice syn-copalyl diphosphate synthase and its role in initiating biosynthesis of diterpenoid phytoalexin/allelopathic natural products.
