Monoterpene Synthase Genes and Monoterpene Profiles in Pinus nigra subsp. laricio

In the present study, we carried out a quantitative analysis of the monoterpenes composition in different tissues of the non-model conifer Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold subsp. laricio Palib. ex Maire (P. laricio, in short). All the P. laricio tissues examined showed the presence of the same fourteen monoterpenes, among which the most abundant were β-phellandrene, α-pinene, and β-pinene, whose distribution was markedly tissue-specific. In parallel, from the same plant tissues, we isolated seven full-length cDNA transcripts coding for as many monoterpene synthases, each of which was found to be attributable to one of the seven phylogenetic groups in which the d1-clade of the canonical classification of plants’ terpene synthases can be subdivided. The amino acid sequences deduced from the above cDNA transcripts allowed to predict their putative involvement in the biosynthesis of five of the monoterpenes identified. Transcripts profiling revealed a differential gene expression across the different tissues examined, and was found to be consistent with the corresponding metabolites profiles. The genomic organization of the seven isolated monoterpene synthase genes was also determined.