L’hydroperoxyde lyase (HPL) est une enzyme issue de la voie de la lipoxygénase, voie métabolique très représentée chez les végétaux, impliquée dans la production de composés aromatisants (l’hexanal, le 3Z-hexenal et le 2E-hexenal). Ces composés sont responsables de l’odeur fraîche de l’herbe coupée dite « note verte » et sont très utilisés par les industries cosmétiques et agroalimentaires. Leur biosynthèse résulte de l’oxydation des acides gras polyinsaturés en hydroperoxydes par la lipoxygénase, puis de leur clivage par l’hydroperoxyde lyase (HPL). Les procédés actuels de production de ces composés présentent certains inconvénients, ils sont notamment très polluants et peu performants, aussi l’utilisation d’enzymes recombinantes dans de tels procédés permettrait d’obtenir ces molécules de manière plus efficace tout en bénéficiant du label "naturel". L’ADNc codant pour l’hydroperoxyde lyase (HPLwt) a été isolé au laboratoire à partir d’olives noires. Afin d’améliorer la solubilité de l’enzyme, une HPL dépourvue de son peptide de transit chloroplastique (HPLdel) a également été produite. Les deux enzymes ont été exprimées chez E.coli, purifiées par chromatographie d’affinité puis caractérisées biochimiquement. Elles agissent exclusivement sur les 13-hydroperoxydes (13-HPL) à un pH et une température optimum de 7,5 et 25°C. De plus l’évaluation des paramètres cinétiques de l’enzyme montre qu’elles ont une meilleure efficacité catalytique (kcat/Km) sur les 13-hydroperoxydes d’acide linolénique (3,68 s-1.µM-1) que sur les 13-hydroperoxydes d’acide linoléique (0,54 s-1.µM-1). La bioconversion des 13-hydroperoxydes d’acide linoléique et linolénique en hexanal et 3Z-hexénal par l’action de l’HPLwt et l’HPLdel a été étudiée. Des taux de conversion maximum atteignant 93 % et 68 % pour la production d’hexanal et 73 % et 45% pour la production d’3Z-hexénal ont été obtenus quand l’HPLwt et l’HPLdel sont utilisées respectivement. La stabilité de l’enzyme a ensuite été étudiée. Des essais de conservation montrent que l’utilisation de glycérol à 10% (v/v) permet le maintien de la totalité de l’activité de l’HPLwt et de l’HPLdel durant cinq semaines de stockage à -80°C. De plus, l’ajout de composés chimiques tels que le KCl, le NaCl, le Na2SO4, la glycine et le glycérol permettent d’augmenter l’activité enzymatique des deux enzymes et d’améliorer les conditions de synthèse de l’hexanal et du 3Z-hexénal en diminuant la quantité d’enzyme nécessaire à leur production. / The hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) derives from a metabolic pathway named lipoxygenase pathway widely represented in plants and involved in the production of flavoring compounds (hexanal, 3Z-hexenal and 2E-hexenal). These volatile compounds are responsible for the fresh odor of cut grass known as "green note" and have a particularly interest for flavor and food industries. Their biosynthesis results from the oxygenation of linoleic and linolenic acids by lipoxygenase action to form fatty acid hydroperoxides, then of their cleavage by hydroperoxide lyase action. The processes of production currently used are highly polluting or lead to a low yield. To overcome these drawbacks, the use of recombinant enzymes in such processes constitutes an attractive alternative because they would allow producing these molecules in a more effective way, while benefiting from the "natural" label.A cDNA encoding for HPL (HPLwt) from black olive fruit was isolated, and in order to improve the enzyme solubility, the HPL deleted of its chloroplast transit peptide (HPLdel) was then produced. Both enzymes were expressed into E. coli (M15), purified by affinity chromatography, and characterized. They act exclusively on 13-hydroperoxide (13-HPL) and display an optimum pH at 7.5 and an optimum temperature at 25 °C. The bioconversion of 13-hydroperoxides of linoleic and linolenic acids in hexanal and 3Z-hexenal respectively, using HPLwt or HPLdel was studied. Conversion yields reach a maximum of 93 % and 68 % for hexanal production, and 73 % and 45 % for 3Z-hexenal when reactions were performed by HPLwt and HPLdel respectively.The enzyme stability was then studied. Conservations tests using 10 % glycerol (v/v) allows the maintenance of the entire activity of HPLwt and HPLdel during five weeks of storage at -80°C. Furthermore, the addition of chemical compounds such as KCl, NaCl, Na2SO4, glycine, and glycerol can increase the efficiency of both enzymes and improve the synthesis of hexanal and 3Z-hexenal by decreasing the amount of enzyme required to produce them.

<p>The interactions between plants and insects are mediated by volatile molecules. Plants respond to stress by biosynthesis of chemical substances which can deter invading insects or pathogens. Some of these substances are volatile and are emitted to the surroundings and may attract or repel insects. Information about the susceptibility of individual plants to infestation, their volatile emissions and chemical defence is of interest, for example in selecting plants for tree breeding programs.</p><p>This research was focused on finding volatile chemical markers of resistance in Norway spruce plants that do influence insects associated to conifers. Collection of headspace volatiles by SPME followed by separation and identification with GC-MS is effective in investigating biological systems with a minimum of disturbance. This method has here been used to investigate Norway spruce plants of different ages and stress conditions as well as trapping semiochemicals like nepetalactone emitted by the spruce shoot aphids. It was even possible to analyse the emission of single needles <i>in vivo</i> and obtain a chemical pattern of the site of the stress reaction. Seedlings of different ages showed differences in chemical composition of emitted volatiles, with the pine weevil repellent (<i>S</i>)-(-)-limonene as one of the main compounds. Wounded phloem of conventional plants emitted high amounts of monoterpenes while the phloem of mini plants emitted (3Z)-hexenal and (3Z)-hexen-1-ol.</p><p>Norway spruce plants did respond to different stress elicitors with similar response, regardless of their genetic origin. The emissions from stressed Norway spruce plants mainly consist of (<i>E</i>)-β-farnesene, (<i>E,E</i>)-α-farnesene, (<i>E</i>)-α-bisabolene, (<i>R</i>)-(-)-linalool and methyl salicylate. Emissions from live spruce shoot aphids were detected during autumn periods, and a method to separate and identify the four diastereomers of nepetalactone by GC-MS and characteristic m/z-fragments was accomplished.</p>

The interactions between plants and insects are mediated by volatile molecules. Plants respond to stress by biosynthesis of chemical substances which can deter invading insects or pathogens. Some of these substances are volatile and are emitted to the surroundings and may attract or repel insects. Information about the susceptibility of individual plants to infestation, their volatile emissions and chemical defence is of interest, for example in selecting plants for tree breeding programs. This research was focused on finding volatile chemical markers of resistance in Norway spruce plants that do influence insects associated to conifers. Collection of headspace volatiles by SPME followed by separation and identification with GC-MS is effective in investigating biological systems with a minimum of disturbance. This method has here been used to investigate Norway spruce plants of different ages and stress conditions as well as trapping semiochemicals like nepetalactone emitted by the spruce shoot aphids. It was even possible to analyse the emission of single needles in vivo and obtain a chemical pattern of the site of the stress reaction. Seedlings of different ages showed differences in chemical composition of emitted volatiles, with the pine weevil repellent (S)-(-)-limonene as one of the main compounds. Wounded phloem of conventional plants emitted high amounts of monoterpenes while the phloem of mini plants emitted (3Z)-hexenal and (3Z)-hexen-1-ol. Norway spruce plants did respond to different stress elicitors with similar response, regardless of their genetic origin. The emissions from stressed Norway spruce plants mainly consist of (E)-β-farnesene, (E,E)-α-farnesene, (E)-α-bisabolene, (R)-(-)-linalool and methyl salicylate. Emissions from live spruce shoot aphids were detected during autumn periods, and a method to separate and identify the four diastereomers of nepetalactone by GC-MS and characteristic m/z-fragments was accomplished.

Pine weevils cause major damage to newly planted conifer seedlings in reforestation areas. However, recent findings indicate that small (“mini”) seedlings, planted at the age of 7-10 weeks, are gnawed less by pine weevils than the larger, conventionally planted seedlings. Thus, it has been proposed that planting young conifer seedlings in clear-cut areas may reduce the damage caused by pine weevils. In attempts to determine why mini seedlings appear to be less damaged by pine weevils than “conventional” seedlings, the volatiles released by Norway spruce and Scots pine mini seedlings were investigated, since such chemicals are of great importance in herbivore-plant communication, inter alia acting as repellents, attractants or antifeedants. Volatiles from the seedlings were collected, separated and identified by solid phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results show that there are high levels of chemodiversity among both spruce and pine seedlings. Between-tissue and age-related variations in their emissions were also found. Norway spruce clones infested by mites were also examined to assess genotype- and pest-specific stress reactions of Norway spruce. Finally, the effects of certain spruce defense compounds on the behavior of the large pine weevil Hylobius abietis were examined. / QC 20100818

Norway spruce (Picea abies) responds to stress by biosynthesis of chemical substances, which can deter invading insects or pathogens. Some of these substances are volatile and can be emitted to the surroundings while others are accumulated within the tree. Information about the susceptibility of individual plants to infestation, their volatile emissions and chemical defence is of interest, for example, in selecting plants for tree breeding programs. The first part of this research focused on volatiles emitted by Norway spruce plants. Collection of headspace volatiles by SPME and subsequent separation and identification with GC-MS was used to investigate Norway spruce plants of different ages and stress conditions as well as trapping semiochemicals like nepetalactone emitted by the spruce shoot aphids. It was even possible to analyse the emission of single needles in vivo and obtain spatial localisation of the stress reaction to methyl jasmonate or spruce spinning mites. Seedlings of different ages showed differences in chemical composition of emitted volatiles, with the pine weevil repellent, (4S)-(-)-limonene, one of the main compounds. Wounded phloem of conventional plants emitted high amounts of monoterpenes while the phloem of mini plants emitted (3Z)-hexenal and (3Z)-hexen-1-ol. In addition, a method to separate and identify the four diastereomers of nepetalactone by GC-MS and characteristic m/z-fragments was accomplished. The second part of the research deals with the chemical response of Norway spruce roots to inoculation with Heterobasidion annosum. Terpene concentrations increased after inoculation or wounding but the composition was mainly associated with clone identity and not to susceptibility or treatment. In contrast, inoculation with H. annosum induced a treatment-specific alteration of phenol composition. The constitutive phenol composition differed between more and less susceptible clones. The phenols astringin and astringin dimers (piceasides) as well as the terpene α-longipinene may be suitable markers of low susceptibility for P. abies to Heterobasidion. / QC 20110314