Part:BBa_K5443014

Enoyl-CoA Hydratase/Aldolase (ECH) from Streptomyces, ECH-Str, catalyses the fifth and final step in our vanillin biosynthesis pathway. ECH-Str converts feruloyl-CoA to vanillin by performing a two-step reaction: it hydrates the double bond of feruloyl-CoA, then cleaves the resulting thioester via a retro-aldol reaction (Fig. 1). The ECH enzyme can also potentially use caffeoyl-CoA and 4-coumaroyl-CoA as substrates.

We tested two alternate ECH enzymes for this pathway step; this enzyme from Streptomyces, and also a homolog from Pseudomonas ECH-Ppu (K5443013).

This part builds on the work of earlier iGEM teams, who contributed ECH Parts as follows: BBa_K4256007.

Figure 1. ECH-Str-catalysed conversion of feruloyl-CoA to vanillin.
This reaction represents the final step in our vanillin synthesis pathway. The ECH-Str enzyme converts feruloyl-CoA into vanillin.