Biosynthesis of the Indole Alkaloids. Cell-free Systems fromCatharanthus roseus Plants

The radical cation mediated cleavage of catharanthine leading to the vinblastine type alkaloids: implications for total synthesis and drug design

Comparison of the Boger and Kutney mechanistic interpretations for the FeCl₃ promoted oxidative coupling of vindoline and catharanthine.

Stereoselective Conversion of Anhydrovinblastine into Vinblastine Utilizing an Anti-vinblastine Monoclonal Antibody as a Chiral Mould

Dimeric indole alkaloid, anhydrovinblastine, which can be obtained from catharanthine and vindoline in a high yield, was converted stereoselectively into vinblastine through alternating oxidation-reduction with oxygen and NaBH(3)CN in the presence of anti-vinblastine monoclonal antibody.

Strictosidine: from alkaloid to enzyme to gene

In this review, the elucidation of the structure of the first key alkaloidal intermediate in monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis, 3 alpha(S)-strictosidine, is presented. The discovery of the enzyme which catalyses the stereospecific formation of this alkaloidal precursor from tryptamine and secologanin, strictosidine synthase, is also detailed. From the knowledge provided by the stereochemical structure of strictosidine and the biochemical characteristics of the biosynthetic enzyme, strictosidine synthase, a new approach to the study of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis was developed. Physiological studies of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis at the enzymic level in plants and plant cell cultures were performed followed by the analyses of these systems at the level of molecular genetics.

Photochemical one-pot synthesis of vinblastine and vincristine

The naturally occurring cytostatic dimer alkaloids vinblastine 1 and vincristine 2 were photochemically synthesized in slightly acidic aqueous solution from the monomer alkaloids catharanthine 3 and vindoline 4. Multi-centre reactions should obviously be involved and some of the principal photochemistry-associated phenomena here discussed are quite likely to be characteristic even to the biosynthetic reactions yielding vinblastine 1 and vincristine 2 in the cells of Catharanthus roseus.

Late enzymes of vindoline biosynthesis. Acetyl-CoA: 17-O-deacetylvindoline 17-O-acetyl-transferase

From differentiated plants of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don, a specific enzyme was isolated and named acetyl-CoA : 17-O-deacetylvindoline 17-O-acetyltransferase, acting on the biosynthetic formation of the Aspidosperma type alkaloid vindoline.The enzyme shows a high selectivity towards different substrates. The acetyl-CoA-dependent transferase also catalyses the reverse reaction by hydrolysis of the 17-O-acetyl group of vindoline in the presence of free CoA. This enzyme is localized only in vindoline-containing plant parts, but was so far not detectable in cell suspension cultures of C. roseus. The enzyme allows the synthesis of labelled vindoline with high specific activity, applicable for instance as tracer for radioimmunoassays of vindoline.