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Chen S, Wang Z, Dong G, Zhao H, Zhu Y, Liu Y, Yuan L, Jiang J, Liu X, Liu A, Yu Y. Characterization and Molecular Engineering of a N-Methyltransferase from Edible Nelumbo nucifera Leaves Involved in Nuciferine Biosynthesis. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024. [PMID: 39365101 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c04818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2024]
Abstract
Lotus leaf, traditionally used as both edible tea and herbal medicine in Asia, contains nuciferine, a lipid-lowering and weight-loss compoud. The biosynthetic pathways of nuciferine in Nelumbo nucifera remain unclear. We characterized a specific N-methyltransferase, NnNMT, which had a novel function and catalyzed only nuciferine synthesis from the aporphine-type alkaloid N-nornuciferine. The expression profile of NnNMT was in agreement with BIA accumulation patterns in four tissues from three varieties, suggesting that NnNMT is involved in nucleiferine biosynthesis in Nelumbo nucifera. Protein engineering based on molecular docking and dynamic simulations revealed key residues (Y98, H208, F256, Y81, F329, G260, P76, and H80) crucial for NnNMT activity, with the F257A mutant showing increased efficiency. These findings enhance our understanding of aporphine alkaloid biosynthesis and support the development of lotus-based functional foods and medicinal applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sha Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Zhennan Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
| | | | - Hedi Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Yongping Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Yan Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Ling Yuan
- Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546-0236, United States
| | - Jinzhu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
| | - XianJu Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
| | - An Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Yuetong Yu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China
- Experimental management center, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, 121 Daxue Road, Yuci District, Jinzhong 030619, China
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Kielich N, Mazur O, Musidlak O, Gracz-Bernaciak J, Nawrot R. Herbgenomics meets Papaveraceae: a promising -omics perspective on medicinal plant research. Brief Funct Genomics 2024; 23:579-594. [PMID: 37952099 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elad050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Herbal medicines were widely used in ancient and modern societies as remedies for human ailments. Notably, the Papaveraceae family includes well-known species, such as Papaver somniferum and Chelidonium majus, which possess medicinal properties due to their latex content. Latex-bearing plants are a rich source of diverse bioactive compounds, with applications ranging from narcotics to analgesics and relaxants. With the advent of high-throughput technologies and advancements in sequencing tools, an opportunity exists to bridge the knowledge gap between the genetic information of herbs and the regulatory networks underlying their medicinal activities. This emerging discipline, known as herbgenomics, combines genomic information with other -omics studies to unravel the genetic foundations, including essential gene functions and secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathways. Furthermore, exploring the genomes of various medicinal plants enables the utilization of modern genetic manipulation techniques, such as Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) or RNA interference. This technological revolution has facilitated systematic studies of model herbs, targeted breeding of medicinal plants, the establishment of gene banks and the adoption of synthetic biology approaches. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic research on species within the Papaveraceae family. Additionally, it briefly explores the potential applications and key opportunities offered by the -omics perspective in the pharmaceutical industry and the agrobiotechnology field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Kielich
- Department of Molecular Virology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Oliwia Mazur
- Department of Molecular Virology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Oskar Musidlak
- Department of Molecular Virology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Joanna Gracz-Bernaciak
- Department of Molecular Virology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Robert Nawrot
- Department of Molecular Virology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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Machine learning discovery of missing links that mediate alternative branches to plant alkaloids. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1405. [PMID: 35296652 PMCID: PMC8927377 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28883-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Engineering the microbial production of secondary metabolites is limited by the known reactions of correctly annotated enzymes. Therefore, the machine learning discovery of specialized enzymes offers great potential to expand the range of biosynthesis pathways. Benzylisoquinoline alkaloid production is a model example of metabolic engineering with potential to revolutionize the paradigm of sustainable biomanufacturing. Existing bacterial studies utilize a norlaudanosoline pathway, whereas plants contain a more stable norcoclaurine pathway, which is exploited in yeast. However, committed aromatic precursors are still produced using microbial enzymes that remain elusive in plants, and additional downstream missing links remain hidden within highly duplicated plant gene families. In the current study, machine learning is applied to predict and select plant missing link enzymes from homologous candidate sequences. Metabolomics-based characterization of the selected sequences reveals potential aromatic acetaldehyde synthases and phenylpyruvate decarboxylases in reconstructed plant gene-only benzylisoquinoline alkaloid pathways from tyrosine. Synergistic application of the aryl acetaldehyde producing enzymes results in enhanced benzylisoquinoline alkaloid production through hybrid norcoclaurine and norlaudanosoline pathways. Producing plant secondary metabolites by microbes is limited by the known enzymatic reactions. Here, the authors apply machine learning to predict missing link enzymes of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) biosynthesis in Papaver somniferum, and validate the specialized activities through heterologous production.
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Cui X, Meng F, Pan X, Qiu X, Zhang S, Li C, Lu S. Chromosome-level genome assembly of Aristolochia contorta provides insights into the biosynthesis of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids and aristolochic acids. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2022; 9:uhac005. [PMID: 35147168 PMCID: PMC8973263 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhac005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Aristolochic acids (AAs) and their derivatives exist in multiple Aristolochiaceae species which had been or are being used as medicinal materials. During the past decades, AAs have received increasing attention due to their nephrotoxicity and carcinogenecity. Elimination of AAs in medicinal materials using biotechnological approaches is important to improve medication safety. However, it has not been achieved because of the limited information of AA biosynthesis available. Here, we report a high-quality reference-grade genome assembly of the AA-containing vine, Aristolochia contorta. Total size of the assembly is 209.27 Mb, which is assembled into 7 pseudochromosomes. Synteny analysis, Ks distribution and 4DTv suggest absences of whole-genome duplication events in A. contorta after the angiosperm-wide WGD. Based on genomic, transcriptomic and metabolic data, pathways and candidate genes of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) and AA biosynthesis in A. contorta were proposed. Five O-methyltransferase genes, including AcOMT1-3, AcOMT5 and AcOMT7, were cloned and functionally characterized. The results provide a high-quality reference genome for AA-containing species of Aristolochiaceae. It lays a solid foundation for further elucidation of AA biosynthesis and regulation and molecular breeding of Aristolochiaceae medicinal materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyun Cui
- Medicinal Plant Cultivation Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Fanqi Meng
- Medicinal Plant Cultivation Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xian Pan
- Medicinal Plant Cultivation Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Qiu
- Medicinal Plant Cultivation Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Sixuan Zhang
- Medicinal Plant Cultivation Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Caili Li
- Medicinal Plant Cultivation Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Shanfa Lu
- Medicinal Plant Cultivation Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
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Erythrina velutina Willd. alkaloids: Piecing biosynthesis together from transcriptome analysis and metabolite profiling of seeds and leaves. J Adv Res 2022; 34:123-136. [PMID: 35024185 PMCID: PMC8655131 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2021.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Natural products of pharmaceutical interest often do not reach the drug market due to the associated low yields and difficult extraction. Knowledge of biosynthetic pathways is a key element in the development of biotechnological strategies for plant specialized metabolite production. Erythrina species are mainly used as central nervous system depressants in folk medicine and are important sources of bioactive tetracyclic benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs), which can act on several pathology-related biological targets. Objectives In this sense, in an unprecedented approach used with a non-model Fabaceae species grown in its unique arid natural habitat, a combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses (seeds and leaves) is presented. Methods The Next Generation Sequencing-based transcriptome (de novo RNA sequencing) was carried out in a NextSeq 500 platform. Regarding metabolite profiling, the High-resolution Liquid Chromatography was coupled to DAD and a micrOTOF-QII mass spectrometer by using electrospray ionization (ESI) and Time of Flight (TOF) analyzer. The tandem MS/MS data were processed and analyzed through Molecular Networking approach. Results This detailed macro and micromolecular approach applied to seeds and leaves of E. velutina revealed 42 alkaloids, several of them unique. Based on the combined evidence, 24 gene candidates were put together in a putative pathway leading to the singular alkaloid diversity of this species. Conclusion Overall, these results could contribute by indicating potential biotechnological targets for modulation of erythrina alkaloids biosynthesis as well as improve molecular databases with omic data from a non-model medicinal plant, and reveal an interesting chemical diversity of Erythrina BIA harvested in Caatinga.
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Liu X, Bu J, Ma Y, Chen Y, Li Q, Jiao X, Hu Z, Cui G, Tang J, Guo J, Huang L. Functional characterization of (S)-N-methylcoclaurine 3'-hydroxylase (NMCH) involved in the biosynthesis of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in Corydalis yanhusuo. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2021; 168:507-515. [PMID: 34757301 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are compounds naturally found in plants and can have significant value in clinical settings. Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology are both promising approaches for the heterologous acquisition of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. (S)-N-methylcoclaurine 3'-hydroxylase (NMCH), a member of the CYP80 family of CYP450, is the penultimate catalytic enzyme that forms the central branch-point intermediate (S)-reticuline and plays a key role in the biosynthesis of BIAs. In this study, an NMCH gene was cloned from Corydalis yanhusuo, while in vitro reactions demonstrated that CyNMCH can catalyze (S)-N-methylcoclaurine to produce (S)-3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine. The Km and Kcat of CyNMCH were estimated and compared with those identified in Eschscholzia californica and Coptis japonica. This newly discovered CyNMCH will provide alternative genetic resources for the synthetic biological production of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids and provides a foundation to help analyze the biosynthetic pathway of BIAs biosynthesis in C. yanhusuo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyu Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, No. 156 Jinshuidong Road, Zhengzhou, 450008, China; State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
| | - Junling Bu
- State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
| | - Ying Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
| | - Yun Chen
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, SE41296, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Qishuang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiang Jiao
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, SE41296, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Zhimin Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
| | - Guanghong Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
| | - Jinfu Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
| | - Juan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
| | - Luqi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, NO.16 Neinanxiaojie, Dongcheng district, Beijing, China.
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Han J, Wu Y, Zhou Y, Li S. Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce plant benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. ABIOTECH 2021; 2:264-275. [PMID: 34377581 PMCID: PMC8286646 DOI: 10.1007/s42994-021-00055-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are a diverse family of plant natural products with extensive pharmacological properties, but the yield of BIAs from plant is limited. The understanding of BIA biosynthetic mechanism in plant and the development of synthetic biology enable the possibility to produce BIAs through microbial fermentation, as an alternative to agriculture-based supply chains. In this review, we discussed the engineering strategies to synthesize BIAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) and improve BIA production level, including heterologous pathway reconstruction, enzyme engineering, expression regulation, host engineering and fermentation engineering. We also highlight recent metabolic engineering advances in the production of BIAs in yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianing Han
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 230A Olin Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Yinan Wu
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 230A Olin Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Yilun Zhou
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 230A Olin Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Sijin Li
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 230A Olin Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
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Singh A, Panwar R, Mittal P, Hassan MI, Singh IK. Plant cytochrome P450s: Role in stress tolerance and potential applications for human welfare. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 184:874-886. [PMID: 34175340 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.06.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are a versatile group of enzymes and one of the largest families of proteins, controlling various physiological processes via biosynthetic and detoxification pathways. CYPs perform multiple roles through a critical irreversible enzymatic reaction in which an oxygen atom is inserted within hydrophobic molecules, converting them into the reactive and hydro soluble components. During evolution, plants have acquired significantly more number of CYPs and represent about 1% of the encoded genes . CYPs are highly conserved proteins involved in growth, development and tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses. Furthermore, CYPs reinforce plants' molecular and chemical defense mechanisms by regulating the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, enhancing reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and controlling biosynthesis and homeostasis of phytohormones, including abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonates. Thus, they are the critical targets of metabolic engineering for enhancing plant defense against environmental stresses. Additionally, CYPs are also used as biocatalysts in the fields of pharmacology and phytoremediation. Herein, we highlight the role of CYPs in plant stress tolerance and their applications for human welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Singh
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India.
| | - Ruby Panwar
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India
| | - Pooja Mittal
- Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Md Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Indrakant Kumar Singh
- Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India.
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Nomani M, Tohidfar M. Plant regeneration and transformation of Trachyspermum ammi using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and zygotic embryos. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2021; 19:68. [PMID: 33974146 PMCID: PMC8113424 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-021-00173-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trachyspermum ammi is one of the key medicinal plant species with many beneficial properties. Thymol is the most important substance in the essential oil of this plant. Thymol is a natural monoterpene phenol with high anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-oxidant properties. Thymol in the latest research has a significant impact on slowing the progression of cancer cells in human. In this research, embryos were employed as convenient explants for the fast and effectual regeneration and transformation of T. ammi. To regenerate this plant, Murashige and Skoog (MS) and Gamborg's B5 (B5) media were supplemented with diverse concentrations of plant growth regulators, such as 6-benzyladenine (BA), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and kinetin (kin). Transgenic Trachyspermum ammi plants were also obtained using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and zygotic embryos explants. Moreover, two Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains (EHA101 and LBA4404) harboring pBI121-TPS2 were utilized for genetic transformation to Trachyspermum ammi. RESULTS According to the obtained results, the highest plant-regeneration frequency was obtained with B5 medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l BA and 1 mg/l NAA. The integrated gene was also approved using the PCR reaction and the Southern blot method. Results also showed that the EHA101 strain outperformed another strain in inoculation time (30 s) and co-cultivation period (1 day) (transformation efficiency 19.29%). Furthermore, HPLC method demonstrated that the transformed plants contained a higher thymol level than non-transformed plants. CONCLUSIONS In this research, a fast protocol was introduced for the regeneration and transformation of Trachyspermum ammi, using zygotic embryo explants in 25-35 days. Our findings confirmed the increase in the thymol in the aerial part of Trachyspermum ammi. We further presented an efficacious technique for enhancing thymol content in Trachyspermum ammi using Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation system that can be beneficial in genetic transformation and other plant biotechnology techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Nomani
- Department of Agronomy and Plant breeding - College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Tohidfar
- Department of Plant Biotechnology - College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Daneshjou Boulevard, Tehran, 19839-63113, Iran.
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Back to the plant: overcoming roadblocks to the microbial production of pharmaceutically important plant natural products. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 47:815-828. [PMID: 32772209 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-020-02300-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Microbial fermentation platforms offer a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to plant cultivation and chemical synthesis for the production of many plant-derived pharmaceuticals. Plant alkaloids, particularly benzylisoquinoline alkaloids and monoterpene indole alkaloids, and recently cannabinoids have become attractive targets for microbial biosynthesis owing to their medicinal importance. Recent advances in the discovery of pathway components, together with the application of synthetic biology tools, have facilitated the assembly of plant alkaloid and cannabinoid pathways in the microbial hosts Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This review highlights key aspects of these pathways in the framework of overcoming bottlenecks in microbial production to further improve end-product titers. We discuss the opportunities that emerge from a better understanding of the pathway components by further study of the plant, and strategies for generation of new and advanced medicinal compounds.
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Rezaei M, Naghavi MR, Hosseinzadeh A, Abasi A, Nasiri J. Spatiotemporal oscillations of morphinan alkaloids in opium poppy. J Biosci 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-018-9758-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Yang M, Zhu L, Li L, Li J, Xu L, Feng J, Liu Y. Digital Gene Expression Analysis Provides Insight into the Transcript Profile of the Genes Involved in Aporphine Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:80. [PMID: 28197160 PMCID: PMC5281601 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The predominant alkaloids in lotus leaves are aporphine alkaloids. These are the most important active components and have many pharmacological properties, but little is known about their biosynthesis. We used digital gene expression (DGE) technology to identify differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) between two lotus cultivars with different alkaloid contents at four leaf development stages. We also predicted potential genes involved in aporphine alkaloid biosynthesis by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Approximately 335 billion nucleotides were generated; and 94% of which were aligned against the reference genome. Of 22 thousand expressed genes, 19,000 were differentially expressed between the two cultivars at the four stages. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that catalytic activity and oxidoreductase activity were enriched significantly in most pairwise comparisons. In Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, dozens of DEGs were assigned to the categories of biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis, and flavonoid biosynthesis. The genes encoding norcoclaurine synthase (NCS), norcoclaurine 6-O-methyltransferase (6OMT), coclaurine N-methyltransferase (CNMT), N-methylcoclaurine 3'-hydroxylase (NMCH), and 3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine 4'-O-methyltransferase (4'OMT) in the common pathways of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis and the ones encoding corytuberine synthase (CTS) in aporphine alkaloid biosynthetic pathway, which have been characterized in other plants, were identified in lotus. These genes had positive effects on alkaloid content, albeit with phenotypic lag. The WGCNA of DEGs revealed that one network module was associated with the dynamic change of alkaloid content. Eleven genes encoding proteins with methyltransferase, oxidoreductase and CYP450 activities were identified. These were surmised to be genes involved in aporphine alkaloid biosynthesis. This transcriptomic database provides new directions for future studies on clarifying the aporphine alkaloid pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Plant and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhan, China
| | - Lingping Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Plant and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhan, China
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Center, University of HelsinkiHelsinki, Finland
| | - Ling Li
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Plant and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhan, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Juanjuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Plant and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhan, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Liming Xu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Plant and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhan, China
| | - Ji Feng
- Tobacco Research Institute of Hubei ProvinceWuhan, China
| | - Yanling Liu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Plant and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Yanling Liu
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O’Neill EC, Kelly S. Engineering biosynthesis of high-value compounds in photosynthetic organisms. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2016; 37:779-802. [DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2016.1237467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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14
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Diamond A, Desgagné-Penix I. Metabolic engineering for the production of plant isoquinoline alkaloids. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2016; 14:1319-1328. [PMID: 26503307 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/19/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Several plant isoquinoline alkaloids (PIAs) possess powerful pharmaceutical and biotechnological properties. Thus, PIA metabolism and its fascinating molecules, including morphine, colchicine and galanthamine, have attracted the attention of both the industry and researchers involved in plant science, biochemistry, chemical bioengineering and medicine. Currently, access and availability of high-value PIAs [commercialized (e.g. galanthamine) or not (e.g. narciclasine)] is limited by low concentration in nature, lack of cultivation or geographic access, seasonal production and risk of overharvesting wild plant species. Nevertheless, most commercial PIAs are still extracted from plant sources. Efforts to improve the production of PIA have largely been impaired by the lack of knowledge on PIA metabolism. With the development and integration of next-generation sequencing technologies, high-throughput proteomics and metabolomics analyses and bioinformatics, systems biology was used to unravel metabolic pathways allowing the use of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches to increase production of valuable PIAs. Metabolic engineering provides opportunity to overcome issues related to restricted availability, diversification and productivity of plant alkaloids. Engineered plant, plant cells and microbial cell cultures can act as biofactories by offering their metabolic machinery for the purpose of optimizing the conditions and increasing the productivity of a specific alkaloid. In this article, is presented an update on the production of PIA in engineered plant, plant cell cultures and heterologous micro-organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Diamond
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics, University of Québec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | - Isabel Desgagné-Penix
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics, University of Québec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
- Groupe de recherche en biologie végétale, University of Québec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
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15
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Agarwal P, Pathak S, Lakhwani D, Gupta P, Asif MH, Trivedi PK. Comparative analysis of transcription factor gene families from Papaver somniferum: identification of regulatory factors involved in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis. PROTOPLASMA 2016; 253:857-871. [PMID: 26108744 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-015-0848-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.), known for biosynthesis of several therapeutically important benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs), has emerged as the premier organism to study plant alkaloid metabolism. The most prominent molecules produced in opium poppy include narcotic analgesic morphine, the cough suppressant codeine, the muscle relaxant papaverine and the anti-microbial agent sanguinarine and berberine. Despite several health benefits, biosynthesis of some of these molecules is very low due to tight temporal and spatial regulation of the genes committed to their biosynthesis. Transcription factors, one of the prime regulators of secondary plant product biosynthesis, might be involved in controlled biosynthesis of BIAs in P. somniferum. In this study, identification of members of different transcription factor gene families using transcriptome datasets of 10 cultivars of P. somniferum with distinct chemoprofile has been carried out. Analysis suggests that most represented transcription factor gene family in all the poppy cultivars is WRKY. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed differential expression pattern of the members of a set of transcription factor gene families among 10 cultivars. Through analysis, two members of WRKY and one member of C3H gene family were identified as potential candidates which might regulate thebaine and papaverine biosynthesis, respectively, in poppy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parul Agarwal
- CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi, 110 001, India
| | - Sumya Pathak
- CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, India
| | - Deepika Lakhwani
- CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi, 110 001, India
| | - Parul Gupta
- CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, India
| | - Mehar Hasan Asif
- CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi, 110 001, India
| | - Prabodh Kumar Trivedi
- CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi, 110 001, India.
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16
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Pandey SS, Singh S, Babu CSV, Shanker K, Srivastava NK, Kalra A. Endophytes of opium poppy differentially modulate host plant productivity and genes for the biosynthetic pathway of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. PLANTA 2016; 243:1097-114. [PMID: 26794966 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-016-2467-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Endophytes reside in different parts of the poppy plant and perform the tissue-specific functions. Most leaf endophytes modulate photosynthetic efficiency, plant growth, and productivity while capsule endophytes modulate alkaloid biosynthesis. Endophytes promote plant growth, provide protection from environmental stresses and are the source of important secondary metabolites. Here, we established that the endophytes of opium poppy Papaver somniferum L. may play a role in the modulation of plant productivity and benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) biosynthesis. A total of 22 endophytes isolated from leaves, roots, capsules and seeds of the poppy plants were identified. Isolated endophytes were used to inoculate the endophytes free poppy seeds and screened for their ability to improve plant productivity and BIA production. It was evident that the endophytes from leaf were involved in improving photosynthetic efficiency, and thus crop growth and yield and the endophytes from capsule were involved in enhancing BIA biosynthesis. Capsule endophytes of alkaloid-rich P. somniferum cv. Sampada enhanced BIA production even in alkaloid-less cv. Sujata. Expression study of the genes involved in BIA biosynthesis conferred the differential regulation of their expression in the presence of capsule endophytes. The capsule endophyte SM1B (Acinetobacter) upregulated the expression of the key genes for the BIA biosynthesis except thebaine 6-O-demethylase (T6ODM) and codeine O-demethylase (CODM). On the other hand, another capsule endophyte SM3B (Marmoricola sp.) could upregulate both T6ODM and CODM. Colonization of poppy plant by endophytes isolated from leaves, roots and capsules found to be higher in their respective plant parts confirmed their tissue-specific role. Overall, the results demonstrate the specific role of endophytes in the modulation of host plant productivity and BIA production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiv S Pandey
- Microbial Technology Department, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, 226015, India
| | - Sucheta Singh
- Microbial Technology Department, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, 226015, India
| | - C S Vivek Babu
- CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Allalasandra, GKVK Post, Bangalore, 560065, India.
| | - Karuna Shanker
- Analytical Chemistry Department, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, 226015, India
| | - N K Srivastava
- Plant Physiology Department, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, 226015, India
| | - Alok Kalra
- Microbial Technology Department, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, 226015, India.
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17
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Gurkok T, Ozhuner E, Parmaksiz I, Özcan S, Turktas M, İpek A, Demirtas I, Okay S, Unver T. Functional Characterization of 4'OMT and 7OMT Genes in BIA Biosynthesis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:98. [PMID: 26909086 PMCID: PMC4754624 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Alkaloids are diverse group of secondary metabolites generally found in plants. Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.), the only commercial source of morphinan alkaloids, has been used as a medicinal plant since ancient times. It produces benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIA) including the narcotic analgesic morphine, the muscle relaxant papaverine, and the anti-cancer agent noscapine. Though BIAs play crucial roles in many biological mechanisms their steps in biosynthesis and the responsible genes remain to be revealed. In this study, expressions of 3-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine 4'-methyltransferase (4'OMT) and reticuline 7-O-methyltransferase (7OMT) genes were subjected to manipulation to functionally characterize their roles in BIA biosynthesis. Measurements of alkaloid accumulation were performed in leaf, stem, and capsule tissues accordingly. Suppression of 4'OMT expression caused reduction in the total alkaloid content in stem tissue whereas total alkaloid content was significantly induced in the capsule. Silencing of the 7OMT gene also caused repression in total alkaloid content in the stem. On the other hand, over-expression of 4'OMT and 7OMT resulted in higher morphine accumulation in the stem but suppressed amount in the capsule. Moreover, differential expression in several BIA synthesis genes (CNMT, TYDC, 6OMT, SAT, COR, 4'OMT, and 7OMT) were observed upon manipulation of 4'OMT and 7OMT expression. Upon silencing and overexpression applications, tissue specific effects of these genes were identified. Manipulation of 4'OMT and 7OMT genes caused differentiated accumulation of BIAs including morphine and noscapine in capsule and stem tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tugba Gurkok
- Eldivan SHMYO, Department of Anesthesia, Cankiri Karatekin UniversityCankiri, Turkey
| | - Esma Ozhuner
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Cankiri Karatekin UniversityCankiri, Turkey
| | - Iskender Parmaksiz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Gaziosmanpasa UniversityTokat, Turkey
| | - Sebahattin Özcan
- Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Ankara UniversityAnkara, Turkey
| | - Mine Turktas
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Cankiri Karatekin UniversityCankiri, Turkey
| | - Arif İpek
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Cankiri Karatekin UniversityCankiri, Turkey
| | - Ibrahim Demirtas
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cankiri Karatekin UniversityCankiri, Turkey
| | - Sezer Okay
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Cankiri Karatekin UniversityCankiri, Turkey
| | - Turgay Unver
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Cankiri Karatekin UniversityCankiri, Turkey
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18
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Total biosynthesis of opiates by stepwise fermentation using engineered Escherichia coli. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10390. [PMID: 26847395 PMCID: PMC4748248 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Opiates such as morphine and codeine are mainly obtained by extraction from opium poppies. Fermentative opiate production in microbes has also been investigated, and complete biosynthesis of opiates from a simple carbon source has recently been accomplished in yeast. Here we demonstrate that Escherichia coli serves as an efficient, robust and flexible platform for total opiate synthesis. Thebaine, the most important raw material in opioid preparations, is produced by stepwise culture of four engineered strains at yields of 2.1 mg l(-1) from glycerol, corresponding to a 300-fold increase from recently developed yeast systems. This improvement is presumably due to strong activity of enzymes related to thebaine synthesis from (R)-reticuline in E. coli. Furthermore, by adding two genes to the thebaine production system, we demonstrate the biosynthesis of hydrocodone, a clinically important opioid. Improvements in opiate production in this E. coli system represent a major step towards the development of alternative opiate production systems.
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19
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Ehrenworth AM, Sarria S, Peralta-Yahya P. Pterin-Dependent Mono-oxidation for the Microbial Synthesis of a Modified Monoterpene Indole Alkaloid. ACS Synth Biol 2015. [PMID: 26214239 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) have important therapeutic value, including as anticancer and antimalarial agents. Because of their chemical complexity, therapeutic MIAs, or advanced intermediates thereof, are often isolated from the native plants. The microbial synthesis of MIAs would allow for the rapid and scalable production of complex MIAs and MIA analogues for therapeutic use. Here, we produce the modified MIA hydroxystrictosidine from glucose and the monoterpene secologanin via a pterin-dependent mono-oxidation strategy. Specifically, we engineered the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the high-level synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin to mono-oxidize tryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptophan, which, after decarboxylation to serotonin, is coupled to exogenously fed secologanin to produce 10-hydroxystrictosidine in an eight-enzyme pathway. We selected hydroxystrictosidine as our synthetic target because hydroxylation at the 10' position of the alkaloid core strictosidine provides a chemical handle for the future chemical semisynthesis of therapeutics. We show the generality of the pterin-dependent mono-oxidation strategy for alkaloid synthesis by hydroxylating tyrosine to L-DOPA-a key intermediate in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) biosynthesis-and, thereafter, further converting it to dopamine. Together, these results present the first microbial synthesis of a modified alkaloid, the first production of tetrahydrobiopterin in yeast, and the first use of a pterin-dependent mono-oxidation strategy for the synthesis of L-DOPA. This work opens the door to the scalable production of MIAs as well as the production of modified MIAs to serve as late intermediates in the semisynthesis of known and novel therapeutics. Further, the microbial strains in this work can be used as plant pathway discovery tools to elucidate known MIA biosynthetic pathways or to identify pathways leading to novel MIAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. M. Ehrenworth
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and ‡School of Chemical
and Biomolecular
Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - S. Sarria
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and ‡School of Chemical
and Biomolecular
Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - P. Peralta-Yahya
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and ‡School of Chemical
and Biomolecular
Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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20
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Wang YQ, Zhang JL, Schuchardt F, Wang Y. Degradation of morphine in opium poppy processing waste composting. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2014; 168:235-239. [PMID: 24613672 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Revised: 02/04/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
To investigate morphine degradation and optimize turning frequency in opium poppy processing waste composting, a pilot scale windrow composting trial was run for 55 days. Four treatments were designed as without turning (A1), every 5 days turning (A2), every 10 days turning (A3) and every 15 days turning (A4). During composting, a range of physicochemical parameters including the residual morphine degradation, temperature, pH, and the contents of total C, total N, total P and total K were investigated. For all treatments, the residual morphine content decreased below the detection limit and reached the safety standards after day 30 of composting, the longest duration of high temperature (⩾50 °C) was observed in A3, pH increased 16.9-17.54%, total carbon content decreased 15.5-22.5%, C/N ratio reduced from 46 to 26, and the content of total phosphorus and total potassium increased slightly. The final compost obtained by a mixture of all four piles was up to 55.3% of organic matter, 3.3% of total nutrient (N, P2O5 and K2O) and 7.6 of pH. A turning frequency of every ten days for a windrow composting of opium poppy processing waste is recommended to produce homogenous compost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Quan Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Jin Lin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Frank Schuchardt
- Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut (vTI), Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Institute of Agricultural Technology and Biosystems Engineering, Braunschweig 38116, Germany
| | - Yan Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China
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21
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Beaudoin GAW, Facchini PJ. Benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis in opium poppy. PLANTA 2014; 240:19-32. [PMID: 24671624 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-014-2056-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is one of the world's oldest medicinal plants and remains the only commercial source for the narcotic analgesics morphine, codeine and semi-synthetic derivatives such as oxycodone and naltrexone. The plant also produces several other benzylisoquinoline alkaloids with potent pharmacological properties including the vasodilator papaverine, the cough suppressant and potential anticancer drug noscapine and the antimicrobial agent sanguinarine. Opium poppy has served as a model system to investigate the biosynthesis of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in plants. The application of biochemical and functional genomics has resulted in a recent surge in the discovery of biosynthetic genes involved in the formation of major benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in opium poppy. The availability of extensive biochemical genetic tools and information pertaining to benzylisoquinoline alkaloid metabolism is facilitating the study of a wide range of phenomena including the structural biology of novel catalysts, the genomic organization of biosynthetic genes, the cellular and sub-cellular localization of biosynthetic enzymes and a variety of biotechnological applications. In this review, we highlight recent developments and summarize the frontiers of knowledge regarding the biochemistry, cellular biology and biotechnology of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis in opium poppy.
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22
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Yue W, Ming QL, Lin B, Rahman K, Zheng CJ, Han T, Qin LP. Medicinal plant cell suspension cultures: pharmaceutical applications and high-yielding strategies for the desired secondary metabolites. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2014; 36:215-32. [PMID: 24963701 DOI: 10.3109/07388551.2014.923986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The development of plant tissue (including organ and cell) cultures for the production of secondary metabolites has been underway for more than three decades. Plant cell cultures with the production of high-value secondary metabolites are promising potential alternative sources for the production of pharmaceutical agents of industrial importance. Medicinal plant cell suspension cultures (MPCSC), which are characterized with the feature of fermentation with plant cell totipotency, could be a promising alternative "chemical factory". However, low productivity becomes an inevitable obstacle limiting further commercialization of MPCSC and the application to large-scale production is still limited to a few processes. This review generalizes and analyzes the recent progress of this bioproduction platform for the provision of medicinal chemicals and outlines a range of trials taken or underway to increase product yields from MPCSC. The scale-up of MPCSC, which could lead to an unlimited supply of pharmaceuticals, including strategies to overcome and solution of the associated challenges, is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yue
- a Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy , Second Military Medical University , Shanghai , China .,b School of Life Science , East China Normal University , Shanghai , China
| | - Qian-Liang Ming
- a Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy , Second Military Medical University , Shanghai , China
| | - Bing Lin
- a Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy , Second Military Medical University , Shanghai , China
| | - Khalid Rahman
- c Faculty of Science, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences , Liverpool John Moores University , Byrom Street , Liverpool , UK , and
| | - Cheng-Jian Zheng
- a Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy , Second Military Medical University , Shanghai , China
| | - Ting Han
- a Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy , Second Military Medical University , Shanghai , China .,d School of Forestry and Biotechnology , ZheJiang Agriculture & Forestry University , Lin'an , Hangzhou , China
| | - Lu-Ping Qin
- a Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy , Second Military Medical University , Shanghai , China
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Mora-Pale M, Sanchez-Rodriguez SP, Linhardt RJ, Dordick JS, Koffas MAG. Metabolic engineering and in vitro biosynthesis of phytochemicals and non-natural analogues. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2013; 210:10-24. [PMID: 23849109 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2013.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Revised: 05/08/2013] [Accepted: 05/09/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Over the years, natural products from plants and their non-natural derivatives have shown to be active against different types of chronic diseases. However, isolation of such natural products can be limited due to their low bioavailability, and environmental restrictions. To address these issues, in vivo and in vitro reconstruction of plant metabolic pathways and the metabolic engineering of microbes and plants have been used to generate libraries of compounds. Significant advances have been made through metabolic engineering of microbes and plant cells to generate a variety of compounds (e.g. isoprenoids, flavonoids, or stilbenes) using a diverse array of methods to optimize these processes (e.g. host selection, operational variables, precursor selection, gene modifications). These approaches have been used also to generate non-natural analogues with different bioactivities. In vitro biosynthesis allows the synthesis of intermediates as well as final products avoiding post-translational limitations. Moreover, this strategy allows the use of substrates and the production of metabolites that could be toxic for cells, or expand the biosynthesis into non-conventional media (e.g. organic solvents, supercritical fluids). A perspective is also provided on the challenges for generating novel chemical structures and the potential of combining metabolic engineering and in vitro biocatalysis to produce metabolites with more potent biological activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Mora-Pale
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180, United States
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24
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Fermentative production of plant benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in microbes. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2013; 77:1617-22. [PMID: 23924710 DOI: 10.1271/bbb.130106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Higher plants produce diverse chemicals, including alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds (phenylpropanoids and flavonoids) as secondary metabolites. These chemicals are widely used for human health and nutrition. Alkaloids, for example, are valued in medicine due to their high biological activities, but most of these metabolites accumulate at low levels in plant cells, resulting in poor extraction yields. Increasingly, attention is devoted to the production of plant metabolites by reconstructing plant biosynthetic pathways in microorganisms. This technology has been aided by advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. Here, the review a fermentation platform for low-cost production of numerous alkaloids using bioengineered Escherichia coli and/or Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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25
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Towards a molecular understanding of the biosynthesis of amaryllidaceae alkaloids in support of their expanding medical use. Int J Mol Sci 2013; 14:11713-41. [PMID: 23727937 PMCID: PMC3709753 DOI: 10.3390/ijms140611713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2013] [Revised: 05/26/2013] [Accepted: 05/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The alkaloids characteristically produced by the subfamily Amaryllidoideae of the Amaryllidaceae, bulbous plant species that include well know genera such as Narcissus (daffodils) and Galanthus (snowdrops), are a source of new pharmaceutical compounds. Presently, only the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid galanthamine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor used to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, is produced commercially as a drug from cultivated plants. However, several Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have shown great promise as anti-cancer drugs, but their further clinical development is restricted by their limited commercial availability. Amaryllidaceae species have a long history of cultivation and breeding as ornamental bulbs, and phytochemical research has focussed on the diversity in alkaloid content and composition. In contrast to the available pharmacological and phytochemical data, ecological, physiological and molecular aspects of the Amaryllidaceae and their alkaloids are much less explored and the identity of the alkaloid biosynthetic genes is presently unknown. An improved molecular understanding of Amaryllidaceae alkaloid biosynthesis would greatly benefit the rational design of breeding programs to produce cultivars optimised for the production of pharmaceutical compounds and enable biotechnology based approaches.
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26
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Hagel JM, Facchini PJ. Benzylisoquinoline alkaloid metabolism: a century of discovery and a brave new world. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 54:647-72. [PMID: 23385146 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pct020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 242] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are a structurally diverse group of plant specialized metabolites with a long history of investigation. Although the ecophysiological functions of most BIAs are unknown, the medicinal properties of many compounds have been exploited for centuries. These include the narcotic analgesics codeine and morphine, the antimicrobial agents sanguinarine and berberine, and the antitussive and anticancer drug noscapine. BIA biosynthesis involves a restricted number of enzyme types that catalyze landmark coupling reactions and subsequent functional group modifications. A pathogenesis-related (PR)10/Bet v1 'Pictet-Spenglerase', several O-methyl-, N-methyl- and O-acetyltransferases, cytochromes P450, FAD-dependent oxidases, non-heme dioxygenases and NADPH-dependent reductases have been implicated in the multistep pathways leading to structurally diverse alkaloids. A small number of plant species, including opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and other members of the Ranunculales, have emerged as model systems to study BIA metabolism. The expansion of resources to include a wider range of plant species is creating an opportunity to investigate previously uncharacterized BIA pathways. Contemporary knowledge of BIA metabolism reflects over a century of research coupled with the development of key innovations such as radioactive tracing, enzyme isolation and molecular cloning, and functional genomics approaches such as virus-induced gene silencing. Recently, the emergence of transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics has expedited the discovery of new BIA biosynthetic genes. The growing repository of BIA biosynthetic genes is providing the parts required to apply emerging synthetic biology platforms to the development of production systems in microbes as an alternative to plants as a commecial source of valuable BIAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian M Hagel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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Desgagné-Penix I, Facchini PJ. Systematic silencing of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes reveals the major route to papaverine in opium poppy. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2012; 72:331-44. [PMID: 22725256 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2012.05084.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Papaverine, a major benzylisoquinoline alkaloid in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), is used as a vasodilator and antispasmodic. Conversion of the initial intermediate (S)-norcoclaurine to papaverine involves 3'-hydroxylation, four O-methylations and dehydrogenation. However, our understanding of papaverine biosynthesis remains controversial more than a century after an initial scheme was proposed. In vitro assays and in vivo labeling studies have been insufficient to establish the sequence of conversions, the potential role of the intermediate (S)-reticuline, and the enzymes involved. We used virus-induced gene silencing in opium poppy to individually suppress the expression of six genes with putative roles in papaverine biosynthesis. Suppression of the gene encoding coclaurine N-methyltransferase dramatically increased papaverine levels at the expense of N-methylated alkaloids, indicating that the main biosynthetic route to papaverine proceeds via N-desmethylated compounds rather than through (S)-reticuline. Suppression of genes encoding (S)-3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine 4-O-methyltransferase and norreticuline 7-O-methyltransferase, which accept certain N-desmethylated alkaloids, reduced papaverine content. In contrast, suppression of genes encoding N-methylcoclaurine 3'-hydroxylase or reticuline 7-O-methyltransferase, which are specific for N-methylated alkaloids, did not affect papaverine levels. Suppression of norcoclaurine 6-O-methyltransferase transcript levels significantly suppressed total alkaloid accumulation, implicating (S)-coclaurine as a key branch-point intermediate. The differential detection of N-desmethylated compounds in response to suppression of specific genes highlights the primary route to papaverine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Desgagné-Penix
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
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Desgagné-Penix I, Farrow SC, Cram D, Nowak J, Facchini PJ. Integration of deep transcript and targeted metabolite profiles for eight cultivars of opium poppy. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2012; 79:295-313. [PMID: 22527754 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-012-9913-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2011] [Accepted: 04/06/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology and analytical mass spectrometry are providing unprecedented opportunities to develop the functional genomics resources required to investigate complex biological processes in non-model plants. Opium poppy produces a wide variety of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs), including the pharmaceutical compounds codeine, morphine, noscapine and papaverine. A functional genomics platform to identify novel BIA biosynthetic and regulatory genes in opium poppy has been established based on the differential metabolite profile of eight selected cultivars. Stem cDNA libraries from each of the eight opium poppy cultivars were subjected to 454 pyrosequencing and searchable expressed sequence tag databases were created from the assembled reads. These deep and integrated metabolite and transcript databases provide a nearly complete representation of the genetic and metabolic variances responsible for the differential occurrence of specific BIAs in each cultivar as demonstrated using the biochemically well characterized pathway from tyrosine to morphine. Similar correlations between the occurrence of specific transcripts and alkaloids effectively reveals candidate genes encoding uncharacterized biosynthetic enzymes as shown using cytochromes P450 potentially involved in the formation of papaverine and noscapine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Desgagné-Penix
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
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Wijekoon CP, Facchini PJ. Systematic knockdown of morphine pathway enzymes in opium poppy using virus-induced gene silencing. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2012; 69:1052-63. [PMID: 22098111 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2011.04855.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) remains the sole commercial source for several pharmaceutical alkaloids including the narcotic analgesics codeine and morphine, and the semi-synthetic drugs oxycodone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. Although most of the biosynthetic genes have been identified, the post-transcriptional regulation of the morphinan alkaloid pathway has not been determined. We have used virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) as a functional genomics tool to investigate the regulation of morphine biosynthesis via a systematic reduction in enzyme levels responsible for the final six steps in the pathway. Specific gene silencing was confirmed at the transcript level by real-time quantitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction), and at the protein level by immunoblot analysis using antibodies raised against salutaridine synthase (SalSyn), salutaridine reductase (SalR), salutaridine 7-O-acetyltransferase (SalAT), thebaine 6-O-demethylase (T6ODM), codeinone reductase (COR), and codeine O-demethylase (CODM). In some cases, silencing a specific biosynthetic gene resulted in a predictable accumulation of the substrate for the corresponding enzyme. Reduced SalSyn, SalR, T6ODM and CODM protein levels correlated with lower morphine levels and a substantial increase in the accumulation of reticuline, salutaridine, thebaine and codeine, respectively. In contrast, the silencing of genes encoding SalAT and COR resulted in the accumulation of salutaridine and reticuline, respectively, which are not the corresponding enzymatic substrates. The silencing of alkaloid biosynthetic genes using VIGS confirms the physiological function of enzymes previously characterized in vitro, provides insight into the biochemical regulation of morphine biosynthesis, and demonstrates the immense potential for metabolic engineering in opium poppy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Champa P Wijekoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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Genetic and Phenotypic Analyses of a Papaver somniferum T-DNA Insertional Mutant with Altered Alkaloid Composition. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2012; 5:133-54. [PMID: 24288085 PMCID: PMC3763633 DOI: 10.3390/ph5020133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Revised: 01/15/2012] [Accepted: 01/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The in vitro shoot culture of a T-DNA insertional mutant of Papaver somniferum L. established by the infection of Agrobacterium rhizogenes MAFF03-01724 accumulated thebaine instead of morphine as a major opium alkaloid. To develop a non-narcotic opium poppy and to gain insight into its genetic background, we have transplanted this mutant to soil, and analyzed its alkaloid content along with the manner of inheritance of T-DNA insertion loci among its selfed progenies. In the transplanted T0 primary mutant, the opium (latex) was found to be rich in thebaine (16.3% of dried opium) by HPLC analysis. The analyses on T-DNA insertion loci by inverse PCR, adaptor-ligation PCR, and quantitative real-time PCR revealed that as many as 18 copies of T-DNAs were integrated into a poppy genome in a highly complicated manner. The number of copies of T-DNAs was decreased to seven in the selected T3 progenies, in which the average thebaine content was 2.4-fold that of the wild type plant. This may indicate that the high thebaine phenotype was increasingly stabilized as the number of T-DNA copies was decreased. In addition, by reverse transcription PCR analysis on selected morphine biosynthetic genes, the expression of codeine 6-O-demethylase was clearly shown to be diminished in the T0 in vitro shoot culture, which can be considered as one of the key factors of altered alkaloid composition.
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Nelson D, Werck-Reichhart D. A P450-centric view of plant evolution. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2011; 66:194-211. [PMID: 21443632 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2011.04529.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 408] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Being by far the largest family of enzymes to support plant metabolism, the cytochrome P450s (CYPs) constitute an excellent reporter of metabolism architecture and evolution. The huge superfamily of CYPs found in angiosperms is built on the successful evolution of 11 ancestral genes, with very different fates and progenies. Essential functions in the production of structural components (membrane sterols), light harvesting (carotenoids) or hormone biosynthesis kept some of them under purifying selection, limiting duplication and sub/neofunctionalization. One group (the CYP71 clan) after an early trigger to diversification, has kept growing, producing bursts of gene duplications at an accelerated rate. The CYP71 clan now represents more than half of all CYPs in higher plants. Such bursts of gene duplication are likely to contribute to adaptation to specific niches and to speciation. They also occur, although with lower frequency, in gene families under purifying selection. The CYP complement (CYPomes) of rice and the model grass weed Brachypodium distachyon have been compared to view evolution in a narrower time window. The results show that evolution of new functions in plant metabolism is a very long-term process. Comparative analysis of the plant CYPomes provides information on the successive steps required for the evolution of land plants, and points to several cases of convergent evolution in plant metabolism. It constitutes a very useful tool for spotting essential functions in plant metabolism and to guide investigations on gene function.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Nelson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 858 Madison Avenue, Suite G01, Memphis TN 38163, USA
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Morandini P. Inactivation of allergens and toxins. N Biotechnol 2010; 27:482-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2010.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2009] [Accepted: 06/20/2010] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Bural CB, Demirer GN, Kantoglu O, Dilek FB. Treatment of opium alkaloid containing wastewater in sequencing batch reactor (SBR)—Effect of gamma irradiation. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2009.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Abstract
Synthetic biology can be defined as the "repurposing and redesign of biological systems for novel purposes or applications, " and the field lies at the interface of several biological research areas. This broad definition can be taken to include a variety of investigative endeavors, and successful design of new biological paradigms requires integration of many scientific disciplines including (but not limited to) protein engineering, metabolic engineering, genomics, structural biology, chemical biology, systems biology, and bioinformatics. This review focuses on recent applications of synthetic biology principles in three areas: (i) the construction of artificial biomolecules and biomaterials; (ii) the synthesis of both fine and bulk chemicals (including biofuels); and (iii) the construction of "smart" biological systems that respond to the surrounding environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley D Marner
- Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA.
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Stöckigt J, Chen Z, Ruppert M. Enzymatic and Chemo-Enzymatic Approaches Towards Natural and Non-Natural Alkaloids: Indoles, Isoquinolines, and Others. NATURAL PRODUCTS VIA ENZYMATIC REACTIONS 2010; 297:67-103. [DOI: 10.1007/128_2010_80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Takemura T, Chow YL, Todokoro T, Okamoto T, Sato F. Over-expression of rate-limiting enzymes to improve alkaloid productivity. Methods Mol Biol 2010; 643:95-109. [PMID: 20552446 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60761-723-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are one of the most important groups of secondary metabolites and include the economically important analgesic morphine and the antimicrobial agent berberine. To improve the productivity of these alkaloids, we investigated the effects of putative rate-limiting step enzymes in alkaloid biosynthesis. We constructed several over-expression vectors for biosynthetic enzymes and introduced them into cultured California poppy, a model isoquinoline alkaloid-producing plant. HPLC/LC-MS analysis of transgenic cells revealed that these enzymes varied in their ability to increase alkaloid production. We describe the use of a rate-limiting step gene to improve alkaloid productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoya Takemura
- Division of Integrated Life Science, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Ziegler J, Brandt W, Geissler R, Facchini PJ. Removal of substrate inhibition and increase in maximal velocity in the short chain dehydrogenase/reductase salutaridine reductase involved in morphine biosynthesis. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:26758-67. [PMID: 19648114 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.030957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Salutaridine reductase (SalR, EC 1.1.1.248) catalyzes the stereospecific reduction of salutaridine to 7(S)-salutaridinol in the biosynthesis of morphine. It belongs to a new, plant-specific class of short-chain dehydrogenases, which are characterized by their monomeric nature and increased length compared with related enzymes. Homology modeling and substrate docking suggested that additional amino acids form a novel alpha-helical element, which is involved in substrate binding. Site-directed mutagenesis and subsequent studies on enzyme kinetics revealed the importance of three residues in this element for substrate binding. Further replacement of eight additional residues led to the characterization of the entire substrate binding pocket. In addition, a specific role in salutaridine binding by either hydrogen bond formation or hydrophobic interactions was assigned to each amino acid. Substrate docking also revealed an alternative mode for salutaridine binding, which could explain the strong substrate inhibition of SalR. An alternate arrangement of salutaridine in the enzyme was corroborated by the effect of various amino acid substitutions on substrate inhibition. In most cases, the complete removal of substrate inhibition was accompanied by a substantial loss in enzyme activity. However, some mutations greatly reduced substrate inhibition while maintaining or even increasing the maximal velocity. Based on these results, a double mutant of SalR was created that exhibited the complete absence of substrate inhibition and higher activity compared with wild-type SalR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Ziegler
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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Opportunities in metabolic engineering to facilitate scalable alkaloid production. Nat Chem Biol 2009; 5:292-300. [PMID: 19377455 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Numerous drugs and drug precursors in the current pharmacopoeia originate from plant sources. The limited yield of some bioactive compounds in plant tissues, however, presents a significant challenge for large-scale drug development. Metabolic engineering has facilitated the development of plant cell and tissue systems as alternative production platforms that can be scaled up in a controlled environment. Nevertheless, effective metabolic engineering approaches and the predictability of genetic transformations are often obscured due to the myriad cellular complexities. Progress in systems biology has aided the understanding of genome-wide interconnectivities in plant-based systems. In parallel, the bottom-up assembly of plant biosynthetic pathways in microorganisms demonstrated the possibilities of a new means of production. In this Perspective, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of implementing metabolic engineering in various platforms for the synthesis of natural and unnatural plant alkaloids.
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Asgary S, Sarrafzadegan N, Naderi GA, Rozbehani R. Effect of opium addiction on new and traditional cardiovascular risk factors: do duration of addiction and route of administration matter? Lipids Health Dis 2008; 7:42. [PMID: 18980684 PMCID: PMC2588593 DOI: 10.1186/1476-511x-7-42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2008] [Accepted: 11/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is a belief among some society that opium has a number of beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present investigation as a cross-sectional study was to assess this hypothesis. Several biochemical factors (Fasting blood sugar, Cholesterol, Triglyceride, LDL-Cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol, HbA1C, CRP, Fibrinogen, Factor VII, SGOT, SGPT, Lpa, apo A and apo B were evaluated in opium-addicted men (case) against non opium-addicted men(control). Three hundred and sixty opium-addicted men were divided into three groups according to the route of administration (Orally, Vafour and Sikh-Sang) and each group was divided into four subgroups according to the duration of addiction (5 months, 1 year, 2 years and 5 years). Blood morphine concentration was measured by ELISA method. Results The results show that morphine concentration was significantly higher in orally administration. In all routes, there was a direct correlation between blood morphine concentration and period of addiction. Regardless to the period and route of administration, the level of HbA1C, CRP, factor VII, Fibrinogen, apo B, Lpa, SGOT, and SGPT were significantly higher in the case subjects as compared with controls and HDL-Cholesterol and apo a were significantly lower in the case subjects. Conclusion This study demonstrated the deleterious effects of opium on some traditional and new cardiovascular disease risk factors. These deleterious effects are related to the period of addiction and their levels are significantly increased after 2 years of addiction. Route of administration impresses cardiovascular risk factors and "Sikh-Sang" showed the worst effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sedigheh Asgary
- Basic Sciences Department, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research, Center, Applied Physiology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
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Facchini PJ, De Luca V. Opium poppy and Madagascar periwinkle: model non-model systems to investigate alkaloid biosynthesis in plants. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2008; 54:763-84. [PMID: 18476877 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2008.03438.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Alkaloids represent a large and diverse group of compounds that are related by the occurrence of a nitrogen atom within a heterocyclic backbone. Unlike other types of secondary metabolites, the various structural categories of alkaloids are unrelated in terms of biosynthesis and evolution. Although the biology of each group is unique, common patterns have become apparent. Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), which produces several benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, and Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), which accumulates an array of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, have emerged as the premier organisms used to study plant alkaloid metabolism. The status of these species as model systems results from decades of research on the chemistry, enzymology and molecular biology responsible for the biosynthesis of valuable pharmaceutical alkaloids. Opium poppy remains the only commercial source for morphine, codeine and semi-synthetic analgesics, such as oxycodone, derived from thebaine. Catharanthus roseus is the only source for the anti-cancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine. Impressive collections of cDNAs encoding biosynthetic enzymes and regulatory proteins involved in the formation of benzylisoquinoline and monoterpenoid indole alkaloids are now available, and the rate of gene discovery has accelerated with the application of genomics. Such tools have allowed the establishment of models that describe the complex cell biology of alkaloid metabolism in these important medicinal plants. A suite of biotechnological resources, including genetic transformation protocols, has allowed the application of metabolic engineering to modify the alkaloid content of these and related species. An overview of recent progress on benzylisoquinoline and monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis in opium poppy and C. roseus is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Facchini
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
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Evolutionary and cellular webs in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2008; 19:173-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2008.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2008] [Accepted: 02/04/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Abstract
Alkaloids represent a highly diverse group of compounds that are related only by the occurrence of a nitrogen atom in a heterocyclic ring. Plants are estimated to produce approximately 12,000 different alkaloids, which can be organized into groups according to their carbon skeletal structures. Alkaloid biosynthesis in plants involves many catalytic steps, catalyzed by enzymes that belong to a wide range of protein families. The characterization of novel alkaloid biosynthetic enzymes in terms of structural biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, and biotechnological applications has been the focus of research over the past several years. The application of genomics to the alkaloid field has accelerated the discovery of cDNAs encoding previously elusive biosynthetic enzymes. Other technologies, such as large-scale gene expression analyses and metabolic engineering approaches with transgenic plants, have provided new insights into the regulatory architecture of alkaloid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Ziegler
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
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Schmidt J, Boettcher C, Kuhnt C, Kutchan TM, Zenk MH. Poppy alkaloid profiling by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry and electrospray FT-ICR mass spectrometry after [ring-13C6]-tyramine feeding. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2007; 68:189-202. [PMID: 17113612 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2006.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2006] [Revised: 09/27/2006] [Accepted: 10/03/2006] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Papaver alkaloids play a major role in medicine and pharmacy. In this study, [ring-(13)C(6)]-tyramine as a biogenetic precursor of these alkaloids was fed to Papaver somniferum seedlings. The alkaloid pattern was elucidated both by direct infusion high-resolution ESI-FT-ICR mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Thus, based on this procedure, the structure of about 20 alkaloids displaying an incorporation of the labeled tyramine could be elucidated. These alkaloids belong to different classes, e.g. morphinan, benzylisoquinoline, protoberberine, benzo[c]phenanthridine, phthalide isoquinoline and protopine. The valuable information gained from the alkaloid profile demonstrates that the combination of these two spectrometric methods represents a powerful tool for evaluating biochemical pathways and facilitates the study of the flux of distant precursors into these natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Schmidt
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, D-06120 Halle/S., Germany.
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