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Wu S, Morotti ALM, Yang J, Wang E, Tatsis EC. Single-cell RNA sequencing facilitates the elucidation of the complete biosynthesis of the antidepressant hyperforin in St. John's wort. MOLECULAR PLANT 2024:S1674-2052(24)00258-2. [PMID: 39135343 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2024.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Hyperforin is the compound responsible for the effectiveness of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) as an antidepressant, but its complete biosynthetic pathway remains unknown. Gene discovery based on co-expression analysis of bulk RNA-sequencing data or genome mining failed to discover the missing steps in hyperforin biosynthesis. In this study, we sequenced the 1.54-Gb tetraploid H. perforatum genome assembled into 32 chromosomes with the scaffold N50 value of 42.44 Mb. By single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified a type of cell, "Hyper cells", wherein hyperforin biosynthesis de novo takes place in both the leaves and flowers. Through pathway reconstitution in yeast and tobacco, we identified and characterized four transmembrane prenyltransferases (HpPT1-4) that are localized at the plastid envelope and complete the hyperforin biosynthetic pathway. The hyperforin polycyclic scaffold is created by a reaction cascade involving an irregular isoprenoid coupling and a tandem cyclization. Our findings reveal how and where hyperforin is biosynthesized, enabling synthetic-biology reconstitution of the complete pathway. Thus, this study not only deepens our comprehension of specialized metabolism at the cellular level but also provides strategic guidance for elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways of other specializied metabolites in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ana Luisa Malaco Morotti
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jun Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ertao Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Evangelos C Tatsis
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; CEPAMS - CAS-JIC Centre of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Science, Shanghai 200032, China.
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2
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Chen H, Sahu SK, Wang S, Liu J, Yang J, Cheng L, Chiu TY, Liu H. Chromosome-level Alstonia scholaris genome unveils evolutionary insights into biosynthesis of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. iScience 2024; 27:109599. [PMID: 38646178 PMCID: PMC11033161 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Alstonia scholaris of the Apocynaceae family is a medicinal plant with a rich source of bioactive monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs), which possess anti-cancer activity like vinca alkaloids. To gain genomic insights into MIA biosynthesis, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome for A. scholaris using nanopore and Hi-C data. The 444.95 Mb genome contained 35,488 protein-coding genes. A total of 20 chromosomes were assembled with a scaffold N50 of 21.75 Mb. The genome contained a cluster of strictosidine synthases and tryptophan decarboxylases with synteny to other species and a saccharide-terpene cluster involved in the monoterpenoid biosynthesis pathway of the MIA upstream pathway. The multi-omics data of A. scholaris provide a valuable resource for understanding the evolutionary origins of MIAs and for discovering biosynthetic pathways and synthetic biology efforts for producing pharmaceutically useful alkaloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Key Laboratory of Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China
- BGI Research, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Sunil Kumar Sahu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Key Laboratory of Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China
- BGI Research, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Shujie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Key Laboratory of Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Jia Liu
- Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Jinlong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Key Laboratory of Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Le Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Key Laboratory of Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Tsan-Yu Chiu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Key Laboratory of Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Huan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Key Laboratory of Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China
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3
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Guo J, Gao D, Lian J, Qu Y. De novo biosynthesis of antiarrhythmic alkaloid ajmaline. Nat Commun 2024; 15:457. [PMID: 38212296 PMCID: PMC10784492 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44797-z] [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: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The antiarrhythmic drug ajmaline is a monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) isolated from the Ayurvedic plant Rauvolfia serpentina (Indian Snakeroot). Research into the biosynthesis of ajmaline and another renowned MIA chemotherapeutic drug vinblastine has yielded pivotal advancements in the fields of plant specialized metabolism and engineering over recent decades. While the majority of vinblastine biosynthesis has been recently elucidated, the quest for comprehending ajmaline biosynthesis remains incomplete, marked by the absence of two critical enzymes. Here, we show the discovery and characterization of these two elusive reductases, alongside the identification of two physiologically relevant esterases that complete the biosynthesis of ajmaline. We show that ajmaline biosynthesis proceeds with vomilenine 1,2(R)-reduction followed by its 19,20(S)-reduction. This process is further modulated by two root-expressing esterases that deacetylate 17-O-acetylnorajmaline. Expanding upon the successful completion of the ajmaline biosynthetic pathway, we engineer the de novo biosynthesis of ajmaline in Baker's yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Guo
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Di Gao
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiazhang Lian
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Yang Qu
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada.
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4
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Guedes JG, Ribeiro R, Carqueijeiro I, Guimarães AL, Bispo C, Archer J, Azevedo H, Fonseca NA, Sottomayor M. The leaf idioblastome of the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus is associated with stress resistance and alkaloid metabolism. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:274-299. [PMID: 37804484 PMCID: PMC10735432 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Catharanthus roseus leaves produce a range of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) that include low levels of the anticancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine. The MIA pathway displays a complex architecture spanning different subcellular and cell type localizations, and is under complex regulation. As a result, the development of strategies to increase the levels of the anticancer MIAs has remained elusive. The pathway involves mesophyll specialized idioblasts where the late unsolved biosynthetic steps are thought to occur. Here, protoplasts of C. roseus leaf idioblasts were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and their differential alkaloid and transcriptomic profiles were characterized. This involved the assembly of an improved C. roseus transcriptome from short- and long-read data, IDIO+. It was observed that C. roseus mesophyll idioblasts possess a distinctive transcriptomic profile associated with protection against biotic and abiotic stresses, and indicative that this cell type is a carbon sink, in contrast to surrounding mesophyll cells. Moreover, it is shown that idioblasts are a hotspot of alkaloid accumulation, suggesting that their transcriptome may hold the key to the in-depth understanding of the MIA pathway and the success of strategies leading to higher levels of the anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana G Guedes
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Programa Doutoral em Biologia Molecular e Celular (MCbiology), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rogério Ribeiro
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Carqueijeiro
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Ana Luísa Guimarães
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Bispo
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - John Archer
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Herlander Azevedo
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno A Fonseca
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Mariana Sottomayor
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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5
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Ono E, Murata J. Exploring the Evolvability of Plant Specialized Metabolism: Uniqueness Out Of Uniformity and Uniqueness Behind Uniformity. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 64:1449-1465. [PMID: 37307423 PMCID: PMC10734894 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcad057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The huge structural diversity exhibited by plant specialized metabolites has primarily been considered to result from the catalytic specificity of their biosynthetic enzymes. Accordingly, enzyme gene multiplication and functional differentiation through spontaneous mutations have been established as the molecular mechanisms that drive metabolic evolution. Nevertheless, how plants have assembled and maintained such metabolic enzyme genes and the typical clusters that are observed in plant genomes, as well as why identical specialized metabolites often exist in phylogenetically remote lineages, is currently only poorly explained by a concept known as convergent evolution. Here, we compile recent knowledge on the co-presence of metabolic modules that are common in the plant kingdom but have evolved under specific historical and contextual constraints defined by the physicochemical properties of each plant specialized metabolite and the genetic presets of the biosynthetic genes. Furthermore, we discuss a common manner to generate uncommon metabolites (uniqueness out of uniformity) and an uncommon manner to generate common metabolites (uniqueness behind uniformity). This review describes the emerging aspects of the evolvability of plant specialized metabolism that underlie the vast structural diversity of plant specialized metabolites in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiichiro Ono
- Suntory Global Innovation Center Ltd. (SIC), 8-1-1 Seikadai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, 619-0284 Japan
| | - Jun Murata
- Bioorganic Research Institute (SUNBOR), Suntory Foundation for Life Sciences, 8-1-1 Seikadai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, 619-0284 Japan
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6
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Xie J, Pahl A, Krzyzanowski A, Krupp A, Liu J, Koska S, Schölermann B, Zhang R, Bonowski J, Sievers S, Strohmann C, Ziegler S, Grigalunas M, Waldmann H. Synthetic Matching of Complex Monoterpene Indole Alkaloid Chemical Space. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202310222. [PMID: 37818743 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202310222] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) are endowed with high structural and spatial complexity and characterized by diverse biological activities. Given this complexity-activity combination in MIAs, rapid and efficient access to chemical matter related to and with complexity similar to these alkaloids would be highly desirable, since such compound classes might display novel bioactivity. We describe the design and synthesis of a pseudo-natural product (pseudo-NP) collection obtained by the unprecedented combination of MIA fragments through complexity-generating transformations, resulting in arrangements not currently accessible by biosynthetic pathways. Cheminformatic analyses revealed that both the pseudo-NPs and the MIAs reside in a unique and common area of chemical space with high spatial complexity-density that is only sparsely populated by other natural products and drugs. Investigation of bioactivity guided by morphological profiling identified pseudo-NPs that inhibit DNA synthesis and modulate tubulin. These results demonstrate that the pseudo-NP collection occupies similar biologically relevant chemical space that Nature has endowed MIAs with.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianing Xie
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Axel Pahl
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Compound Management and Screening Center (COMAS), Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Adrian Krzyzanowski
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Straße 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Anna Krupp
- Faculty of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Straße 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sandra Koska
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Beate Schölermann
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Ruirui Zhang
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jana Bonowski
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sonja Sievers
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Compound Management and Screening Center (COMAS), Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Carsten Strohmann
- Faculty of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Straße 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Slava Ziegler
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Michael Grigalunas
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Herbert Waldmann
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Straße 11, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Straße 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
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7
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Stander EA, Lehka B, Carqueijeiro I, Cuello C, Hansson FG, Jansen HJ, Dugé De Bernonville T, Birer Williams C, Vergès V, Lezin E, Lorensen MDBB, Dang TT, Oudin A, Lanoue A, Durand M, Giglioli-Guivarc'h N, Janfelt C, Papon N, Dirks RP, O'connor SE, Jensen MK, Besseau S, Courdavault V. The Rauvolfia tetraphylla genome suggests multiple distinct biosynthetic routes for yohimbane monoterpene indole alkaloids. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1197. [PMID: 38001233 PMCID: PMC10673892 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05574-8] [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: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) are a structurally diverse family of specialized metabolites mainly produced in Gentianales to cope with environmental challenges. Due to their pharmacological properties, the biosynthetic modalities of several MIA types have been elucidated but not that of the yohimbanes. Here, we combine metabolomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and genome sequencing of Rauvolfia tetraphylla with machine learning to discover the unexpected multiple actors of this natural product synthesis. We identify a medium chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) that produces a mixture of four diastereomers of yohimbanes including the well-known yohimbine and rauwolscine. In addition to this multifunctional yohimbane synthase (YOS), an MDR synthesizing mainly heteroyohimbanes and the short chain dehydrogenase vitrosamine synthase also display a yohimbane synthase side activity. Lastly, we establish that the combination of geissoschizine synthase with at least three other MDRs also produces a yohimbane mixture thus shedding light on the complex mechanisms evolved for the synthesis of these plant bioactives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Amor Stander
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Beata Lehka
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Inês Carqueijeiro
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Clément Cuello
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Frederik G Hansson
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hans J Jansen
- Future Genomics Technologies, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Dugé De Bernonville
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
- Limagrain, Centre de Recherche, Route d'Ennezat, Chappes, France
| | - Caroline Birer Williams
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Valentin Vergès
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Enzo Lezin
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | | | - Thu-Thuy Dang
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Audrey Oudin
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Arnaud Lanoue
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Mickael Durand
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | | | - Christian Janfelt
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicolas Papon
- Univ Angers, Univ Brest, IRF, SFR ICAT, F-49000, Angers, France
| | - Ron P Dirks
- Future Genomics Technologies, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sarah Ellen O'connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, 07745, Germany.
| | - Michael Krogh Jensen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Sébastien Besseau
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France.
| | - Vincent Courdavault
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France.
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8
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Ma Y, Liu QH, Han YP. Palladium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Intramolecular Heck Dearomative Annulation of Indoles with N-Tosylhydrazones. J Org Chem 2023; 88:15881-15893. [PMID: 37922202 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.3c01960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
An elegant Pd(dba)2-catalyzed enantioselective Heck dearomative annulation of indoles and N-tosylhydrazones for the straightforward assembly of structurally diverse optically active indoline scaffolds containing the quaternary carbon centers at the C2 position has been developed. The tandem protocol, which utilized a Pd(dba)2/BINOL-based phosphoramidite ligand as the catalytic system, proceeded smoothly through successive oxidative addition, intramolecular carbon palladation, migratory insertion, and β-elimination sequences, leading to the chiral indoline derivatives in moderate to excellent yields, with excellent enantioselectivities and diastereoselectivities. In addition, the synthetic practicability of the catalytic system was underlined by a scaled-up experiment and the late-stage derivatization of the products, thus highlighting the potential applications in synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and material science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Ma
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing-Hui Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, People's Republic of China
| | - Ya-Ping Han
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, People's Republic of China
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9
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Kim K, Shahsavarani M, Garza-García JJO, Carlisle JE, Guo J, De Luca V, Qu Y. Biosynthesis of kratom opioids. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:757-769. [PMID: 37518950 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Mitragynine, an analgesic alkaloid from the plant Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), offers a safer alternative to clinical opioids such as morphine, owing to its more favorable side effect profile. Although kratom has been traditionally used for stimulation and pain management in Southeast Asia, the mitragynine biosynthesis pathway has remained elusive. We embarked on a search for mitragynine biosynthetic genes from the transcriptomes of kratom and other members of the Rubiaceae family. We studied their functions in vitro and in vivo. Our investigations led to the identification of several reductases and an enol methyltransferase that forms a new clade within the SABATH methyltransferase family. Furthermore, we discovered a methyltransferase from Hamelia patens (firebush), which catalyzes the final step. With the tryptamine 4-hydroxylase from the psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis, we accomplished the four-step biosynthesis for mitragynine and its stereoisomer, speciogynine in both yeast and Escherichia coli when supplied with tryptamine and secologanin. Although we have yet to pinpoint the authentic hydroxylase and methyltransferase in kratom, our discovery completes the mitragynine biosynthesis. Through these breakthroughs, we achieved the microbial biosynthesis of kratom opioids for the first time. The remarkable enzyme promiscuity suggests the possibility of generating derivatives and analogs of kratom opioids in heterologous systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyunghee Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | | | | | - Jack Edward Carlisle
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Jun Guo
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Vincenzo De Luca
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Yang Qu
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada
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10
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Wu Y, Liu C, Koganitsky A, Gong FL, Li S. Discovering Dynamic Plant Enzyme Complexes in Yeast for Kratom Alkaloid Pathway Identification. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202307995. [PMID: 37549372 PMCID: PMC10530425 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202307995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Discovering natural product biosynthetic pathways of medicinal plants is challenging and laborious. Capturing the coregulation patterns of pathway enzymes, particularly transcriptomic regulation, has proven an effective method to accelerate pathway identification. In this study, we developed a yeast-based screening method to capture the protein-protein interactions (PPI) between plant enzymes, which is another useful pattern to complement the prevalent approach. Combining this method with plant multiomics analysis, we discovered four enzyme complexes and their organized pathways from kratom, an alkaloid-producing plant. The four pathway branches involved six enzymes, including a strictosidine synthase, a strictosidine β-D-glucosidase (MsSGD), and four medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductases (MsMDRs). PPI screening selected six MsMDRs interacting with MsSGD from 20 candidates predicted by multiomics analysis. Four of the six MsMDRs were then characterized as functional, indicating the high selectivity of the PPI screening method. This study highlights the opportunity of leveraging post-translational regulation features to discover novel plant natural product biosynthetic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinan Wu
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Chang Liu
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Anna Koganitsky
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Franklin L Gong
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Sijin Li
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA
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11
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Bui VH, Rodríguez-López CE, Dang TTT. Integration of discovery and engineering in plant alkaloid research: Recent developments in elucidation, reconstruction, and repurposing biosynthetic pathways. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 74:102379. [PMID: 37182414 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Plants synthesize tens of thousands of bioactive nitrogen-containing compounds called alkaloids, including some clinically important drugs in modern medicine. The discovery of new alkaloid structures and their metabolism in plants have provided ways to access these rich sources of bioactivities including new-to-nature compounds relevant to therapeutic and industrial applications. This review discusses recent advances in alkaloid biosynthesis discovery, including complete pathway elucidations. Additionally, the latest developments in the production of new and established plant alkaloids based on either biosynthesis or semisynthesis are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Van-Hung Bui
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, 3247 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Carlos Eduardo Rodríguez-López
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, N.L. 64849, Mexico.
| | - Thu-Thuy T Dang
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, 3247 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada.
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12
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Salim V, Jarecki SA, Vick M, Miller R. Advances in Metabolic Engineering of Plant Monoterpene Indole Alkaloids. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1056. [PMID: 37626942 PMCID: PMC10452178 DOI: 10.3390/biology12081056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) encompass a diverse family of over 3000 plant natural products with a wide range of medical applications. Further utilizations of these compounds, however, are hampered due to low levels of abundance in their natural sources, causing difficult isolation and complex multi-steps in uneconomical chemical syntheses. Metabolic engineering of MIA biosynthesis in heterologous hosts is attractive, particularly for increasing the yield of natural products of interest and expanding their chemical diversity. Here, we review recent advances and strategies which have been adopted to engineer microbial and plant systems for the purpose of generating MIAs and discuss the current issues and future developments of manufacturing MIAs by synthetic biology approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vonny Salim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71115, USA; (S.-A.J.); (M.V.)
| | - Sara-Alexis Jarecki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71115, USA; (S.-A.J.); (M.V.)
| | - Marshall Vick
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71115, USA; (S.-A.J.); (M.V.)
| | - Ryan Miller
- School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA;
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13
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Banyal A, Tiwari S, Sharma A, Chanana I, Patel SKS, Kulshrestha S, Kumar P. Vinca alkaloids as a potential cancer therapeutics: recent update and future challenges. 3 Biotech 2023; 13:211. [PMID: 37251731 PMCID: PMC10209376 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-023-03636-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Vinca alkaloids including vincristine, vinblastine, vindesine, and vinflunine are chemotherapeutic compounds commonly used to treat various cancers. Vinca alkaloids are one of the first microtubule-targeting agents to be produced and certified for the treatment of hematological and lymphatic neoplasms. Microtubule targeting agents like vincristine and vinblastine work by disrupting microtubule dynamics, causing mitotic arrest and cell death. The key issues facing vinca alkaloids applications include establishing an environment-friendly production technique based on microorganisms, as well as increasing bioavailability without causing harm to patient's health. The low yield of these vinca alkaloids from the plant and the difficulty of meeting their huge colossal demand around the globe prompted researchers to create a variety of approaches. Endophytes could thus be selected to produce beneficial secondary metabolites required for the biosynthesis of vinca alkaloids. This review covers the significant aspects of these vital drugs, from their discovery to the present day, in a concise manner. In addition, we emphasize the major hurdles that must be overcome in the coming years to improve vinca alkaloid's effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Banyal
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 173229 India
| | - Shubham Tiwari
- IMS Engineering College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201009 India
| | - Aparajita Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 173229 India
| | - Ishita Chanana
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 173229 India
| | - Sanjay Kumar Singh Patel
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-Dong, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul, 143-701 South Korea
| | - Saurabh Kulshrestha
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 173229 India
| | - Pradeep Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 173229 India
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14
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Li C, Wood JC, Vu AH, Hamilton JP, Rodriguez Lopez CE, Payne RME, Serna Guerrero DA, Gase K, Yamamoto K, Vaillancourt B, Caputi L, O'Connor SE, Robin Buell C. Single-cell multi-omics in the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus. Nat Chem Biol 2023:10.1038/s41589-023-01327-0. [PMID: 37188960 PMCID: PMC10374443 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01327-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Advances in omics technologies now permit the generation of highly contiguous genome assemblies, detection of transcripts and metabolites at the level of single cells and high-resolution determination of gene regulatory features. Here, using a complementary, multi-omics approach, we interrogated the monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) biosynthetic pathway in Catharanthus roseus, a source of leading anticancer drugs. We identified clusters of genes involved in MIA biosynthesis on the eight C. roseus chromosomes and extensive gene duplication of MIA pathway genes. Clustering was not limited to the linear genome, and through chromatin interaction data, MIA pathway genes were present within the same topologically associated domain, permitting the identification of a secologanin transporter. Single-cell RNA-sequencing revealed sequential cell-type-specific partitioning of the leaf MIA biosynthetic pathway that, when coupled with a single-cell metabolomics approach, permitted the identification of a reductase that yields the bis-indole alkaloid anhydrovinblastine. We also revealed cell-type-specific expression in the root MIA pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxin Li
- Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Joshua C Wood
- Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Anh Hai Vu
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - John P Hamilton
- Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | | | - Richard M E Payne
- The John Innes Centre, Department of Biological Chemistry, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Klaus Gase
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Kotaro Yamamoto
- School of Science, Association of International Arts and Science, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | | | - Lorenzo Caputi
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
| | - Sarah E O'Connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
| | - C Robin Buell
- Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
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15
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Schotte C, Jiang Y, Grzech D, Dang TTT, Laforest LC, León F, Mottinelli M, Nadakuduti SS, McCurdy CR, O’Connor SE. Directed Biosynthesis of Mitragynine Stereoisomers. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:4957-4963. [PMID: 36883326 PMCID: PMC9999412 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c13644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Mitragyna speciosa ("kratom") is used as a natural remedy for pain and management of opioid dependence. The pharmacological properties of kratom have been linked to a complex mixture of monoterpene indole alkaloids, most notably mitragynine. Here, we report the central biosynthetic steps responsible for the scaffold formation of mitragynine and related corynanthe-type alkaloids. We illuminate the mechanistic basis by which the key stereogenic center of this scaffold is formed. These discoveries were leveraged for the enzymatic production of mitragynine, the C-20 epimer speciogynine, and fluorinated analogues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Schotte
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Yindi Jiang
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Dagny Grzech
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Thu-Thuy T. Dang
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Larissa C. Laforest
- Plant
Molecular and Cell Biology Program, University
of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32606, United States
| | - Francisco León
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Marco Mottinelli
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Satya Swathi Nadakuduti
- Plant
Molecular and Cell Biology Program, University
of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32606, United States
- Department
of Environmental Horticulture, University
of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32606, United
States
| | - Christopher R. McCurdy
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Sarah E. O’Connor
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
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16
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Lemos Cruz P, Carqueijeiro I, Koudounas K, Bomzan DP, Stander EA, Abdallah C, Kulagina N, Oudin A, Lanoue A, Giglioli-Guivarc'h N, Nagegowda DA, Papon N, Besseau S, Clastre M, Courdavault V. Identification of a second 16-hydroxytabersonine-O-methyltransferase suggests an evolutionary relationship between alkaloid and flavonoid metabolisms in Catharanthus roseus. PROTOPLASMA 2023; 260:607-624. [PMID: 35947213 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-022-01801-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus biosynthesizes many important drugs for human health, including the anticancer monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) vinblastine and vincristine. Over the past decades, the continuous increase in pharmaceutical demand has prompted several research groups to characterize MIA biosynthetic pathways for considering future metabolic engineering processes of supply. In line with previous work suggesting that diversification can potentially occur at various steps along the vindoline branch, we were here interested in investigating the involvement of distinct isoforms of tabersonine-16-O-methyltransferase (16OMT) which plays a pivotal role in the MIA biosynthetic pathway. By combining homology searches based on the previously characterized 16OMT1, phylogenetic analyses, functional assays in yeast, and biochemical and in planta characterizations, we identified a second isoform of 16OMT, referred to as 16OMT2. 16OMT2 appears to be a multifunctional enzyme working on both MIA and flavonoid substrates, suggesting that a constrained evolution of the enzyme for accommodating the MIA substrate has probably occurred to favor the apparition of 16OMT2 from an ancestral specific flavonoid-O-methyltransferase. Since 16OMT1 and 16OMT2 displays a high sequence identity and similar kinetic parameters for 16-hydroxytabersonine, we postulate that 16OMT1 may result from a later 16OMT2 gene duplication accompanied by a continuous neofunctionalization leading to an almost complete loss of flavonoid O-methyltransferase activity. Overall, these results participate in increasing our knowledge on the evolutionary processes that have likely led to enzyme co-optation for MIA synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Lemos Cruz
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | - Ines Carqueijeiro
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | | | - Dikki Pedenla Bomzan
- Molecular Plant Biology and Biotechnology Lab, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Emily Amor Stander
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | - Cécile Abdallah
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | - Natalja Kulagina
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | - Audrey Oudin
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | - Arnaud Lanoue
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | | | - Dinesh A Nagegowda
- Molecular Plant Biology and Biotechnology Lab, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Bengaluru, 560065, India
| | - Nicolas Papon
- Univ Angers, Univ Brest, IRF, SFR, ICAT, F-49000, Angers, France
| | - Sébastien Besseau
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | - Marc Clastre
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France
| | - Vincent Courdavault
- Université de Tours, EA2106 "Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales", Tours, France.
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17
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Nguyen TAM, Grzech D, Chung K, Xia Z, Nguyen TD, Dang TTT. Discovery of a cytochrome P450 enzyme catalyzing the formation of spirooxindole alkaloid scaffold. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1125158. [PMID: 36818833 PMCID: PMC9936145 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1125158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Spirooxindole alkaloids feature a unique scaffold of an oxindole ring sharing an atom with a heterocyclic moiety. These compounds display an extensive range of biological activities such as anticancer, antibiotics, and anti-hypertension. Despite their structural and functional significance, the establishment and rationale of the spirooxindole scaffold biosynthesis are yet to be elucidated. Herein, we report the discovery and characterization of a cytochrome P450 enzyme from kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) responsible for the formation of the spirooxindole alkaloids 3-epi-corynoxeine (3R, 7R) and isocorynoxeine (3S, 7S) from the corynanthe-type (3R)-secoyohimbane precursors. Expression of the newly discovered enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast allows for the efficient in vivo and in vitro production of spirooxindoles. This discovery highlights the versatility of plant cytochrome P450 enzymes in building unusual alkaloid scaffolds and opens a gateway to access the prestigious spirooxindole pharmacophore and its derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuan-Anh M. Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Dagny Grzech
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Khoa Chung
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Zhicheng Xia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Trinh-Don Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Thu-Thuy T. Dang
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
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18
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Fan M, Zou L, Tian K, Chen G, Cheng K, Li Y. Chemistry, bioactivity, biosynthesis, and total synthesis of stemmadenine alkaloids. Nat Prod Rep 2023; 40:1022-1044. [PMID: 36728407 DOI: 10.1039/d2np00052k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Covering: up to July 2022Stemmadenine alkaloids are a restrictive sub-group of monoterpene indole alkaloids, represented by two congeners: stemmadenine and vallesamine. Their skeleton is defined by the cleavage of the C-3-C-7 bond of the Strychnos group's pentacyclic scaffold in monoterpene indole alkaloids. The parent alkaloid stemmadenine acts as a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of several major monoterpene indole alkaloid families, including regular Strychnos alkaloids, Aspidosperma alkaloids, and Iboga alkaloids. In this review, a complete coverage of the stemmadenine alkaloids, from the early reports till the present day at 2022, are presented, and their diverse biological activities are briefly described. Moreover, the biosynthetic proposal for stemmadenine and the proposed biogenetic conversion of stemmadenine-type alkaloids into vallesamine-type congeners are discussed in detail. Moreover, the successful synthetic strategies to access the strained stemmadenine scaffolds are fully reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Fan
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Alternative Technologies for Fine Chemicals Process, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, 312000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Liangbang Zou
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Alternative Technologies for Fine Chemicals Process, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, 312000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kaidi Tian
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Alternative Technologies for Fine Chemicals Process, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, 312000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Guoqing Chen
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Alternative Technologies for Fine Chemicals Process, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, 312000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kai Cheng
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Alternative Technologies for Fine Chemicals Process, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, 312000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yong Li
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Alternative Technologies for Fine Chemicals Process, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, 312000, People's Republic of China.
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19
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Jiang CX, Yu JX, Fei X, Pan XJ, Zhu NN, Lin CL, Zhou D, Zhu HR, Qi Y, Wu ZG. Gene coexpression networks allow the discovery of two strictosidine synthases underlying monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis in Uncaria rhynchophylla. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 226:1360-1373. [PMID: 36442554 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Plant-derived monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) from Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR) have huge medicinal properties in treating Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression. Although many bioactive UR-MIA products have been isolated as drugs, their biosynthetic pathway remains largely unexplored. In this study, untargeted metabolome identified 79 MIA features in UR tissues (leaf, branch stem, hook stem, and stem), of which 30 MIAs were differentially accumulated among different tissues. Short time series expression analysis captured 58 pathway genes and 12 hub regulators responsible for UR-MIA biosynthesis and regulation, which were strong links with main UR-MIA features. Coexpression networks further pointed to two strictosidine synthases (UrSTR1/5) that were coregulated with multiple MIA-related genes and highly correlated with UR-MIA features (r > 0.7, P < 0.005). Both UrSTR1/5 catalyzed the formation of strictosidine with tryptamine and secologanin as substrates, highlighting the importance of key residues (UrSTR1: Glu309, Tyr155; UrSTR5: Glu295, Tyr141). Further, overexpression of UrSTR1/5 in UR hairy roots constitutively increased the biosynthesis of bioactive UR-MIAs (rhynchophylline, isorhynchophylline, corynoxeine, etc), whereas RNAi of UrSTR1/5 significantly decreased UR-MIA biosynthesis. Collectively, our work not only provides candidates for reconstituting the biosynthesis of bioactive UR-MIAs in heterologous hosts but also highlights a powerful strategy for mining natural product biosynthesis in medicinal plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Xi Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jia-Xing Yu
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Xuan Fei
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Pan
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Ning-Ning Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Chong-Liang Lin
- The 1(st) Affiliated Hospital of WMU, The 1(st) School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325025, China
| | - Dan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Hao-Ru Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Yu Qi
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Zhi-Gang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, School of Pharmacy, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
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20
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Sakamoto J, Kitajima M, Ishikawa H. Total Syntheses of (+)-Villocarine A, (-)-Apogeissoschizine, and (+)-Geissoschizine. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202300179. [PMID: 36670343 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202300179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Total syntheses of geissoschizine-type monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MTIAs) are reported. An intramolecular Pictet-Spengler cyclization was developed for the selective construction of the 3R stereocenter. The first total synthesis of (+)-villocarine A was then achieved. Furthermore, the first total synthesis of the highly strained (-)-apogeissoschizine was also accomplished in an aza-Michael cyclization/E1cB elimination/stereoselective olefin isomerization sequence. Finally, (+)-geissoschizine, a common biosynthetic intermediate of MTIAs, was obtained from apogeissoschizine through ring-opening along with a release of ring strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jukiya Sakamoto
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8675, Japan
| | - Mariko Kitajima
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8675, Japan
| | - Hayato Ishikawa
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8675, Japan
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21
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Grzech D, Hong B, Caputi L, Sonawane PD, O’Connor SE. Engineering the Biosynthesis of Late-Stage Vinblastine Precursors Precondylocarpine Acetate, Catharanthine, Tabersonine in Nicotiana benthamiana. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 12:27-34. [PMID: 36516122 PMCID: PMC9872167 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Vinblastine is a chemotherapy agent produced by the plant Catharanthus roseus in small quantities. Currently, vinblastine is sourced by isolation or semisynthesis. Nicotiana benthamiana is a plant heterologous host that can be used for reconstitution of biosynthetic pathways as an alternative natural product sourcing strategy. Recently, the biosynthesis of the late-stage vinblastine precursors precondylocarpine acetate, catharanthine, and tabersonine have been fully elucidated. However, the large number of enzymes involved in the pathway and the unstable nature of intermediates make the reconstitution of late-stage vinblastine precursor biosynthesis challenging. We used the N. benthamiana chassis and a state-of-art modular vector assembly to optimize the six biosynthetic steps leading to production of precondylocarpine acetate from the central intermediate strictosidine (∼2.7 mg per 1 g frozen tissue). After selecting the optimal regulatory element combination, we constructed four transcriptional unit assemblies and tested their efficiency. Finally, we successfully reconstituted the biosynthetic steps leading to production of catharanthine and tabersonine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dagny Grzech
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Benke Hong
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Lorenzo Caputi
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Prashant D. Sonawane
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Sarah E. O’Connor
- Department
of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany,
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22
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Stander EA, Cuello C, Birer-Williams C, Kulagina N, Jansen HJ, Carqueijeiro I, Méteignier LV, Vergès V, Oudin A, Papon N, Dirks RP, Jensen MK, O’Connor SE, Dugé de Bernonville T, Besseau S, Courdavault V. The Vinca minor genome highlights conserved evolutionary traits in monoterpene indole alkaloid synthesis. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:jkac268. [PMID: 36200869 PMCID: PMC9713385 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Vinca minor, also known as the lesser periwinkle, is a well-known species from the Apocynaceae, native to central and southern Europe. This plant synthesizes monoterpene indole alkaloids, which are a class of specialized metabolites displaying a wide range of bioactive- and pharmacologically important properties. Within the almost 50 monoterpene indole alkaloids it produces, V. minor mainly accumulates vincamine, which is commercially used as a nootropic. Using a combination of Oxford Nanopore Technologies long read- and Illumina short-read sequencing, a 679,098 Mb V. minor genome was assembled into 296 scaffolds with an N50 scaffold length of 6 Mb, and encoding 29,624 genes. These genes were functionally annotated and used in a comparative genomic analysis to establish gene families and to investigate gene family expansion and contraction across the phylogenetic tree. Furthermore, homology-based monoterpene indole alkaloid gene predictions together with a metabolic analysis across 4 different V. minor tissue types guided the identification of candidate monoterpene indole alkaloid genes. These candidates were finally used to identify monoterpene indole alkaloid gene clusters, which combined with synteny analysis allowed for the discovery of a functionally validated vincadifformine-16-hydroxylase, reinforcing the potential of this dataset for monoterpene indole alkaloids gene discovery. It is expected that access to these resources will facilitate the elucidation of unknown monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthetic routes with the potential of transferring these pathways to heterologous expression systems for large-scale monoterpene indole alkaloid production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Amor Stander
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Clément Cuello
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | | | - Natalja Kulagina
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Hans J Jansen
- Future Genomics Technologies, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ines Carqueijeiro
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | | | - Valentin Vergès
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Audrey Oudin
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Nicolas Papon
- Univ Angers, Univ Brest, IRF, SFR ICAT, F-49000 Angers, France
| | - Ron P Dirks
- Future Genomics Technologies, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Krogh Jensen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sarah Ellen O’Connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | | | - Sébastien Besseau
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Vincent Courdavault
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA2106, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
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23
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Langley C, Tatsis E, Hong B, Nakamura Y, Paetz C, Stevenson CEM, Basquin J, Lawson DM, Caputi L, O'Connor SE. Expansion of the Catalytic Repertoire of Alcohol Dehydrogenases in Plant Metabolism. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202210934. [PMID: 36198083 PMCID: PMC9828224 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202210934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) comprise a highly conserved enzyme family that catalyse the reversible reduction of aldehydes. However, recent discoveries in plant natural product biosynthesis suggest that the catalytic repertoire of ADHs has been expanded. Here we report the crystal structure of dihydroprecondylocarpine acetate synthase (DPAS), an ADH that catalyses the non-canonical 1,4-reduction of an α,β-unsaturated iminium moiety. Comparison with structures of plant-derived ADHs suggest the 1,4-iminium reduction does not require a proton relay or the presence of a catalytic zinc ion in contrast to canonical 1,2-aldehyde reducing ADHs that require the catalytic zinc and a proton relay. Furthermore, ADHs that catalysed 1,2-iminium reduction required the presence of the catalytic zinc and the loss of the proton relay. This suggests how the ADH active site can be modified to perform atypical carbonyl reductions, providing insight into how chemical reactions are diversified in plant metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Langley
- Department of Natural Product BiosynthesisMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyHans-Knöll Straße 8Jena07745Germany
| | - Evangelos Tatsis
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Centre for Excellence in Molecular Plant SciencesShanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology300 Feng Lin RoadShanghai200032China
| | - Benke Hong
- Department of Natural Product BiosynthesisMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyHans-Knöll Straße 8Jena07745Germany
| | - Yoko Nakamura
- Department of Natural Product BiosynthesisMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyHans-Knöll Straße 8Jena07745Germany,Research Group Biosynthesis and NMRMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyHans-Knöll Straße 8Jena07745Germany
| | - Christian Paetz
- Research Group Biosynthesis and NMRMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyHans-Knöll Straße 8Jena07745Germany
| | - Clare E. M. Stevenson
- Department of Biochemistry and MetabolismJohn Innes CentreNorwich Research ParkNorwichNR4 7UHUK
| | - Jerome Basquin
- Department of Structural Cell BiologyMax-Planck Institute for BiochemistryAm Klopferspitz 18, Martinsried82152PlaneggGermany
| | - David M. Lawson
- Department of Biochemistry and MetabolismJohn Innes CentreNorwich Research ParkNorwichNR4 7UHUK
| | - Lorenzo Caputi
- Department of Natural Product BiosynthesisMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyHans-Knöll Straße 8Jena07745Germany
| | - Sarah E. O'Connor
- Department of Natural Product BiosynthesisMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyHans-Knöll Straße 8Jena07745Germany
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24
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Li F, Bordeleau S, Kim KH, Turcotte J, Davis B, Liu L, Bayen S, De Luca V, Dastmalchi M. A lesion-mimic mutant of Catharanthus roseus accumulates the opioid agonist, akuammicine. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2022; 203:113422. [PMID: 36055422 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2022.113422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Catharanthus roseus is a medicinal plant that produces an abundance of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs), notably including the anticancer compounds vinblastine and vincristine. While the canonical pathway leading to these drugs has been resolved, the regulatory and catalytic mechanisms controlling many lateral branches of MIA biosynthesis remain largely unknown. Here, we describe an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) C. roseus mutant (M2-117523) that accumulates high levels of MIAs. The mutant exhibited stunted growth, partially chlorotic leaves, with deficiencies in chlorophyll biosynthesis, and a lesion-mimic phenotype. The lesions were sporadic and spontaneous, appearing after the first true bifoliate and continuing throughout development. The lesions are also the site of high concentrations of akuammicine, a minor constituent of wild type C. roseus leaves. In addition to akuammicine, the lesions were enriched in 25 other MIAs, resulting, in part, from a higher metabolic flux through the pathway. The unique metabolic shift was associated with significant upregulation of biosynthetic and regulatory genes involved in the MIA pathway, including the transcription factors WRKY1, CrMYC2, and ORCA2, and the biosynthetic genes STR, GO, and Redox1. Following the lesion-mimic mutant (LMM) phenotype, the accumulation of akuammicine is jasmonate (JA)-inducible, suggesting a role in plant defence response. Akuammicine is medicinally significant, as a weak opioid agonist, with a preference for the κ-opioid receptor, and a potential anti-diabetic. Further study of akuammicine biosynthesis and regulation can guide plant and heterologous engineering for medicinal uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanfan Li
- Plant Science, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Stephen Bordeleau
- Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Kyung Hee Kim
- Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Jonathan Turcotte
- Plant Science, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Benjamin Davis
- Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Lan Liu
- Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Stéphane Bayen
- Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Vincenzo De Luca
- Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Mehran Dastmalchi
- Plant Science, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.
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25
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Functional characterization of secologanin synthase-like homologous genes suggests their involvement in the biosynthesis of diverse metabolites in the secoiridoid biosynthetic pathway of Camptotheca acuminata Decne. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 222:2594-2602. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.10.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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26
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Levac D, Flores PC, De Luca V. Molecular and biochemical characterization of Catharanthus roseus perivine-N β-methyltransferase. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2022; 201:113266. [PMID: 35671807 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2022.113266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The biosynthesis of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus has been most extensively studied, leading to the detailed characterization of the pathway for the formation of their well-known anticancer alkaloids. The present study describes the identification, molecular cloning, and functional expression of C. roseus perivine-Nβ-methyltransferase (PeNMT) that converts perivine to Nβ-methylperivine (vobasine). PeNMT is member of a recently discovered γ-tocopherol-like N-methyltransferase (γ-TLMT) gene family that displays high substrate specificity and that appears to have evolved in the Vinceae tribe of Apocynaceae family where most N-methylated MIAs have been identified in the phytochemical literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Levac
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Paulo Cázares Flores
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Vincenzo De Luca
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
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27
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Williams D, Brzezinski W, Gordon H, De Luca V. Site directed mutagenesis of Catharanthus roseus (+)-vincadifformine 19-hydroxylase (CYP71BY3) results in two distinct enzymatic functions. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2022; 201:113265. [PMID: 35660549 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2022.113265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The most abundant monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) in Catharanthus roseus roots include lochnericine and (+)-echitovenine. The formation of (+)-echitovenine involves a 3-step pathway including (+)-vincadifformine-19-hydroxylase (V19H) that differentiates it from a parallel pathway involved in the formation of lochnericine, hörhammericine and its O-acetylated derivative. Homology based modeling and docking experiments in the present study show that (+) and (-) vincadifformine can occupy the V19H active site and is proven experimentally by showing that (-)-vincadifformine is a competitive inhibitor of V19H. Comparative modeling of V19H with tabersonine 3-oxidase (T3O) and tabersonine 19-hydroxylase (T19H) that accept (-)-aspidosperma MIAs identified four conserved amino acid residues in T3O and T19H that were different in the V19H binding site and were used to generate a series of single-, double-, or four-point mutations in V19H. While all mutants retained their ability to convert (+)-vincadifformine to (+)-minovincinine only the four-point mutant gained T3O activity enabling it to convert (-)-tabersonine to tabersonine 2,3-epoxide. The gain of T3O-like activity following mutagenesis without the loss of V19H activity supports the hypothesis that V19H shares a common ancestor to T3O which is involved in vindoline biosynthesis in C. roseus leaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Weronika Brzezinski
- Department of Biological Sciences Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Heather Gordon
- Department of Chemistry, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Vincenzo De Luca
- Department of Biological Sciences Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
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28
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Hong B, Grzech D, Caputi L, Sonawane P, López CER, Kamileen MO, Hernández Lozada NJ, Grabe V, O'Connor SE. Biosynthesis of strychnine. Nature 2022; 607:617-622. [PMID: 35794473 PMCID: PMC9300463 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04950-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Strychnine is a natural product that, through isolation, structural elucidation and synthetic efforts, shaped the field of organic chemistry. Currently, strychnine is used as a pesticide to control rodents1 because of its potent neurotoxicity2,3. The polycyclic architecture of strychnine has inspired chemists to develop new synthetic transformations and strategies to access this molecular scaffold4, yet it is still unknown how plants create this complex structure. Here we report the biosynthetic pathway of strychnine, along with the related molecules brucine and diaboline. Moreover, we successfully recapitulate strychnine, brucine and diaboline biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana from an upstream intermediate, thus demonstrating that this complex, pharmacologically active class of compounds can now be harnessed through metabolic engineering approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benke Hong
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Dagny Grzech
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Lorenzo Caputi
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Prashant Sonawane
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Carlos E Rodríguez López
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Mohamed Omar Kamileen
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Néstor J Hernández Lozada
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Veit Grabe
- Microscopic Imaging Service Group, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Sarah E O'Connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
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29
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A Catharanthus roseus Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase catalyzes a redox-neutral reaction responsible for vindolinine biosynthesis. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3335. [PMID: 35680936 PMCID: PMC9184523 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31100-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Madagascar's periwinkle is the model plant for studies of plant specialized metabolism and monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs), and an important source for the anticancer medicine vinblastine. The elucidation of entire 28-step biosynthesis of vinblastine allowed further investigations for the formation of other remarkably complex bioactive MIAs. In this study, we describe the discovery and characterization of vindolinine synthase, a Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent (Fe/2OG) dioxygenase, that diverts assembly of tabersonine to vinblastine toward the formation of three alternatively cyclized MIAs: 19S-vindolinine, 19R-vindolinine, and venalstonine. Vindolinine synthase catalyzes a highly unusual, redox-neutral reaction to form a radical from dehydrosecodine, which is further cyclized by hydrolase 2 to form the three MIA isomers. We further show the biosynthesis of vindolinine epimers from tabersonine using hydrolase 2 catalyzed reverse cycloaddition. While the occurrence of vindolinines is rare in nature, the more widely found venalstonine derivatives are likely formed from similar redox-neutral reactions by homologous Fe/2OG dioxygenases.
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30
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Kulagina N, Méteignier LV, Papon N, O'Connor SE, Courdavault V. More than a Catharanthus plant: A multicellular and pluri-organelle alkaloid-producing factory. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 67:102200. [PMID: 35339956 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plants represent a huge reservoir of natural products. A broad series of these compounds now find application for human health. In this respect, the monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs), particularly from Madagascar periwinkle, are a prominent example of plant specialized metabolites with an important therapeutic potential. However, the supply of MIA drugs has always been a challenge since the low-yield accumulation in planta. This mainly results from the complex architecture of the MIA biosynthetic pathway that involves several organs, tissue types and subcellular organelles. Here, we describe the most recent advances towards the elucidation of this pathway route as well as its spatial organization in planta. Besides allowing a better understanding of the MIA biosynthetic flux in the whole plant, such knowledge will also probably pave the way for the development of metabolic engineering strategies to sustain the MIA supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalja Kulagina
- Université de Tours, EA2106 Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, Tours, France
| | | | - Nicolas Papon
- Univ Angers, Univ Brest, IRF, SFR ICAT, F-49000 Angers, France
| | - Sarah Ellen O'Connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany.
| | - Vincent Courdavault
- Université de Tours, EA2106 Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, Tours, France.
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31
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Uzaki M, Yamamoto K, Murakami A, Fuji Y, Ohnishi M, Ishizaki K, Fukaki H, Hirai MY, Mimura T. Differential regulation of fluorescent alkaloid metabolism between idioblast and lacticifer cells during leaf development in Catharanthus roseus seedlings. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2022; 135:473-483. [PMID: 35243587 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-022-01380-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Bioactive specialized (secondary) metabolites are indispensable for plant development or adjustment to their surrounding environment. In many plants, these specialized metabolites are accumulated in specifically differentiated cells. Catharanthus roseus is a well-known medicinal plant known for producing many kinds of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs). C. roseus has two types of specifically differentiated cells accumulating MIAs, so-called idioblast cells and laticifer cells. In this study, we compared each of the cells as they changed during seedling growth, and found that the fluorescent metabolites accumulated in these cells were differentially regulated. Analysis of fluorescent compounds revealed that the fluorescence observed in these cells was emitted from the compound serpentine. Further, we found that the serpentine content of leaves increased as leaves grew. Our findings suggest that idioblast cells and laticifer cells have different biological roles in MIA biosynthesis and its regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mai Uzaki
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kotaro Yamamoto
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Akio Murakami
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yushiro Fuji
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Miwa Ohnishi
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
- Department of Botany, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kimitsune Ishizaki
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Hidehiro Fukaki
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Masami Yokota Hirai
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
| | - Tetsuro Mimura
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan.
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Cheng-Kung University, No.1, University Road, 701, Tainan City, Taiwan.
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32
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Potential Therapeutic Applications of Plant-Derived Alkaloids against Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Diseases. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2022; 2022:7299778. [PMID: 35310033 PMCID: PMC8926539 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7299778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Alkaloids are a type of natural compound possessing different pharmacological activities. Natural products, including alkaloids, which originate from plants, have emerged as potential protective agents against neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) and chronic inflammations. A wide array of prescription drugs are used against these conditions, however, not free of limitations of potency, side effects, and intolerability. In the context of personalized medicine, further research on alkaloids to unravel novel therapeutic approaches in reducing complications is critical. In this review, a systematic survey was executed to collect the literature on alkaloids and their health complications, from which we found that majority of alkaloids exhibit anti-inflammatory action via nuclear factor-κB and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and neuroprotective interaction through acetylcholinesterase (AChE), COX, and β-site amyloid precursor protein activity. In silico ADMET and ProTox-II-related descriptors were calculated to predict the pharmacological properties of 280 alkaloids isolated from traditional medicinal plants towards drug development. Out of which, eight alkaloids such as tetrahydropalmatine, berberine, tetrandrine, aloperine, sinomenine, oxymatrine, harmine, and galantamine are found to be optimal within the categorical range when compared to nicotine. These alkaloids could be exploited as starting materials for novel drug synthesis or, to a lesser extent, manage inflammation and neurodegenerative-related complications.
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Zhao X, Hu X, OuYang K, Yang J, Que Q, Long J, Zhang J, Zhang T, Wang X, Gao J, Hu X, Yang S, Zhang L, Li S, Gao W, Li B, Jiang W, Nielsen E, Chen X, Peng C. Chromosome-level assembly of the Neolamarckia cadamba genome provides insights into the evolution of cadambine biosynthesis. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 109:891-908. [PMID: 34807496 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.), a close relative of Coffea canephora and Ophiorrhiza pumila, is an important traditional medicine in Southeast Asia. Three major glycosidic monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs), cadambine and its derivatives 3β-isodihydrocadambine and 3β-dihydrocadambine, accumulate in the bark and leaves, and exhibit antimalarial, antiproliferative, antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Here, we report a chromosome-scale N. cadamba genome, with 744.5 Mb assembled into 22 pseudochromosomes with contig N50 and scaffold N50 of 824.14 Kb and 29.20 Mb, respectively. Comparative genomic analysis of N. cadamba with Co. canephora revealed that N. cadamba underwent a relatively recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) event after diverging from Co. canephora, which contributed to the evolution of the MIA biosynthetic pathway. We determined the key intermediates of the cadambine biosynthetic pathway and further showed that NcSTR1 catalyzed the synthesis of strictosidine in N. cadamba. A new component, epoxystrictosidine (C27H34N2O10, m/z 547.2285), was identified in the cadambine biosynthetic pathway. Combining genome-wide association study (GWAS), population analysis, multi-omics analysis and metabolic gene cluster prediction, this study will shed light on the evolution of MIA biosynthetic pathway genes. This N. cadamba reference sequence will accelerate the understanding of the evolutionary history of specific metabolic pathways and facilitate the development of tools for enhancing bioactive productivity by metabolic engineering in microbes or by molecular breeding in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Xiaodi Hu
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Building 301, Zone A10 Jiuxianqiao North 13 Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Kunxi OuYang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- School of Chinese Medicinal Resource, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Qingmin Que
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Jianmei Long
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Jianxia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Tong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Xue Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Jiayu Gao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Xinquan Hu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Shuqi Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Lisu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Shufen Li
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Wujun Gao
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Benping Li
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Building 301, Zone A10 Jiuxianqiao North 13 Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Wenkai Jiang
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Building 301, Zone A10 Jiuxianqiao North 13 Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Erik Nielsen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
| | - Xiaoyang Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Changcao Peng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
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Boccia M, Grzech D, Lopes AA, O’Connor SE, Caputi L. Directed Biosynthesis of New to Nature Alkaloids in a Heterologous Nicotiana benthamiana Expression Host. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:919443. [PMID: 35812900 PMCID: PMC9257203 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.919443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Plants produce a wide variety of pharmacologically active molecules classified as natural products. Derivatization of these natural products can modulate or improve the bioactivity of the parent compound. Unfortunately, chemical derivatization of natural products is often difficult or impractical. Here we use the newly discovered biosynthetic genes for two monoterpene indole alkaloids, alstonine and stemmadenine acetate, to generate analogs of these compounds. We reconstitute these biosynthetic genes in the heterologous host Nicotiana benthamiana along with an unnatural starting substrate to produce the corresponding new-to-nature alkaloid product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Boccia
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Dagny Grzech
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Adriana A. Lopes
- Biotechnology Unit, Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Sarah E. O’Connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- *Correspondence: Sarah E. O’Connor,
| | - Lorenzo Caputi
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- Lorenzo Caputi,
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Singh SK, Patra B, Singleton JJ, Liu Y, Paul P, Sui X, Suttipanta N, Pattanaik S, Yuan L. Identification and Characterization of Transcription Factors Regulating Terpenoid Indole Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2505:203-221. [PMID: 35732947 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2349-7_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Biosynthesis of the therapeutically valuable terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs), in the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus, is one of the most elaborate and complex metabolic processes. Although genomic and transcriptomic resources have significantly accelerated gene discovery in the TIA pathway, relatively few genes of transcription factors (TFs) have been identified and characterized thus far. Systematic identification of TFs and elucidation of their functions are crucial for understanding TIA pathway regulation. The successful discovery of TFs in the TIA pathway has relied mostly on three different approaches, (1) identification of cis-regulatory motifs (CRMs) present in the pathway gene promoters as they often provide clues on potential TFs that bind to the promoters, (2) co-expression analysis, based on the assumption that TFs regulating a metabolic or developmental pathway exhibit similar spatiotemporal expression as the pathway genes, and (3) isolation of homologs of TFs known to regulate structurally similar or diverse specialized metabolites in different plant species. TFs regulating TIA pathway have been isolated using either an individual or a combination of the three approaches. Here we describe transcriptome-based coexpression analysis and cis-element determination to identify TFs in C. roseus. In addition, we describe the protocols for generation of transgenic hairy roots, Agrobacterium infiltration of flowers, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). The methods described here are useful for the identification and characterization of potential TFs involved in the regulation of special metabolism in other medicinal plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay K Singh
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Barunava Patra
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Joshua J Singleton
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Yongliang Liu
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Priyanka Paul
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Xueyi Sui
- Tobacco Breeding and Biotechnology Research Center, Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Nitima Suttipanta
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ubon Ratchathani University, Ubonratchathani, Thailand
| | - Sitakanta Pattanaik
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
| | - Ling Yuan
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
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Amor Stander E, Dugé de Bernonville T, Courdavault V. RNA-seq Analysis of Monoterpene Indole Alkaloid Biosynthetic Pathway Elucidation in Catharanthus roseus. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2505:113-130. [PMID: 35732941 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2349-7_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Increased affordability and availability of high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have resulted in an explosion of available RNA-seq data, igniting a variety of data-mining methodologies, valuable for plant-specialized biosynthetic pathway discovery. When combined with traditional homology-based annotations, these methods can facilitate short-listing candidate genes for downstream functional validation screenings. Genes related to common pathways often display homogenous expression patterns across different tissue types and experimental conditions. Here, we describe bioinformatic protocols for exploiting such coexpression to shortlist candidate genes of the well-described monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) pathway of Catharanthus roseus. These methods aim to inspire researchers to utilize this publicly available RNA-seq treasure trove to guide their own endeavors in the characterization of missing steps in plant metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Amor Stander
- EA2106 Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, Université de Tours, Tours, France.
| | | | - Vincent Courdavault
- EA2106 Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, Université de Tours, Tours, France.
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37
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Gardner A, Andrade RB. Semisynthesis of Bis-Indole Alkaloid (-)-Melodinine K Enabled by a Combination of Biotransformation and Chemical Synthesis. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2505:101-112. [PMID: 35732940 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2349-7_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Enzymatic biotransformation has become a widely used technique in synthetic chemistry to achieve difficult chemical transformations. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase enzymes found in nature carry out a wide range of difficult chemical reactions, such as the oxidation of the monoterpene indole alkaloid (-)-tabersonine at the unreactive 16th position on the indoline benzene ring in the biosynthesis of biologically active natural products such as the bis-indole alkaloid (-)-melodinine K. Herein, we describe the first semisynthesis of (-)-melodinine K enabled by a biological gram scale route to the northern fragment, (-)-16-hydroxytabersonine, as well as a chemical route to the southern fragment, (-)-pachysiphine, both derived from (-)-tabersonine and subsequently coupled in only eight linear steps. (-)-16-Hydroxytabersonine is produced through an enzymatic biotransformation with a genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain expressing a tabersonine 16-hydroxylase enzyme to enable regioselective oxidation on multigram scale, and (-)-pachysiphine is produced through stereoselective and regioselective epoxidation of the disubstituted alkene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Gardner
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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38
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Nguyen TAM, McConnachie M, Nguyen TD, Dang TTT. Discovery and Characterization of Oxidative Enzymes Involved in Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloid Biosynthesis. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2505:141-164. [PMID: 35732943 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2349-7_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) constitutes a structurally diverse plant natural product group with remarkable pharmacological activities. Many MIAs have been routinely used as potent drugs for several diseases, including leukemia (vinblastine), lung cancer (camptothecin), and malaria (quinine). Nevertheless, MIAs are biosynthesized at extremely low abundance in plants and, in many cases, require additional chemical functionalizations before their therapeutic uses. As oxygenations and oxidative rearrangements are critical throughout MIAs' structural scaffolding and modifications, the discovery and engineering of oxidative enzymes play essential roles in understanding and boosting the supplies of MIAs. Recent advances in omics technologies and synthetic biology have provided unprecedented amount of biochemical data and tools, paving a wide pathway for discovering, characterizing, and engineering enzymes involved in MIA biosynthesis. Here, we discuss the latest progress in understanding the roles of oxidative enzymes in MIA metabolism and describe a bioinformatic and biochemical pipeline to identify, characterize, and make use of these plant biocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuan-Anh Minh Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Matthew McConnachie
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Trinh-Don Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Thu-Thuy T Dang
- Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
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Wang H, Guo H, Wang N, Huo YX. Toward the Heterologous Biosynthesis of Plant Natural Products: Gene Discovery and Characterization. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2784-2795. [PMID: 34757715 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Plant natural products (PNPs) represent a vast and diverse group of natural products, which have wide applications such as emulsifiers in cosmetics, sweeteners in foods, and active ingredients in medicines. Large-scale production of certain PNPs (e.g., artemisinin, taxol) has been implemented by reconstruction of biosynthetic pathways in heterologous hosts. However, unknown biosynthetic pathways greatly restrict wide applications of heterologous production of PNPs of interest. With the rapid development of sequencing and multiomics analysis technologies, huge amounts of omics data, i.e., genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, have been deposited in public databases, which is a precious resource for identification of the unknown biosynthetic pathway of PNPs. Herein, we have enumerated the approaches which have been widely used to screen candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of PNPs of interest. We also discuss recent developments in the characterization of putative genes and elucidation of the complete biosynthetic pathway in heterologous hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyan Wang
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Hao Guo
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Ning Wang
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Yi-Xin Huo
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
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40
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Zhao S, Sirasani G, Andrade RB. Aspidosperma and Strychnos alkaloids: Chemistry and biology. THE ALKALOIDS. CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY 2021; 86:1-143. [PMID: 34565505 DOI: 10.1016/bs.alkal.2021.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
Of Nature's nearly 3000 unique monoterpene indole alkaloids derived from tryptophan, those members belonging to the Aspidosperma and Strychnos families continue to impact the fields of natural products (i.e., isolation, structure determination, biosynthesis) and organic chemistry (i.e., chemical synthesis, methodology development) among others. This review covers the biological activity (Section 2), biosynthesis (Section 3), and synthesis of both classical and novel Aspidosperma (Section 4), Strychnos (Section 5), and selected bis-indole (Section 6) alkaloids. Technological advancements in genetic sequencing and bioinformatics have deepened our understanding of how Nature assembles these intriguing molecules. The proliferation of innovative synthetic strategies and tactics for the synthesis of the alkaloids covered in this review, which include contributions from over fifty research groups from around the world, are a testament to the creative power and technical skills of synthetic organic chemists. To be sure, Nature-the Supreme molecular architect and source of a dazzling array of irresistible chemical logic puzzles-continues to inspire scientists across multiple disciplines and will certainly continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senzhi Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | - Rodrigo B Andrade
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Nguyen TD, Dang TTT. Cytochrome P450 Enzymes as Key Drivers of Alkaloid Chemical Diversification in Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:682181. [PMID: 34367208 PMCID: PMC8336426 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.682181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Plants produce more than 20,000 nitrogen-containing heterocyclic metabolites called alkaloids. These chemicals serve numerous eco-physiological functions in the plants as well as medicines and psychedelic drugs for human for thousands of years, with the anti-cancer agent vinblastine and the painkiller morphine as the best-known examples. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) play a key role in generating the structural variety that underlies this functional diversity of alkaloids. Most alkaloid molecules are heavily oxygenated thanks to P450 enzymes' activities. Moreover, the formation and re-arrangement of alkaloid scaffolds such as ring formation, expansion, and breakage that contribute to their structural diversity and bioactivity are mainly catalyzed by P450s. The fast-expanding genomics and transcriptomics databases of plants have accelerated the investigation of alkaloid metabolism and many players behind the complexity and uniqueness of alkaloid biosynthetic pathways. Here we discuss recent discoveries of P450s involved in the chemical diversification of alkaloids and how these inform our approaches in understanding plant evolution and producing plant-derived drugs.
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Jamieson CS, Misa J, Tang Y, Billingsley JM. Biosynthesis and synthetic biology of psychoactive natural products. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:6950-7008. [PMID: 33908526 PMCID: PMC8217322 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00065a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Psychoactive natural products play an integral role in the modern world. The tremendous structural complexity displayed by such molecules confers diverse biological activities of significant medicinal value and sociocultural impact. Accordingly, in the last two centuries, immense effort has been devoted towards establishing how plants, animals, and fungi synthesize complex natural products from simple metabolic precursors. The recent explosion of genomics data and molecular biology tools has enabled the identification of genes encoding proteins that catalyze individual biosynthetic steps. Once fully elucidated, the "biosynthetic pathways" are often comparable to organic syntheses in elegance and yield. Additionally, the discovery of biosynthetic enzymes provides powerful catalysts which may be repurposed for synthetic biology applications, or implemented with chemoenzymatic synthetic approaches. In this review, we discuss the progress that has been made toward biosynthetic pathway elucidation amongst four classes of psychoactive natural products: hallucinogens, stimulants, cannabinoids, and opioids. Compounds of diverse biosynthetic origin - terpene, amino acid, polyketide - are identified, and notable mechanisms of key scaffold transforming steps are highlighted. We also provide a description of subsequent applications of the biosynthetic machinery, with an emphasis placed on the synthetic biology and metabolic engineering strategies enabling heterologous production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cooper S Jamieson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Joshua Misa
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Yi Tang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - John M Billingsley
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. and Invizyne Technologies, Inc., Monrovia, CA, USA
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Yang M, Wang Q, Liu Y, Hao X, Wang C, Liang Y, Chen J, Xiao Y, Kai G. Divergent camptothecin biosynthetic pathway in Ophiorrhiza pumila. BMC Biol 2021; 19:122. [PMID: 34134716 PMCID: PMC8207662 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01051-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT), first isolated from Camptotheca acuminata, was subsequently discovered in unrelated plants, including Ophiorrhiza pumila. Unlike known monoterpene indole alkaloids, CPT in C. acuminata is biosynthesized via the key intermediate strictosidinic acid, but how O. pumila synthesizes CPT has not been determined. RESULTS In this study, we used nontargeted metabolite profiling to show that 3α-(S)-strictosidine and 3-(S), 21-(S)-strictosidinic acid coexist in O. pumila. After identifying the enzymes OpLAMT, OpSLS, and OpSTR as participants in CPT biosynthesis, we compared these enzymes to their homologues from two other representative CPT-producing plants, C. acuminata and Nothapodytes nimmoniana, to elucidate their phylogenetic relationship. Finally, using labelled intermediates to resolve the CPT biosynthesis pathway in O. pumila, we showed that 3α-(S)-strictosidine, not 3-(S), 21-(S)-strictosidinic acid, is the exclusive intermediate in CPT biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS In our study, we found that O. pumila, another representative CPT-producing plant, exhibits metabolite diversity in its central intermediates consisting of both 3-(S), 21-(S)-strictosidinic acid and 3α-(S)-strictosidine and utilizes 3α-(S)-strictosidine as the exclusive intermediate in the CPT biosynthetic pathway, which differs from C. acuminata. Our results show that enzymes likely to be involved in CPT biosynthesis in O. pumila, C. acuminata, and N. nimmoniana have evolved divergently. Overall, our new data regarding CPT biosynthesis in O. pumila suggest evolutionary divergence in CPT-producing plants. These results shed new light on CPT biosynthesis and pave the way towards its industrial production through enzymatic or metabolic engineering approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengquan Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Core Facility Centre, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biotechnology, College of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053 Zhejiang China
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234 China
| | - Yining Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Core Facility Centre, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Xiaolong Hao
- Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biotechnology, College of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053 Zhejiang China
| | - Can Wang
- Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biotechnology, College of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053 Zhejiang China
| | - Yuchen Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Core Facility Centre, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Jianbo Chen
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234 China
| | - Youli Xiao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Core Facility Centre, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Guoyin Kai
- Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biotechnology, College of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053 Zhejiang China
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Hügel HM, de Silva NH, Siddiqui A, Blanch E, Lingham A. Natural spirocyclic alkaloids and polyphenols as multi target dementia leads. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 43:116270. [PMID: 34153839 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The U rhynchophylla, U tomentosa, Isatis indigotica Fortune, Voacanga Africana, herbal constituents, fungal extracts from Aspergillus duricaulis culture media, include spirooxindoles, polyphenols or bridged spirocyclic alkaloids. Their constituents exhibit specific and synergistic multiple neuroprotective properties including inhibiting of Aβ fibril induced cytotoxicity, NMDA receptor inhibition in mice models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The pioneering research from Woodward to Waldmann has advanced the synthesis of spirocyclic alkaloids. Furthermore, the elucidation of the genetic analysis, biochemical pathways that links strictosidine to the alkaloids akuammicine, stemmadenine, tabersonine, catharanthine, will now enable the biotechnological generation, also stimulate synthesis of related bridged spirocyclic alkaloids for medicinal investigations. From the value of spirocyclic structures as multi target dementia leads, we hypothesise that simpler Lipinski-like natural/synthetic alkaloid analogues may likewise be discovered that provide neurocognitive enhancing activities against dementia and AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut M Hügel
- Applied Chemistry & Environmental Science, School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
| | - Nilamuni H de Silva
- Applied Chemistry & Environmental Science, School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Aimen Siddiqui
- Applied Chemistry & Environmental Science, School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Ewan Blanch
- Applied Chemistry & Environmental Science, School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Anthony Lingham
- Applied Chemistry & Environmental Science, School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
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45
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Atsavapranee B, Stark CD, Sunden F, Thompson S, Fordyce PM. Fundamentals to function: Quantitative and scalable approaches for measuring protein stability. Cell Syst 2021; 12:547-560. [PMID: 34139165 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2021.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Folding a linear chain of amino acids into a three-dimensional protein is a complex physical process that ultimately confers an impressive range of diverse functions. Although recent advances have driven significant progress in predicting three-dimensional protein structures from sequence, proteins are not static molecules. Rather, they exist as complex conformational ensembles defined by energy landscapes spanning the space of sequence and conditions. Quantitatively mapping the physical parameters that dictate these landscapes and protein stability is therefore critical to develop models that are capable of predicting how mutations alter function of proteins in disease and informing the design of proteins with desired functions. Here, we review the approaches that are used to quantify protein stability at a variety of scales, from returning multiple thermodynamic and kinetic measurements for a single protein sequence to yielding indirect insights into folding across a vast sequence space. The physical parameters derived from these approaches will provide a foundation for models that extend beyond the structural prediction to capture the complexity of conformational ensembles and, ultimately, their function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine D Stark
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Fanny Sunden
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Samuel Thompson
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Polly M Fordyce
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.
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46
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Colinas M, Pollier J, Vaneechoutte D, Malat DG, Schweizer F, De Milde L, De Clercq R, Guedes JG, Martínez-Cortés T, Molina-Hidalgo FJ, Sottomayor M, Vandepoele K, Goossens A. Subfunctionalization of Paralog Transcription Factors Contributes to Regulation of Alkaloid Pathway Branch Choice in Catharanthus roseus. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:687406. [PMID: 34113373 PMCID: PMC8186833 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.687406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Catharanthus roseus produces a diverse range of specialized metabolites of the monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) class in a heavily branched pathway. Recent great progress in identification of MIA biosynthesis genes revealed that the different pathway branch genes are expressed in a highly cell type- and organ-specific and stress-dependent manner. This implies a complex control by specific transcription factors (TFs), only partly revealed today. We generated and mined a comprehensive compendium of publicly available C. roseus transcriptome data for MIA pathway branch-specific TFs. Functional analysis was performed through extensive comparative gene expression analysis and profiling of over 40 MIA metabolites in the C. roseus flower petal expression system. We identified additional members of the known BIS and ORCA regulators. Further detailed study of the ORCA TFs suggests subfunctionalization of ORCA paralogs in terms of target gene-specific regulation and synergistic activity with the central jasmonate response regulator MYC2. Moreover, we identified specific amino acid residues within the ORCA DNA-binding domains that contribute to the differential regulation of some MIA pathway branches. Our results advance our understanding of TF paralog specificity for which, despite the common occurrence of closely related paralogs in many species, comparative studies are scarce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maite Colinas
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jacob Pollier
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Metabolomics Core, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dries Vaneechoutte
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Deniz G. Malat
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Fabian Schweizer
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Liesbeth De Milde
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Rebecca De Clercq
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joana G. Guedes
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairaão, Portugal
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS–Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Teresa Martínez-Cortés
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairaão, Portugal
| | - Francisco J. Molina-Hidalgo
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mariana Sottomayor
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairaão, Portugal
- Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Klaas Vandepoele
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alain Goossens
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
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47
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Carqueijeiro I, Koudounas K, Dugé de Bernonville T, Sepúlveda LJ, Mosquera A, Bomzan DP, Oudin A, Lanoue A, Besseau S, Lemos Cruz P, Kulagina N, Stander EA, Eymieux S, Burlaud-Gaillard J, Blanchard E, Clastre M, Atehortùa L, St-Pierre B, Giglioli-Guivarc’h N, Papon N, Nagegowda DA, O’Connor SE, Courdavault V. Alternative splicing creates a pseudo-strictosidine β-d-glucosidase modulating alkaloid synthesis in Catharanthus roseus. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 185:836-856. [PMID: 33793899 PMCID: PMC8133614 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaa075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Deglycosylation is a key step in the activation of specialized metabolites involved in plant defense mechanisms. This reaction is notably catalyzed by β-glucosidases of the glycosyl hydrolase 1 (GH1) family such as strictosidine β-d-glucosidase (SGD) from Catharanthus roseus. SGD catalyzes the deglycosylation of strictosidine, forming a highly reactive aglycone involved in the synthesis of cytotoxic monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) and in the crosslinking of aggressor proteins. By exploring C. roseus transcriptomic resources, we identified an alternative splicing event of the SGD gene leading to the formation of a shorter isoform of this enzyme (shSGD) that lacks the last 71-residues and whose transcript ratio with SGD ranges from 1.7% up to 42.8%, depending on organs and conditions. Whereas it completely lacks β-glucosidase activity, shSGD interacts with SGD and causes the disruption of SGD multimers. Such disorganization drastically inhibits SGD activity and impacts downstream MIA synthesis. In addition, shSGD disrupts the metabolic channeling of downstream biosynthetic steps by hampering the recruitment of tetrahydroalstonine synthase in cell nuclei. shSGD thus corresponds to a pseudo-enzyme acting as a regulator of MIA biosynthesis. These data shed light on a peculiar control mechanism of β-glucosidase multimerization, an organization common to many defensive GH1 members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês Carqueijeiro
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Konstantinos Koudounas
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | | | - Liuda Johana Sepúlveda
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología, Universidad de Antioquia, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, 50010 Medellin, Colombia
| | - Angela Mosquera
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología, Universidad de Antioquia, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, 50010 Medellin, Colombia
| | - Dikki Pedenla Bomzan
- Molecular Plant Biology and Biotechnology Lab, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Bengaluru 560065, India
| | - Audrey Oudin
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Arnaud Lanoue
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Sébastien Besseau
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Pamela Lemos Cruz
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Natalja Kulagina
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Emily A Stander
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Sébastien Eymieux
- INSERM U1259, Plateforme IBiSA de Microscopie Electronique, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Julien Burlaud-Gaillard
- INSERM U1259, Plateforme IBiSA de Microscopie Electronique, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Emmanuelle Blanchard
- INSERM U1259, Plateforme IBiSA de Microscopie Electronique, Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
- Centre Hospitalier Régional de Tours, 37170 Tours, France
| | - Marc Clastre
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Lucia Atehortùa
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología, Universidad de Antioquia, Sede de Investigación Universitaria, 50010 Medellin, Colombia
| | - Benoit St-Pierre
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
| | | | - Nicolas Papon
- EA3142 “Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène,” Université d’Angers, 49035 Angers, France
| | - Dinesh A Nagegowda
- Molecular Plant Biology and Biotechnology Lab, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Bengaluru 560065, India
| | - Sarah E O’Connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Vincent Courdavault
- EA2106 “Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales,” Université de Tours, 37200 Tours, France
- Author for communication:
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48
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A Biolistic-Mediated Virus-Induced Gene Silencing in Apocynaceae to Map Biosynthetic Pathways of Alkaloids. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2172:93-110. [PMID: 32557364 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0751-0_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) are specialized metabolites synthesized in many plants of the Apocynaceae family including Catharanthus roseus and Rauvolfia sp. MIAs are part of the chemical arsenal that plants evolved to face pet and herbivore attacks, and their high biological activities also confer pharmaceutical properties exploited in human pharmacopeia. Developing robust and straightforward tools to elucidate each step of MIA biosynthetic pathways thus constitutes a prerequisite to the understanding of Apocynaceae defense mechanisms and to the exploitation of MIA cytotoxicity through their production by metabolic engineering. While protocols of virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) based on Agrobacterium-based transformation have emerged, the recalcitrance of Apocynaceae to this type of transformation prompted us to develop an universal procedure of VIGS vector inoculation. Such procedure relies on the delivery of the transforming plasmids through a particle bombardment performed using a biolistic device and offers the possibility to overcome host specificity to silence genes in any plant species. Using silencing of geissoschizine oxidase as an example, we described the main steps of this biolistic mediated VIGS in C. roseus and R. tetraphylla.
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49
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Mauger A, Jarret M, Kouklovsky C, Poupon E, Evanno L, Vincent G. The chemistry of mavacurane alkaloids: a rich source of bis-indole alkaloids. Nat Prod Rep 2021; 38:1852-1886. [PMID: 33666614 DOI: 10.1039/d0np00088d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Covering: since early reports up to the end of 2020This review presents a complete coverage of the mavacuranes alkaloids since early reports till date. Mavacuranes alkaloids are a restrictive sub-group of monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs), which are represented by their two emblematic congeners, namely, C-mavacurine and pleiocarpamine. Their skeleton is defined by a bond between the indolic N1 nitrogen and the C16 carbon of the tetracyclic scaffold of the corynanthe group in MIA. A limited number of congeners is known as this skeleton can be considered as a cul-de-sac in main MIA biosynthetic routes. Thanks to the enhanced enamine-type reactivity, mavacuranes are frequently involved in the formation of multimeric MIA scaffolds. This review covers isolation aspects and synthetic approaches towards the mavacurane core and bisindole assemblies. To access the mavacurane core, only a few strategies are reported and the main synthetic difficulties usually originate from the important rigidity of the pentacyclic system. For the bisindole assemblies, biomimetic routes are privileged and deliver complex structures using smooth conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Mauger
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91405 Orsay, France.
| | - Maxime Jarret
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91405 Orsay, France.
| | - Cyrille Kouklovsky
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91405 Orsay, France.
| | - Erwan Poupon
- Biomolécules: Conception, Isolement et Synthèse (BioCIS), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France.
| | - Laurent Evanno
- Biomolécules: Conception, Isolement et Synthèse (BioCIS), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France.
| | - Guillaume Vincent
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91405 Orsay, France.
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50
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Trenti F, Yamamoto K, Hong B, Paetz C, Nakamura Y, O'Connor SE. Early and Late Steps of Quinine Biosynthesis. Org Lett 2021; 23:1793-1797. [PMID: 33625237 PMCID: PMC7944568 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c00206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The enzymatic basis
for quinine 1 biosynthesis was
investigated. Transcriptomic data from the producing plant led to
the discovery of three enzymes involved in the early and late steps
of the pathway. A medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenase (CpDCS) and an
esterase (CpDCE) yielded the biosynthetic intermediate dihydrocorynantheal 2 from strictosidine aglycone 3. Additionally,
the discovery of an O-methyltransferase specific
for 6′-hydroxycinchoninone 4 suggested the final
step order to be cinchoninone 16/17 hydroxylation, methylation,
and keto-reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Trenti
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Kotaro Yamamoto
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Benke Hong
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Paetz
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Yoko Nakamura
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Sarah E O'Connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
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