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Xiong Z, Ding Z, Sun J, Jiang X, Cong H, Sun H, Qiao F. In vivo assembly in tobacco cells to elucidate and engineer the biosynthesis of 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde from Gloriosa superba. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2024; 43:235. [PMID: 39299972 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-024-03318-4] [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: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE This study described the biosynthesis of 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde sharing with monolignol pathway and supplemented the biosynthesis of colchicine in G. superba, 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde produced in tobacco BY2 cells provided an important stepstone. The precursor, 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde (4-HDCA), participates in the biosynthesis of the carbon skeleton of colchicine, which is derived from L-phenylalanine. However, one hypothesis proposed that 4-HDCA is synthesized by sharing the early part of the monolignol pathway in G. superba. In this study, we validated this prediction and identified the enzymatic functions involved in this pathway. GsDBR1 is a crucial enzyme to illustrate 4-HDCA diverging from monolignol pathway, we first confirmed its reductase activity on 4-coumaraldehyde, an important intermediate compound in monolignol biosynthesis. Then, the biochemical function of recombinant enzymes belonging to the other four families were verified to elucidate the entire process of 4-HDCA biosynthesis from L-phenylalanine. After reconstruction, the 4-HDCA was 78.4 ng/g with fresh weight (FW) of transgenic tobacco cells, and the yield increased to 168.22 ng/g·FW after improved treatment with methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The elucidation of 4-HDCA biosynthesis sharing the monolignol pathway supplemented the biosynthesis of colchicine in G. superba, and the production of 4-HDCA in tobacco cells provides an important step in the development of plant cell cultures as heterologous bio-factories for secondary metabolite production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Xiong
- National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crops Breeding, Sanya, 572024, China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Plants of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Zhuoying Ding
- National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crops Breeding, Sanya, 572024, China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Plants of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Jingyi Sun
- National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crops Breeding, Sanya, 572024, China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Plants of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Xuefei Jiang
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Plants of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Hanqing Cong
- National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crops Breeding, Sanya, 572024, China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
| | - Huapeng Sun
- National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crops Breeding, Sanya, 572024, China.
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China.
| | - Fei Qiao
- National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crops Breeding, Sanya, 572024, China.
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China.
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Johnson N, Rodriguez Diaz D, Ganapathy S, Bass JS, Kutchan TM, Khan AL, Flavier AB. Evaluation of reference genes for qRT-PCR studies in the colchicine producing Gloriosa superba L. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS 2023; 17:1-11. [PMID: 37359494 PMCID: PMC10195008 DOI: 10.1007/s11816-023-00840-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The flame lily, Gloriosa superba L., is one of the two primary sources of the anti-inflammatory drug, colchicine. Previous studies have shown that a higher level of colchicine production occurs in the rhizomes than in leaves and roots. Earlier precursor feeding and transcriptome analysis of G. superba have provided a putative pathway and candidate genes involved in colchicine biosynthesis. Comparative analysis of expression levels of candidate pathway genes in different tissues of G. superba using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) can reveal highly expressed genes in the rhizome compared to other tissues which could suggest roles of the gene products in colchicine biosynthesis. Normalization is an important step in effectively analyzing differential gene expression by qRT-PCR with broader applications. The current study selected candidate reference genes from the transcriptome datasets and analyzed them to determine the most stable genes for normalization of colchicine biosynthesis-related genes. Using RefFinder, one stable reference gene, UBC22, was selected to normalize gene expression levels of candidate methyltransferase (MT) genes in the leaves, roots, and rhizomes of G. superba. With UBC22 as reference gene, the methyltransferases, GsOMT1, GsOMT3, and GsOMT4 showed significantly higher expression levels in the rhizome of G. superba, while MT31794 was more highly expressed in the roots. In conclusion, the current results showed a viable reference gene expression analysis system that could help elucidate colchicine biosynthesis and its exploitation for increased production of the drug in G. superba. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11816-023-00840-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nekha Johnson
- Department of Engineering Technology, Technology Division, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 USA
- Present Address: Lonza Biologics, Inc., 14905 Kirby Dr, Houston, TX 77047 USA
| | - Diana Rodriguez Diaz
- Department of Engineering Technology, Technology Division, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 USA
- Present Address: Lonza Biologics, Inc., 14905 Kirby Dr, Houston, TX 77047 USA
| | - Sivakumar Ganapathy
- Department of Engineering Technology, Technology Division, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 USA
| | - John S. Bass
- Department of Engineering Technology, Technology Division, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 USA
- Present Address: Solugen, Inc., 14549 Minetta St, Houston, TX 77035 USA
| | - Toni M. Kutchan
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MO 63132 USA
| | - Abdul L. Khan
- Department of Engineering Technology, Technology Division, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 USA
| | - Albert B. Flavier
- Department of Engineering Technology, Technology Division, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 USA
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Xiong Z, Wang L, Sun J, Jiang X, Cong H, Sun H, Qiao F. Functional characterization of a Colchicum autumnale L. double-bond reductase (CaDBR1) in colchicine biosynthesis. PLANTA 2022; 256:95. [PMID: 36214872 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-022-04003-0] [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: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
An alkenal double-bond reductase enzyme (CaDBR1) was cloned from Colchicum autumnale L. The encoded enzyme catalysed 4-coumaraldehyde to 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde (4-HDCA). Its functional characterization increased the understanding of colchicine biosynthesis. As a traditional medical plant, Colchicum autumnale L. is famous for producing colchicine, a widely used drug for alleviating gout attacks. The biosynthetic pathway of colchicine was revealed most recently, and 4-hydroxydihydrocinnamaldehyde (4-HDCA) has been verified as a crucial intermediate derived from L-phenylalanine. However, the functional gene that catalyses the formation of 4-HDCA remains controversial. In this study, the alkenal double-bond reductase (DBR) gene member CaDBR1 was cloned and characterized from C. autumnale. Bioinformatics analysis predicted and characterized the basic physicochemical properties of CaDBR1. Recombinant CaDBR1 protein was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by a Ni-NTA column. In vitro enzyme assays indicated that CaDBR1 could catalyse 4-coumaraldehyde to form 4-HDCA but could not generate 4-HDCA by taking cinnamaldehyde as a substrate. Stable transformation into tobacco BY-2 cells revealed that CaDBR1 localized in the cytoplasm, and tissue-specific expression results showed that CaDBR1 had the highest expression in bulbs. All these results verify and confirm the participation and contribution of CaDBR1 in the biosynthesis pathway of 4-HDCA and colchicine alkaloids in C. autumnale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Plants of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Liang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Plants of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Jingyi Sun
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Plants of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Xuefei Jiang
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Plants of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Hanqing Cong
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
| | - Huapeng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China.
| | - Fei Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
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Misra A, Chaudhary MK, Shukla P, Srivastava S. Simultaneous Quantification of Pharmacologically Active Alkaloid Metabolites Colchicine and Gloriosine in Gloriosa Superba L. collected from Western Ghats (India) and Adjoining Areas for the Identification of Elite Chemotype(s). J AOAC Int 2021; 104:1155-1166. [PMID: 33484241 DOI: 10.1093/jaoacint/qsab007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gloriosa superba is a valuable Ayurvedic medicinal plant and is in high demand in the world market for its colchicine content, which is used to treat gout. OBJECTIVE The study aims (1) to record the metabolic variations in major bioactive metabolites, colchicine and gloriosine, in the natural populations of G. superba from Western Ghats and adjoining areas in India and (2) to develop HPTLC protocol for the identification of elite chemotypes of species and regulation of quality raw material, extract, and finished material. METHOD Simultaneous quantification of colchicine and gloriosine in 22 natural populations through validated HPTLC as per ICH guidelines. RESULTS Colchicine and gloriosine were identified at Rf 0.51 ± 0.03 and 0.41 ± 0.05 and the content varied from 0.021 to 0.86% and 0.003 to 0.198%. The method was found linear at a concentration range of 0.1-0.7 µg/spot, and LOD (3.3 σ/S) and LOQ (10 σ/S) was 0.71 and 2.16 µg/spot. The method was precise in the concentration range of 100-300 ng/spot, with 98.29% and 101.12% recovery (% RSD) for colchicine and gloriosine. Subsequently, four elite chemotypes were identified based on cluster analysis of metabolite content. CONCLUSION The developed HPTLC method is linear, accurate, precise, and robust for simultaneous quantification of colchicine and gloriosine metabolite(s). Intraspecific metabolic variation was significant among the collected population, leading to the identification of four elite chemotypes. HIGHLIGHTS Colchicine is an industrially viable metabolite and is therefore quintessential to the development of an economical and analytical method to regulate the quality of raw material, extract, and finished products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Misra
- Pharmacognosy Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, U.P, India
| | - Mridul Kant Chaudhary
- Pharmacognosy Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, U.P, India
| | - Pushpendra Shukla
- Pharmacognosy Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, U.P, India
| | - Sharad Srivastava
- Pharmacognosy Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, U.P, India
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Deepika VB, Vohra M, Mishra S, Dorai K, Rai P, Satyamoorthy K, Murali TS. DNA demethylation overcomes attenuation of colchicine biosynthesis in an endophytic fungus Diaporthe. J Biotechnol 2020; 323:33-41. [PMID: 32745507 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2020.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Fungal endophytes, a major component of the plant host microbiome, are known to synthesize plant-derived metabolites in vitro. However, attenuation of metabolite production upon repeated sub-culturing is a major drawback towards utilizing them as an alternative for plant-derived metabolites. In this study, we isolated Diaporthe perseae, a fungal endophyte from Gloriosa superba tubers, which showed the production of colchicine in axenic cultures. Mass spectrometry, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, and tubulin polymerization assays confirmed the compound to be colchicine. Repeated sub-culturing of the endophyte for 10 generations led to a reduction in the yield of the metabolite from 55.25 μg/g to 2.32 μg/g of mycelial dry weight. Treatment of attenuated cultures with DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine resulted in increased metabolite concentration (39.68 μg/g mycelial dry weight) in treated samples compared to control (2.61 μg/g mycelial dry weight) suggesting that 5-azacytidine can induce demethylation of the fungal genome to overcome the phenomenon of attenuation of metabolite synthesis. Reduced levels of global methylation were observed upon 5-azacytidine treatment in attenuated cultures (0.41 % of total cytosines methylated) as compared to untreated control (0.78 % of total cytosines methylated). The results provide a significant breakthrough in utilizing fungal endophytes as a veritable source of plant-derived metabolites from critically endangered plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishwanath Bhat Deepika
- Department of Biotechnology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
| | - Manik Vohra
- Department of Biotechnology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
| | - Sumit Mishra
- Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) Mohali, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Manauli PO, 140306 Punjab, India.
| | - Kavita Dorai
- Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) Mohali, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Manauli PO, 140306 Punjab, India.
| | - Padmalatha Rai
- Department of Biotechnology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
| | - Kapaettu Satyamoorthy
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
| | - Thokur Sreepathy Murali
- Department of Biotechnology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
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Stander EA, Papon N, Courdavault V. Puzzling Out the Colchicine Biosynthetic Pathway. ChemMedChem 2020; 16:621-623. [PMID: 33166069 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202000633] [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] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Colchicine is among the oldest plant natural products (NPs) still used for treating a broad spectrum of human diseases including gout and other articular inflammation disorders. This molecule is synthesized by several herbaceous species related to the Liliaceae family, but in very low quantities in whole plants. As for many pharmaceutical compounds from plants, the production of colchicine still depends on the natural resource from which it is extracted. From the past decade, metabolic engineering has progressively become a credible alternative for the cost-effective large-scale production of several valuable NPs. In the same vein, Nett and colleagues recently reported an unprecedented advance in the field for colchicine. By using a combination of transcriptomics, metabolomics and pathway reconstitution, Sattely's group deciphered a near-complete biosynthetic pathway to colchicine without prior knowledge of biosynthetic genes. Besides constituting a benchmark for the elucidation of natural product biosynthetic pathways, it opens unprecedented perspectives regarding metabolic engineering of colchicine biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicolas Papon
- Host-Pathogen Interaction Study Group, Université Angers, GEIHP EA 3142, 49933, Angers, France.,Federative Structure of Research, Cellular Interactions and Therapeutic Applications, Université Angers, SFR 4208 ICAT, 49933, Angers, France
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He Y, Zhong X, Jiang X, Cong H, Sun H, Qiao F. Characterisation, expression and functional analysis of PAL gene family in Cephalotaxus hainanensis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2020; 156:461-470. [PMID: 33027750 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) is the first committed step in the formation of phenylpropanoids, and catalyses the deamination of L-phenylalanine (L-Phe) to yield cinnamic acid. While PALs are common in plants, PAL genes involved in alkaloid biosynthesis in Cephalotaxus hainanensis have never been described. To obtain better knowledge of PAL genes and their number and function involved in Cephalotaxus alkaloid biosynthesis four PAL genes were screened and cloned. In vitro enzymatic analysis showed that all four PAL recombinant proteins could convert L-Phe to product trans-cinnamic acid, and showed strict substrate specificity. Moreover, the expression profiles of four ChPALs were analysed using qRT-PCR, which showed that they had higher transcript levels in roots and stems, and that different ChPALs displayed different response sensitivities and change patterns in response to stimuli. Several metabolic compounds were measured in stimulated leaves using UPLC-MS, and indicating the concentration of Cephalotaxus alkaloids and cinnamic acid in leaves subjected to different conditions. These concentrations increased significantly after treatment with 100 mM NaCl, 100 mM mannitol, 100 μM SA and 10 μM ABA. The expression levels of four PAL genes showed indications of upregulation after treatment. These results supply an important foundation for further research on candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of Cephalotaxus alkaloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuedong He
- College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China; Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture / Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China
| | - Xiaohong Zhong
- College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Xuefei Jiang
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources / College of Horticulture, Hainan University (HNU), Haikou, China
| | - Hanqing Cong
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture / Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China
| | - Huapeng Sun
- College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China; Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture / Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China.
| | - Fei Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Ministry of Agriculture / Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China
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Nett RS, Lau W, Sattely ES. Discovery and engineering of colchicine alkaloid biosynthesis. Nature 2020; 584:148-153. [PMID: 32699417 PMCID: PMC7958869 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2546-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Few complete pathways have been established for the biosynthesis of medicinal compounds from plants. Accordingly, many plant-derived therapeutics are isolated directly from medicinal plants or plant cell culture1. A lead example is colchicine, a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for inflammatory disorders that is sourced from Colchicum and Gloriosa species2-5. Here we use a combination of transcriptomics, metabolic logic and pathway reconstitution to elucidate a near-complete biosynthetic pathway to colchicine without prior knowledge of biosynthetic genes, a sequenced genome or genetic tools in the native host. We uncovered eight genes from Gloriosa superba for the biosynthesis of N-formyldemecolcine, a colchicine precursor that contains the characteristic tropolone ring and pharmacophore of colchicine6. Notably, we identified a non-canonical cytochrome P450 that catalyses the remarkable ring expansion reaction that is required to produce the distinct carbon scaffold of colchicine. We further used the newly identified genes to engineer a biosynthetic pathway (comprising 16 enzymes in total) to N-formyldemecolcine in Nicotiana benthamiana starting from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. This study establishes a metabolic route to tropolone-containing colchicine alkaloids and provides insights into the unique chemistry that plants use to generate complex, bioactive metabolites from simple amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S Nett
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Warren Lau
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Sattely
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Chen Z, Kang X, Wu Y, Xiao H, Cai X, Sheng S, Wang X, Chen S. A mitochondria targeting artesunate prodrug-loaded nanoparticle exerting anticancer activity via iron-mediated generation of the reactive oxygen species. Chem Commun (Camb) 2019; 55:4781-4784. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cc00531e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
An artesunate anticancer prodrug with a long aliphatic chain N,N′-bis(dodecyl)-l-glutamic diamide was developed for nanoparticle via iron-mediated ROS generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhigang Chen
- Nanshan District Key Lab for Biopolymers and Safety Evaluation
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology
- Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials
- College of Materials Science and Engineering
- Shenzhen University
| | - Xiaoxu Kang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing 100190
- P. R. China
- College of Life Science and Technology
| | - Yixin Wu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing 100190
- P. R. China
- College of Life Science and Technology
| | - Haihua Xiao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Beijing 100190
- P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Xuzi Cai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Zhujiang Hospital
- Southern Medical University
- Guangzhou 510282
- P. R. China
| | - Shihou Sheng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University
- Changchun 130033
- P. R. China
| | - Xuefeng Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Zhujiang Hospital
- Southern Medical University
- Guangzhou 510282
- P. R. China
| | - Shiguo Chen
- Nanshan District Key Lab for Biopolymers and Safety Evaluation
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology
- Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials
- College of Materials Science and Engineering
- Shenzhen University
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Sivakumar G, Alba K, Phillips GC. Biorhizome: A Biosynthetic Platform for Colchicine Biomanufacturing. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:1137. [PMID: 28713407 PMCID: PMC5491623 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Colchicine is one of the oldest plant-based medicines used to treat gout and one of the most important alkaloid-based antimitotic drugs with anticancer potential, which is commercially extracted from Gloriosa superba. Clinical trials suggest that colchicine medication could prevent atrial fibrillation recurrence after cardiac surgery. In addition, therapeutic colchicine is undergoing clinical trials to treat non-diabetic metabolic syndrome and diabetic nephropathy. However, the industrial-scale biomanufacturing of colchicine have not yet been established. Clearly, further studies on detailed biorhizome-specific transcriptome analysis, gene expression, and candidate gene validation are required before uncover the mechanism of colchicine biosynthesis and biorhizome-based colchicine biomanufacturing. Annotation of 32312 assembled multiple-tissues transcripts of G. superba represented 15088 unigenes in known plant specific gene ontology. This could help understanding colchicine biosynthesis in G. superba. This review highlights the biorhizomes, rhizome specific genes or gene what expressed with high level in rhizomes, and deep fluid dynamics in a bioreactor specifically for the biomanufacture of colchicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganapathy Sivakumar
- Department of Engineering Technology, College of Technology, University of Houston, HoustonTX, United States
| | - Kamran Alba
- Department of Engineering Technology, College of Technology, University of Houston, HoustonTX, United States
| | - Gregory C. Phillips
- College of Agriculture and Technology, Arkansas State University, JonesboroAR, United States
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