Structural biology in plant natural product biosynthesis--architecture of enzymes from monoterpenoid indole and tropane alkaloid biosynthesis

Several cDNAs of enzymes catalyzing biosynthetic pathways of plant-derived alkaloids have recently been heterologously expressed, and the production of appropriate enzymes from ajmaline and tropane alkaloid biosynthesis in bacteria allows their crystallization. This review describes the architecture of these enzymes with and without their ligands.     

Bishyoscyamine, one unusual dimeric tropane alkaloid from Anisodus acutangulus

One unusual dimeric tropane alkaloid, bishyoscyamine, was isolated from the roots of Anisodus acutangulus, whose structure including the absolute stereochemistry was unambiguously determined based on extensive 1D NMR and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS [α]D and CD spectroscopic analyses. To our knowledge, bishyoscyamine is the first example of tropane alkaloid dimer condensed by a C-N bond.     

Functional genomic analysis of alkaloid biosynthesis in Hyoscyamus niger reveals a cytochrome P450 involved in littorine rearrangement

Tropane alkaloids are valuable pharmaceutical drugs derived from solanaceous plants such as Hyoscyamus niger (black henbane). The biosynthesis of these molecules, including the nature of the enigmatic rearrangement of (R)-littorine to (S)-hyoscyamine, is not completely understood. To test the hypothesis that a cytochrome P450 enzyme is involved in this rearrangement, we used virus-induced gene silencing to silence a cytochrome P450, CYP80F1, identified from H. niger roots by EST sequencing. Silencing CYP80F1 resulted in reduced hyoscyamine levels and the accumulation of littorine. Hyoscyamine was observed in CYP80F1-expressing tobacco hairy roots supplied with (R)-littorine. Expression in yeast confirmed that CYP80F1 catalyzes the oxidation of (R)-littorine with rearrangement to form hyoscyamine aldehyde, a putative precursor to hyoscyamine, and without rearrangement to form 3'-hydroxylittorine. Our data strongly support the involvement of CYP80F1 in the rearrangement of littorine to hyoscyamine.     

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography for selected tropane alkaloid analysis in plant extract

Summary Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography was applied to the simultaneous analysis of six tropane alkaloids, including hyoscyamine and scopolamine. Successful results were obtained using a 30 mM boratephosphate buffer at basic pH (8.5) in the presence of 50 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate. The operating conditions, such as buffer concentration and pH, micelle concentration and organic modifier type and percentage were also discussed on the basis of the results given with a tropane alkaloid mixture. Addition of organic modifiers showed an improvement in separation efficiency and resolution. Moreover, hyoscyamine and littorine, two positional isomers, were only resolved by the addition of organic solvents such as methanol or acetonitrile. The optimized conditions were finally applied to the analysis of tropane alkaloids found in genetically transformed root cultures ofDatura candida x D. aurea. Dedicated to Professor Werner Haerdi on the occasion of his 70^th birthday.     

How polyamine synthesis inhibitors and cinnamic acid affect tropane alkaloid production

Hairy roots of Brugmansia candida produce the tropane alkaloids scopolamine and hyoscyamine. In an attempt to divert the carbon flux from competing pathways and thus enhance productivity, the polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors cyclohexylamine (CHA) and methylglyoxal-bis-guanylhy, drazone (MGBG) and the phenylalamine-ammonia-lyase inhibitor cinnamic acid were used. CHA decreased the specific productivity of both alkaloids but increased significantly the release of scopolamine (approx 500%) when it was added in the mid-exponential phase. However, when CHA was added for only 48 h during the exponential phase, the specific productivity of both alkaloids increased (approx 200%), favoring scopolamine. Treatment with MGBG was detrimental to growth but promoted release into the medium of both alkaloids. However, when it was added for 48 h during the exponential phase, MGBG increased the specific productivity (approx 200%) and release (250–1800%) of both alkaloids. Cinnamic acid alone also favored release but not specific productivity. When a combination of CHA or MGBG with cinnamic acid was used, the results obtained were approximately the same as with each polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor alone, although to a lesser extent. Regarding root morphology, CHA inhibited growth of primary roots and ramification. However, it had a positive effect on elongation of lateral roots.     

Foundations for directed alkaloid biosynthesis

In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Bernhardt and coworkers [1] assay the functional plasticity of strictosidine synthase, a gateway enzyme in the biosynthetic pathways of monoterpene indole alklaloids, and the downstream operability of the products of strictosidine synthase variants in the larger context of the plant biosynthetic pathways.     

The impact of structural biology on alkaloid biosynthesis research

Covering: 1997 to 2012In the recent past, macromolecular crystallography has gone through substantial methodological and technological development. The purpose of this review is to provide a general overview of structural biology and its impact on enzyme structure/function analysis and illustrate how it is modifying the focus of research relevant to alkaloid biosynthesis.     

Redesign of a central enzyme in alkaloid biosynthesis

Plant alkaloids exhibit a diverse array of structures and pharmaceutical activities, though metabolic engineering efforts in these eukaryotic pathways have been limited. Strictosidine synthase (STR) is the first committed step in the biosynthesis of over two thousand terpene indole alkaloids. We describe a rational redesign of the STR binding pocket to selectively accommodate secologanin substrate analogs. The mutant is selective for a substrate that can be chemoselectively derivatized. Evidence that this substrate can be processed by later steps of the terpene indole alkaloid pathway is provided. The work demonstrates that the central enzyme of this alkaloid pathway can be redesigned and that the pathway can turn over the unnatural intermediate that is generated. Modulation of the substrate specificity of enzymes of this complex pathway is therefore likely to enable metabolic engineering efforts of these alkaloids.     

The first and second cinchona rearrangement. Two fundamental transformations of alkaloid chemistry

Stereochemistry, products, and driving forces of the "first and second Cinchona rearrangement" have been investigated and a unified theory is presented. The first cage expansion affords [3.2.2]azabicyclic alpha-amino ether and is formulated via a configurationally stable bridgehead iminium ion and quasiequatorial nucleophilic attack. The second cage expansion affords beta-functionalized [3.2.2]azabicycles. In this case a nonclassical nitrogen-bridged cation is postulated to account for retention of configuration and potential reversibility of the cage expansion. The second rearrangement is favored for the so-called cinch bases (6'-R = H) in trifluoroethanol. Stereoelectronic factors, electron demand at C9, ground state conformation, and solvent type are crucial in all cases. A two-step protocol for preparing 9-epi-configured Cinchona alkaloids from 9-nat precursors is described.     

毛细管电泳-电致化学发光检测法分离测定中药马尿泡中的托烷类生物碱成分

以铕离子掺杂类普鲁士蓝(Eu-PB)化学修饰铂电极为工作电极,采用毛细管电泳-电致化学发光检测法对4种托烷类生物碱成分（如山莨菪碱、东莨菪碱、阿托品和樟柳碱）进行了分离检测。考察了氧化电位值、运行缓冲液酸度、盐浓度和甲醇含量等实验条件对电泳分离效果及检测灵敏度的影响。在优化的实验条件下,以20 mmol/L的磷酸盐(pH 8.0)-7%(体积分数）甲醇为运行液,各组分在6 min内可达到基线分离,其峰面积的相对标准偏差小于5.0%,迁移时间的相对标准偏差小于1.1% (n=12)。并将该法成功地应用于测定中药马尿泡根茎中的山莨菪碱和东莨菪碱的含量,其含量平均值分别为27.8 g/kg和4.43 g/kg。样品的加标回收率为97.8%～102%。     

Oxidative rearrangement processes in the biosynthesis of gilvocarcin V

Gilvocarcin V (GV), an antitumor agent produced by Streptomyces griseoflavus G? 3592 and various other streptomycetes, is the most important representative of the distinct family of benzo[d]naphtho[1,2-b]pyran-6-one aryl C-glycoside antibiotics, which show excellent antitumor activity and a remarkably low toxicity. The most intriguing step of its biosynthesis is an oxidative rearrangement cascade, in which the C-5/C-6 of an angucyclinone precursor bond is broken. Although this oxidative cleavage is essential for the formation of GV's unique chromophore and for GV's biological activity, and is likely to occur similarly in the biosyntheses of other angucyclinone-derived antibiotics, such as the kinamycins and the jadomycins, it is only poorly understood. Herein we report various experiments which shed light onto this intriguing oxidative cleavage reaction. These include incorporation studies with 18O-labeled precursors and the isolation and structure determination of novel intermediates of gilvocarcin biosynthesis accumulated by mutants, in which two genes encoding monooxygenases responsible for the C-C-bond cleavage of the gilvocarcin pathway, gilOI and gilOIV, were deleted through targeted PCR.     

A concise asymmetric route to the bridged bicyclic tropane alkaloid ferruginine using enyne ring-closing metathesis

[reaction: see text] Enyne metathesis has been used to prepare bridged azabicycles and applied in a short asymmetric synthesis of the tropane ferruginine. A Grubbs first generation catalyst proved to be superior to the second generation catalyst in the enyne metathesis reaction.