Discovery of corynanthe synthases in Camptotheca acuminata: medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase-based gateway to corynanthe-type compound diversification.

We combined bioinformatic analysis with in vitro biochemical assays to identify and characterize six medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) enzymes involved in corynanthe alkaloid biosynthesis in Camptotheca acuminata. Camptotheca acuminata, commonly known as the happy tree, is a medicinal plant from the monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs)-rich Nyssaceae family. In this study, we combined bioinformatic analysis and biochemical investigations to identify new enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of corynanthe alkaloids, an MIA subgroup, in C.

From data to discovery: leveraging big data in plant natural products biosynthesis research.

Plant natural products or specialized metabolites play a vital role in drug discovery and development, with many clinically important derivatives such as the anticancer drugs topotecan (derived from the natural alkaloid camptothecin) and etoposide (derived from the natural polyphenol podophyllotoxin). Remarkable advances in understanding plant natural product metabolism have been achieved at an unprecedented pace over the past 15 years. The integration of high-throughput technologies in genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics has generated vast datasets that provide a more comprehensive understanding of plant metabolism.

Discovery and Characterization of Oxidative Enzymes Involved in Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloid Biosynthesis.

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.