Identification and characterization of camptothecin tailoring enzymes in Nothapodytes tomentosa

Camptothecin is a complex monoterpenoid indole alkaloid with remarkable antitumor activity.Given that two C-10 modified camptothecin derivatives,topotecan and irinotecan,have been approved as potent anticancer agents,there is a critical need for methods to access other aromatic ringfunctionalized congeners(e.g.,C-9,C-10,etc.).However,contemporary methods for chemical oxidation are generally harsh and low-yielding when applied to the camptothecin scaffold,thereby limiting the development of modified derivatives.Reported herein,we have identified four tailoring enzymes responsible for C-9 modifications of camptothecin from Nothapodytes tomentosa,via metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis.These consist of a cytochrome P450(Nt CPT9H)which catalyzes the regioselective oxidation of camptothecin to 9-hydroxycamptothecin,as well as two methyltransferases(Nt OMT1/2,converting 9-hydroxycamptothecin to 9-methoxycamptothecin),and a uridine diphosphate-glycosyltransferase(Nt UGT5,decorating 9-hydroxycamptothecin to9-β-D-glucosyloxycamptothecin).Importantly,the critical residues that contribute to the specific catalytic activity of Nt CPT9H have been elucidated through molecular docking and mutagenesis experiments.This work provides a genetic basis for producing camptothecin derivatives through metabolic engineering.This will hasten the discovery of novel C-9 modified camptothecin derivatives,with profound implications for pharmaceutical manufacture.

Molecular cloning and functional identification of sterol C24-methyltransferase gene from Tripterygium wilfordii

Sterol C24-methyltransferase(SMT) plays multiple important roles in plant growth and development. SMT1, which belongs to the family of transferases and transforms cycloartenol into 24-methylene cycloartenol, is involved in the biosynthesis of 24-methyl sterols. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a sterol C24-methyltransferase from Tripterygium wilfordii(Tw SMT1). Tw SMT1(Gen Bank access number KU885950) is a 1530 bp cDNA with a 1041 bp open reading frame predicted to encode a 346-amino acid, 38.62 k Da protein. The polypeptide encoded by the SMT1 cDNA was expressed and purified as a recombinant protein from Escherichia coli(E. coli) and showed SMT activity. The expression of Tw SMT1 was highly up-regulated in T. wilfordii cell suspension cultures treated with methyl jasmonate(Me JA). Tissue expression pattern analysis showed higher expression in the phellem layer compared to the other four organs(leaf, stem, xylem and phloem), which is about ten times that of the lowest expression in leaf. The results are meaningful for the study of sterolbiosynthesis of T. wilfordii and will further lay the foundations for the research in regulating both the content of other main compounds and growth and development of T. wilfordii.