Terpenoid Indole Alkaloids Biosynthesis and Metabolic Engineering in Catharanthus roseus

Catharanthus roseus L. （Madagascar periwinkle） biosynthesizes a diverse array of secondary metabolites including anticancer dimeric alkaloids （vinblastine and vincristine） and antihypertensive alkaloids （ajmalicine and serpentine）. The multi-step terpenoid indole alkaloids （TIAs） biosynthetic pathway in C. roseus is complex and is under strict molecular regulation. Many enzymes and genes involved in the TIAs biosynthesis have been studied in recent decades. Moreover, some regulatory proteins were found recently to control the production of TIAs in C. roseus. Based on mastering the rough scheme of the pathway and cloning the related genes, metabolic engineering of TIAs biosynthesis has been studied in C. roseus aiming at increasing the desired secondary metabolites in the past few years. The present article summarizes recent advances in isolation and characterization of TIAs biosynthesis genes and transcriptional regulators involved in the second metabolic control in C. roseus. Metabolic engineering applications in TIAs pathway via overexpression of these genes and regulators in C. roseus are also discussed.

Two Terpenoid Derivatives with Different 3/5/6/6/5-Fused Pentacyclic Skeletons from Hedyosmum orientale

Chemical investigation of Hedyosmum orientale led to the identification of two terpenoid derivatives,dyosmunoids A and B(1 and 2)featuring two different 3/5/6/6/5-fused pentacyclic ring systems,respectively.Compound 1 is the second natural product of this C_(25) terpenoid compound class,and compound 2 is a rare dinor-C25 terpenoid with a peroxide bridge.Their structural elucidation was achieved by the comprehensive analysis of spectroscopic data,single-crystal X-ray diffraction,and ECD calculation.Putative biosynthetic pathways for compounds 1 and 2 are proposed.Compound 2 exhibited strong antimalarial activity with an IC_(50) value of 0.42μmol·L^(-1).

长春花萜类吲哚生物碱的生物合成途径

药用植物长春花含有130余种萜类吲哚生物碱,该文对近年来国内外有关长春花生物碱合成的上游和下游阶段及其相关研究进行详细的归纳总结。长春花上游合成途径中在相应的酶促作用下由吲哚途径产生的色胺和由类萜途径产生的裂环马钱子苷在异胡豆苷合成酶的催化作用下形成了所有长春花TIAs的共同前体物质3α-异胡豆苷,3α-异胡豆苷再由下游途径的各种酶促作用下生成种类各异的长春花TIAs。通过对长春花TIAs合成途径的阐述,为萜类吲哚生物碱合成及其代谢调控的相关研究提供参考。

长春花密码子使用偏好性分析

以长春花为研究对象,分析其密码子使用偏好性,以期为相关基因的异源表达、基因的预测、物种的进化研究提供指导。该研究以长春花的30 437条蛋白质编码序列为数据来源,对长春花密码子组成和密码子偏性的各项参数进行了计算和统计分析。计算了长春花萜类吲哚生物碱(terpenoid indole alkaloids,TIAs)生物合成途径中25个关键酶基因含有大肠杆菌或酿酒酵母稀有密码子的比例。结果显示,长春花基因的平均GC量为42.47%,密码子第3位碱基平均GC量为35.89%。长春花中共有28个密码子的同义密码子相对使用度(relative synonymous codon usage,RSCU)大于1,其中26个以A或T结尾。25个关键酶基因含有大肠杆菌稀有密码子的比例明显高于酿酒酵母稀有密码子的比例。长春花主要偏爱使用以A和T结尾的密码子;相比于酿酒酵母,其密码子使用特点与大肠杆菌的差异更大,推测酿酒酵母可能是长春花基因更合适的异源表达宿主。