Camptothecin(CPT) is an anticancer pentacyclic quinoline alkaloid widely used to treat cancer patients worldwide. However, the biosynthetic pathway and transcriptional regulation of camptothecin are largely unknown. O...Camptothecin(CPT) is an anticancer pentacyclic quinoline alkaloid widely used to treat cancer patients worldwide. However, the biosynthetic pathway and transcriptional regulation of camptothecin are largely unknown. Ophiorrhiza pumila, the herbaceous plant from the Rubiaceae family, has emerged as a model plant for studying camptothecin biosynthesis and regulation. In this study, a high-quality reference genome of O. pumila with estimated size of ~456.90Mb was reported, and the accumulation level of camptothecin in roots was higher than that in stems and leaves. Based on its spatial distribution in the plant, we examined gene functions and expression by combining genomics with transcriptomic analysis.Two loganic acid O-methyltransferase(OpLAMTs)were identified in strictosidine-producing plant O.pumila, and enzyme catalysis assays showed that OpLAMT1 and not OpLAMT2 could convert loganic acid into loganin. Further knock-out of OpL AMT1expression led to the elimination of loganin and camptothecin accumulation in O. pumila hairy roots.Four key residues were identified in OpLAMT1 protein crucial for the catalytic activity of loganic acid to loganin. By co-expression network, we identified a NAC transcription factor, OpNAC1, as a candidate gene for regulating camptothecin biosynthesis.Transgenic hairy roots and biochemical assays demonstrated that OpNAC1 suppressed OpLAMT1 expression. Here, we reported on two camptothecin metabolic engineering strategies paving the road for industrial-scale production of camptothecin in CPT-producing plants.展开更多
基金supported by the Major Science and Technology Projects of Breeding New Varieties of Agriculture in Zhejiang Province (2021C02074)National Natural Science Foundation of China (82003889, 31571735, 82073963, 81522049)+5 种基金National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1706203)Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (LQ21H280004, LY20H280008)Zhejiang Provincial Ten Thousands Program for Leading Talents of Science and Technology Innovation (2018R52050)Zhejiang Provincial Program for the Cultivation of High-level Innovative Health TalentsResearch Project of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (2021JKZDZC06)Opening Project of Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Resources Protection and Innovation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2021E10013)。
文摘Camptothecin(CPT) is an anticancer pentacyclic quinoline alkaloid widely used to treat cancer patients worldwide. However, the biosynthetic pathway and transcriptional regulation of camptothecin are largely unknown. Ophiorrhiza pumila, the herbaceous plant from the Rubiaceae family, has emerged as a model plant for studying camptothecin biosynthesis and regulation. In this study, a high-quality reference genome of O. pumila with estimated size of ~456.90Mb was reported, and the accumulation level of camptothecin in roots was higher than that in stems and leaves. Based on its spatial distribution in the plant, we examined gene functions and expression by combining genomics with transcriptomic analysis.Two loganic acid O-methyltransferase(OpLAMTs)were identified in strictosidine-producing plant O.pumila, and enzyme catalysis assays showed that OpLAMT1 and not OpLAMT2 could convert loganic acid into loganin. Further knock-out of OpL AMT1expression led to the elimination of loganin and camptothecin accumulation in O. pumila hairy roots.Four key residues were identified in OpLAMT1 protein crucial for the catalytic activity of loganic acid to loganin. By co-expression network, we identified a NAC transcription factor, OpNAC1, as a candidate gene for regulating camptothecin biosynthesis.Transgenic hairy roots and biochemical assays demonstrated that OpNAC1 suppressed OpLAMT1 expression. Here, we reported on two camptothecin metabolic engineering strategies paving the road for industrial-scale production of camptothecin in CPT-producing plants.