Discovery of homoharringtonine pathway enzymes reveals a whole plant model for coordinated biosynthesis.

ABSTRACT: Plants have evolved to produce diverse molecules that inhibit protein translation. A lead example is homoharringtonine (HHT), both a key tool for ribosomal profiling and an FDA-approved treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia. HHT is commercially produced through semi-synthesis by esterifying the alkaloid core cephalotaxine (CET) extracted from endangered Cephalotaxus species. Despite its medicinal significance, a biosynthetic pathway to CET and HHT has not been described. Here, we use paired untargeted metabolomics (stable-isotope labeled precursor feeding) and transcriptomics to elucidate a near-complete biosynthesis to CET without prior knowledge of intermediates and biosynthetic genes. We show that while CET alkaloid core is actively biosynthesized only in growing root tips, both

SUBMITTER: Dho Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12407900 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature