Completion of the seven-step pathway from tabersonine to the anticancer drug precursor vindoline and its assembly in yeast.

ABSTRACT: Antitumor substances related to vinblastine and vincristine are exclusively found in the Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle), a member of the Apocynaceae plant family, and continue to be extensively used in cancer chemotherapy. Although in high demand, these valuable compounds only accumulate in trace amounts in C. roseus leaves. Vinblastine and vincristine are condensed from the monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) precursors catharanthine and vindoline. Although catharanthine biosynthesis remains poorly characterized, the biosynthesis of vindoline from the MIA precursor tabersonine is well understood at the molecular and biochemical levels. This study uses virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to identify a cytochrome P450 [CYP71D1V2; tabersonine 3-oxygenase (T3O)] and an alcohol de

SUBMITTER: Qu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4434687 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature