Molecular Origins of Functional Diversity in Benzylisoquinoline Alkaloid Methyltransferases.

ABSTRACT: O- and N-methylations are ubiquitous and recurring features in the biosynthesis of many specialized metabolites. Accordingly, the methyltransferase (MT) enzymes catalyzing these modifications are directly responsible for a substantial fraction of the vast chemodiversity observed in plants. Enabled by DNA sequencing and synthesizing technologies, recent studies have revealed and experimentally validated the trajectories of molecular evolution through which MTs, such as those biosynthesizing caffeine, emerge and shape plant chemistry. Despite these advances, the evolutionary origins of many other alkaloid MTs are still unclear. Focusing on benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA)-producing plants such as opium poppy, we review the functional breadth of BIA N- and O-MT en

SUBMITTER: Morris JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6730481 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature