Elucidation of the 1-phenethylisoquinoline pathway from an endemic conifer Cephalotaxus hainanensis.

ABSTRACT: Cephalotaxines harbor great medical potential, but their natural source, the endemic conifer Cephalotaxus is highly endangered, creating a conflict between biotechnological valorization and preservation of biodiversity. Here, we construct the whole biosynthetic pathway to the 1-phenethylisoquinoline scaffold, as first committed compound for phenylethylisoquinoline alkaloids (PIAs), combining metabolic modeling, and transcriptome mining of Cephalotaxus hainanensis to infer the biosynthesis for PIA precursor. We identify a novel protein, ChPSS, driving the Pictet-Spengler condensation and show that this enzyme represents the branching point where PIA biosynthesis diverges from the concurrent benzylisoquinoline-alkaloids pathway. We also pinpoint ChDBR as crucial s

SUBMITTER: Qiao F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9910586 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature