Advance in biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids and its regulation in Catharanthus roseus.

Xue-jun Kuang; Cai-xia Wang; Li-qiu Zou; Xiao-xuan Zhu; Chao Sun

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Advance in biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids and its regulation in Catharanthus roseus.

Author: Xue-Jun KUANG ¹ ; Cai-Xia WANG ² ; Li-Qiu ZOU ¹ ; Xiao-Xuan ZHU ¹ ; Chao SUN ¹
Author Information

1. Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, China Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China.
2. Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Catharanthus roseus; metabolic regulation; synthetic biology; terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs)
From: China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2016;41(22):4129-4137
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Catharanthus roseus can produce a variety of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIA), most of which exhibit strong pharmacological activities. Hence, biosynthesis and regulation of TIA have received recent attention. 3α (S)-strictosidine is an important node in TIA biosynthesis, which is a condensation product of secologanin and tryptamine. The former is produced in iridoid pathway, and the latter is produced in indole pathway. Vindoline and catharanthine, which are produced respectively by 3α (S)-strictosidine via multi-step enzymatic reaction, can form α-3, 4-anhydrovinblastine by the condensation reaction. Then, vinblastine and vincristine are generated from α-3, 4-anhydrovinblastine. Many transcription factors are involved in the regulation of TIA synthesis, such as AP2/ERF and WRKY. Illumination of biosynthetic pathway has laid a foundation for the study of synthetic biology. Today, 3α (S)-strictosidine and vindoline have been synthesized in heterologous hosts Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Research about synthetic biology and the regulation mechanisms will provide a guidance for the production and development of TIA drugs in C. roseus.