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Discovery and metabolic engineering of iridoid/secoiridoid and monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis

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Abstract

There has been remarkable progress in the discovery of specialized metabolism pathways in the past few years. This has largely been due to the advent of inexpensive high throughput sequencing technologies, improved gene annotation methods and the development of tools for testing candidate genes for their involvement in particular biosynthetic pathways. This review describes the recent discoveries made on new steps in monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) biosynthesis within Catharanthus roseus. The review also places these discoveries in context of the existing literature on regulation and production of MIAs in whole plants compared to cell and organ cultures.

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Modified after Stöckigt et al. (1983)

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (V.D.L.), Canada Research Chairs (V.D.L.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Antje M. K. Thamm, Yang Qu & Vincenzo De Luca

  2. Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Antje M. K. Thamm

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  1. Antje M. K. Thamm
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Correspondence to Vincenzo De Luca.

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Thamm, A.M.K., Qu, Y. & De Luca, V. Discovery and metabolic engineering of iridoid/secoiridoid and monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis. Phytochem Rev 15, 339–361 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-016-9468-y

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