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Phylogenetic origin of a secondary pathway: the case of pyrrolizidine alkaloids

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Abstract

Recent studies have revealed high sequence similarity between homospermidine synthase (HSS), the first pathway-specific enzyme in the biosynthesis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, a class of sporadically occurring plant defence compounds, and deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS), a ubiquitous enzyme involved in the post-translational activation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF5A). The recruitment of DHS during the evolution of the alkaloid pathway is discussed and interpreted as evolution by change of function.

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  1. Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstrasse 1, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany

    Dietrich Ober & Thomas Hartmann

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  1. Dietrich Ober
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  2. Thomas Hartmann
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Ober, D., Hartmann, T. Phylogenetic origin of a secondary pathway: the case of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Plant Mol Biol 44, 445–450 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026597621646

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