Increasing the Pace of New Discoveries in Tropane Alkaloid Biosynthesis
2013
Jirschitzka, Jan | Dolke, Franziska | D’Auria, John C.
Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are plant-derived natural products that have been exploited throughout history for their pharmaceutical properties. TAs are characterised by the presence of a tropane ring and are present in a variety of plant families including the Solanaceae, Convolvulaceae, Proteaceae, Rhizophoraceae, Brassicaceae and Erythroxylaceae. The structural genes and enzymes involved in TA biosynthesis have been characterised primarily in the Solanaceae, but several key steps remain unresolved. The scattered distribution of TAs in different angiosperm families suggests that there may be several alternative pathways for TA biosynthesis, and TA biosynthesis appears to have a polyphyletic origin. Molecular techniques are providing an ever-increasing amount of information on the nature and evolution of TA biosynthesis pathways and are aiding the development of techniques for increasing the production of useful tropanes through metabolic engineering.
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