Metabolite profiling of alkaloids and strictosidine synthase activity in camptothecin producing plants

Camptothecin derivatives are clinically used anti-neoplastic alkaloids that biogenetically belong to monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. Camptothecin-related alkaloids from the methanol extracts of Ophiorrhiza pumila, Camptotheca acuminata and Nothapodytes foetida plants were profiled and identified using a reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled with on-line photodiode array detection and electrospray-ionization ion-trap mass spectrometry. A natural 10-glycosyloxy camptothecin, chaboside, was accumulated in tissues of O. pumila but not in C. acuminata and N. foetida. Anthraquinones regarded as phytoalexins were present in the extracts of hairy roots and calli but not in the differentiated plants of O. pumila. These findings demonstrated a remarkable difference in the constituents between the differentiated plants and the hairy roots or calli tissues. The activity of strictosidine synthase, a key enzyme of camptothecin biosynthesis, was detected in the protein extracts of stems and roots of O. pumila, being correlated with the pattern of strictosidine synthase mRNA expression.     

Metabolomic analysis of Strychnos nux-vomica, Strychnos icaja and Strychnos ignatii extracts by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and multivariate analysis techniques

1H Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and multivariate analysis techniques were applied for the metabolic profiling of three Strychnos species: Strychnos nux-vomica (seeds, stem bark, root bark), Strychnos ignatii (seeds), and Strychnos icaja (leaves, stem bark, root bark, collar bark). The principal component analysis (PCA) of the 1H NMR spectra showed a clear discrimination between all samples, using the three first components. The key compounds responsible for the discrimination were brucine, loganin, fatty acids, and Strychnos icaja alkaloids such as icajine and sungucine. The method was then applied to the classification of several "false angostura" samples. These samples were, as expected, identified as S. nux-vomica by PCA, but could not be clearly discriminated as root bark or stem bark samples after further statistical analysis.     

Influence of soil fertilization, plant spacing, and cokppicing on growth, stomatal conductance, abscisic acid, and camptothecin levels in Camptotheca acuminata seedlings

Changes in amount of the plant alkaloid, camptothecin (CPT), were investigated in field-grown Camptotheca acuminata seedlings in response to fertilization, variation in plant density, and cokppicing. The relationship between CPT and growth, and abscisic acid (ABA) levels were also examined. Fertilization caused positive responses in growth of both the slow- and the fast-growing C. acuminata plants. It lowered stomatal conductance ( g ), reduced leaf CPT level in slow-growing but not fast-growing seedlings in mid-summer (July), and increased leaf ABA level in dense plantings in early fall (September). Shoots induced to develop as a result of cokppicing were significantly higher in leaf CPT level than the original non-cokppiced shoots. These results suggest that in the C. acuminata plantation management, cokppicing should be employed to produce high concentrations of CPT, but that soil fertilization should be used cautiously so that greater growth is not achieved at the cost of lower CPT biosynthesis.     

滤光膜对喜树幼苗叶片生长和喜树碱含量的影响

喜树 (Camptotheca acuminata)为中国特有树种 ,因其次生代谢产物喜树碱具有抗癌作用而闻名。通过用黄色、红色、蓝色 3种滤光膜对温室栽培的喜树幼苗进行遮光处理 ,研究了不同光照环境下喜树幼苗叶片生物量、叶绿素含量、光合作用和喜树碱含量的差异。结果表明在 30 d的遮光过程中 ,红膜和蓝膜遮光明显导致幼苗叶片生物量降低 ,黄膜遮光下幼苗叶片生物量在处理后 2 5 d才表现明显降低。不同滤光膜下幼苗叶片叶绿素含量先降低然后升高 ,遮光幼苗的叶绿素 a/ b明显低于日光幼苗。幼苗日最大净光合速率的顺序是 :日光 >黄膜 >红膜 >蓝膜。处理后第 2 0天 ,不同滤光膜下幼苗的光饱和光合速率 (Amax)、光饱和点 (Is)、光补偿点 (Ic)、最大表观量子效率 (AQYmax)都不同程度的低于日光幼苗。处理后第 10天至第 30天 ,遮光幼苗叶片喜树碱含量均显著高于日光下幼苗 ,以蓝膜下幼苗的喜树碱含量最高。蓝膜和黄膜下幼苗的喜树碱产量在后期处理中显著高于日光下幼苗 ,蓝膜下幼苗喜树碱产量在第 30天最高 ,是日光下幼苗的 2 .4 9倍。红膜下幼苗的喜树碱产量在第 10天后与日光下幼苗差异不显著。通过滤光膜遮光促进喜树碱在幼苗叶片中的积累 ,提高了叶片喜树碱产量 ,对喜树碱的生产实践有一定的意义     

Dysoxylum binectariferum bark as a new source of anticancer drug camptothecin: Bioactivity-guided isolation and LCMS-based quantification

Camptothecin (CPT, 1) is a potent anticancer natural product which led to the discovery of two clinically used anticancer drugs topotecan and irinotecan. These two drugs are semisynthetic analogs of CPT, and thus the commercial production of CPT as a raw material from various plant sources and tissue culture methods is highly demanding. In the present study, the Dysoxylum binectariferum bark, was identified as an alternative source of CPT, through bioassay-guided isolation. The barks showed presence of CPT (1) and its 9-methoxy analog 2, whereas CPT alkaloids were not present in seeds and leaves. This is the first report on isolation of CPT alkaloids from Meliaceae family. An efficient chromatography-free protocol for enrichment and isolation of CPT from D. binectariferum has been established, which was able to enrich CPT up to 21% in the crude extract. The LCMS (MRM)-based quantification method revealed the presence of 0.105% of CPT in dry barks of D. binectariferum. The discovery of CPT from D. binectariferum bark will certainly create a global interest in cultivation of this plant as a new crop for commercial production of CPT. Isolation of anticancer drug CPT from this plant, indicates that along with rohitukine, CPT and 9-methoxy CPT also contributes significantly to the cytotoxicity of D. binectariferum.     

新型喜树碱类抗癌药物的研究进展

喜树碱是1966年由喜树中分离而来的一种五环结构的生物碱,早期对其抗肿瘤活性的发现更是引发了科学家们对此类化合物极大的研究兴趣,现在已经证实喜树碱类化合物主要是通过抑制在DNA代谢过程中发挥重要作用的I型拓扑异构酶。但其自身因水溶性差、毒副作用强,在临床应用上易出现不良反应。半个世纪以来,国内外研究者在对其作用机制及构效关系的研究基础上,开发出了数以百计的喜树碱类衍生物,很多已经进入临床或临床前研究。但目前仅有两种喜树碱类的化合物拓扑替康和依立替康被美国FDA批准应用于临床上肿瘤的治疗。本文就已上市的喜树碱类化合物以及喜树碱类抗肿瘤药物开发的挑战进行了综述。     

喜树幼苗中喜树碱和10-羟基喜树碱对热激的响应特点和意义

植物在长期的生态环境适应过程中,产生了包括生物碱在内的大量次生代谢物.本文以我国特有树种--喜树(Camptotheca acuminata Decaisne)为材料,研究其不同器官中喜树碱(camptothecin,CPT)和10-羟基喜树碱(10-hydroxycamptothecin,HCPT)在不同热激温度和时间情况下的含量变化.CPT和HCPT变化呈现出较好的相互消长关系,并且分别在38℃和40℃达到各自的峰值,比以丙二醛和叶绿素为指标的致死温度低了2~4℃;HCPT在热激过程中的变化较CPT活跃;极易受到攻击和伤害的嫩叶中的生物碱含量变化最大.由此推断,CPT和HCPT遵循"幼嫩和生殖器官优先保护"的原则,从而有效地缓解了高温胁迫,并且HCPT和CPT代表了不同的防御策略.     

Tryptophan decarboxylase is encoded by two autonomously regulated genes in Camptotheca acuminata which are differentially expressed during development and stress

Camptothecin (CPT) is a valuable anti-cancer monoterpene alkaloid produced by the Chinese tree Camptotheca acuminata . Tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) supplies tryptamine for the indole moiety of CPT and its derivatives, and is considered a key step in monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis as it links primary and secondary metabolism. This report describes the isolation and characterization of tdc1 and tdc2 , two autonomously regulated TDC genes from Camptotheca . When expressed in Escherichia coli , the products of each gene could decarboxylate tryptophan, but were inactive against tyrosine, phenylalanine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa). tdc1 was developmentally regulated, having its highest expression level in the apex, young stem and bark, tissues which also contain the highest levels of CPT. Expression of tdc1 also increased during seedling development and was correlated with alkaloid accumulation during germination. tdc2 expression was induced in Camptotheca leaf discs and cell suspension cultures treated with fungal elicitor or methyl jasmonate, treatments which did not affect tdc1 expression. Unlike tdc1 , tdc2 expression was not detected in any unstressed Camptotheca tissues nor in developing seedlings. These data suggest that tdc1 may be part of a developmentally regulated chemical defense system in Camptotheca , while tdc2 serves as part of a defense system induced during pathogen challenge.     

光强对喜树幼苗叶片次生代谢产物喜树碱的影响

喜树碱是我国特有树种——喜树中所含的重要次生代谢产物 ,在人工控制条件下观察了光强对喜树幼苗叶片喜树碱含量的影响。喜树幼苗叶片的喜树碱含量随着遮荫程度的增加 (光照强度降低 )而增加 ,但严重遮荫的 (光强为全光照的 2 0 % )在处理后期 (75 d)喜树碱含量降低。叶片的喜树碱产量 (喜树碱含量与叶片生物量乘积 )在处理初期 (30 d)随光强减弱而缓慢地略有增加 ,处理后期 (45 d以后 )随光强的减弱而有明显增加 ,但光强低于全光照的 6 0 %以后喜树碱产量迅速下降。喜树碱的增加可能是喜树幼苗通过次生代谢过程对不良环境 (遮荫 )的一种适应性反应     

Camptothecin and 10-hydroxycamptothecin from<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Camptotheca acuminata</Emphasis> hairy roots

Camptothecin (CPT) is an anticancer and antiviral alkaloid produced by the Chinese tree Camptotheca acuminata (Nyssaceae) and some other species belonging to the families Apocynaceae, Olacaceae, and Rubiaceae. Bark and seeds are currently used as sources for the drug. Several attempts have been made to produce CPT from cell suspensions; however, the low yields obtained limit this approach. Cultures of differentiated cell types may be an alternative source of alkaloid production. Hairy root cultures of C. acuminata were established from tissue transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains ATCC 15834 and R-1000. Integration of the genes responsible for the hairy-root phenotype (rol genes) into the plant genome was verified by DNA gel blot analysis. The hairy roots produce and secrete CPT as well as the more potent and less toxic natural derivative, 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), into the medium. Remarkably, the cultures were able to synthesize the alkaloids at levels equal to, and sometimes greater than, the roots in planta, i.e., 1.0 and 0.15 mg/g dry weight for CPT and the HCPT, respectively.Abbreviations CPT Camptothecin - DR Dry weight - FW Fresh weight - HCPT 10-Hydroxycamptothecin - HPLC High-performance liquid chromatography - kb Kilobases - NAA 1-Napththalenacetic acid - TLC Thin-layer chromatographyCommunicated by K.K. Kamo     

Transport of camptothecin in hairy roots of Ophiorrhiza pumila

We have investigated the subcellular accumulation and transport of camptothecin (CPT), a monoterpene indole alkaloid, in hairy roots of Ophiorrhiza pumila. This hairy root produces high amounts of CPT and excretes it into the culture medium. When the hairy roots were exposed to UV radiation, autofluorescence emitted from CPT showed subcellular localization of CPT in the vacuole. Treatment with several inhibitors suggested that CPT excretion is a transporter-independent passive transport controlled by the concentration gradient of the compound. Interestingly, the hairy roots treated with brefeldin A, a vesicle transport inhibitor, showed increased CPT excretion. This could be explained by an increased transport rate of CPT from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the cytoplasm when transport of CPT to the vacuole is blocked. The much higher concentration of CPT in the cytoplasm resulted in the increased excretion rate. This result indicates that CPT is biosynthesized at the ER and transported to accumulate in the vacuole by the same machinery that is used for vacuolar protein sorting. How O. pumila is insensitive to CPT is discussed.     

喜树碱和10-羟基喜树碱受喜树生长发育调控的不同特点

为了揭示喜树碱(camptothecin, CPT)和10-羟基喜树碱(10-hydroxycamptothecin, HCPT)在喜树(Camptotheca acuminata Decaisne)体内代谢的生理调控机制及这两种类似物之间的关系和作用,运用高效液相色谱技术对种子形成、成熟、萌发和幼苗生长过程中喜树碱和10-羟基喜树碱的代谢动态进行了全面的研究.结果表明,喜树碱相对稳定地存在于成熟和幼嫩的组织中;10-羟基喜树碱特异性地积累在乳熟期的种子、种芽的子叶、幼嫩的真叶等幼嫩组织中,随着组织的进一步发育和成熟,其含量快速减少,成熟组织中积累极少,并且这两种生物碱的代谢在时间和数量上都呈现出相互消长的特点,由此推断,这两种生物碱不同程度地受生长发育调控的特点可能与喜树的化学防御策略密切相关,并且,它们之间可以相互转化以充分利用有限的氮素资源.     

Extraction and composition of three naturally occurring anti-cancer alkaloids in Camptotheca acuminata seed and leaf extracts

Naturally occurring camptothecins (CPT) are important sources of chemotherapeutic agents for clinical treatment of cancer. Extraction of CPT from Camptotheca acuminata trees remains to be a cost-effective way in the supply equation compared with a total synthesis. This study conducted a series of experiments to determine efficient solvent for the maximal extraction of CPT and its two derivatives, hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) and methoxycamptothecin, from seeds and leaves of C. acuminata. Methanol as an extraction solvent demonstrated in seeds a significantly higher recovery of these three alkaloids than dichloromethane and acetone. Methanol concentrations at 70% in water resulted in maximum extraction of all the three alkaloids regardless of the type of plant materials. However, other strengths of methanol, lower or higher, either decreased the extracting power or showed no improvement in the extraction. Seed extract contained all the three alkaloids whereas leaf extract was absent of HCPT. A stable ratio of the three alkaloids was discovered but it was dependent upon seed or leaf extract of C. acuminata, which with various compositions can be produced. Ecological and medicinal implications of the leaf and seed extract characterized with different chemical compositions are discussed.     

Generation of thermostable monomeric luciferases from Photorhabdus luminescens

Bacterial luciferases and the genes encoding these light-emitting enzymes have an increasing number of applications in biological sciences. Temperature lability and the heterodimeric nature of these luciferases have been the major obstacles for their widespread use, for instance, as genetic reporters. Escherichia coli expressing wild-type Photorhabdus luminescens luciferase was found to produce eight times more light than the corresponding Vibrio harveyi luciferase clone in vivo at 37 degrees C. Three monomeric luciferases were created by translationally fusing the two genes encoding luxA and luxB proteins of P. luminescens. These clones were equally active in producing light in vivo when cultivated at 37 degrees C compared to cultivation at 30 degrees C. The fusion containing the longest linker showed the highest activity. In vitro, the monomeric luciferases were less active having at best 20% of activity of the wild-type enzyme due to the partial formation of insoluble aggregates. The results suggest that P. luminescens luciferase and monomeric derivatives thereof should be more suitable than the corresponding V. harveyi enzyme to be used as reporters in cell types which need cultivation at elevated temperatures.     

Tissue-Specific Expression of the β-Subunit of Tryptophan Synthase in Camptotheca acuminata, an Indole Alkaloid-Producing Plant

Camptothecin is an anticancer drug produced by the monoterpene indole alkaloid pathway in Camptotheca acuminata. As part of an investigation of the camptothecin biosynthetic pathway, we have cloned and characterized a gene from C. acuminata encoding the beta-subunit of tryptophan (Trp) synthase (TSB). In C. acuminata TSB provides Trp for both protein synthesis and indole alkaloid production and therefore represents a junction between primary and secondary metabolism. TSB mRNA and protein were detected in all C. acuminata organs examined, and their abundance paralleled that of camptothecin. Within each shoot organ, TSB was most abundant in vascular tissues. Within the root, however, TSB expression was most abundant in the outer cortex. TSB has been localized to chloroplasts in Arabidopsis, but there was little expression of TSB in C. acuminata tissues where the predominant plastids were photosynthetically competent chloroplasts. Expression of the promoter from the C. acuminata TSB gene in transgenic tobacco plants paralleled expression of the native gene in C. acuminata in all organs except roots. TSB is also highly expressed in C. acuminata during early seedling development at a stage corresponding to peak accumulation of camptothecin, consistent with the idea that Trp biosynthesis and the secondary indole alkaloid pathway are coordinately regulated.     

Antibacterial cyclopeptide alkaloids from the bark of Condalia buxifolia

The cyclopeptide alkaloid, named condaline-A, was isolated from the root bark of Condalia buxifolia Reissek (Rhamnaceae), along with the known compounds adouetine-Y', scutianine-B, and scutianine-C. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses, with their antibacterial activities being evaluated by use of a direct bioautography method.     

Dimeric phenylphenalenones from Musa acuminata and various Haemodoraceae species. Crystal structure of anigorootin

Three fused octacyclic phenylphenalenone dimers were isolated from Musa acuminata: Anigorootin, which was first isolated from Anigozanthos flavidus and hitherto represented the only compound of that type, the new 4'-hydroxy-anigorootin, and 4',4"-di-hydroxy-anigorootin, which is a revised structure. The crystal structure of anigorootin was determined by X-ray crystallography. 3,3'-Bis-hydroxyanigorufone, a dimer of the conventional type known from Anigozanthos preissii, was also found in Musa acuminata. Phytochemical analysis of several Haemodoraceae species revealed the occurrence of anigorootin, 3,3'-bis-hydroxyanigorufone, and the novel metabolite 3,3'-bis-anigorufone. The occurrence of the same compounds in Musaceae and Haemodoraceae indicates the close chemotaxonomic relationship of both plant families.