0000000000341657
AUTHOR
Susanne Endreß
Enzymatic biosynthesis of raumacline
Abstract The indole alkaloid, raumacline, is biosynthesized from ajmaline, when the latter was fed to cell suspensions of Rauwolfia serpentina . Formation in catalysed by two enzymes, a cell wall-bound peroxidase followed by a NADPH 2 -dependent reductase. The first enzyme cleaves ajmaline oxidatively leading to a C-21 epimeric mixture of 21-hydroxyraumacline, a novel alkaloid, which, in turn, is reduced under formation of raumacline. The peroxidase reaction is not specific for Rauwolfia cells whereas the reductase is present exclusively in Rauwolfia cell suspensions. The reductase has been purified to homogeneity. The enzyme is highly substrate specific, only accepting 21-hydroxyraumacline…
Natural products and enzymes from plant cell cultures
Plants represent an unlimited source of natural products. Many of the recently detected phytochemicals exhibit remarkable bioactivities, ranging from anticancer activity, phosphodiesterase inhibition to cytotoxicity against HIV-infected cells. Cultivated plant cells produce at their unorganized, dedifferentiated stage secondary metabolites, but in very different amounts in so far as new compounds are concerned. In fact, more than 140 novel natural products are presently known from plant cell cultures, which also include new metabolites formed by biotransformation. The biotransformation capacity of suspended cells is described and recent high yielding transformations, like the formation of a…
Alkaloids from Rauwolfia serpentina cell cultures treated with ajmaline
Abstract A group of new alkaloids, the raumaclines, and some related alkaloids were isolated from Rauwolfia serpentina cell suspensions fed with high levels of ajmaline; their structures were determined and syntheses developed providing an essential prerequisite to the further study of their biosynthesis at the enzymatic level.
Isolation, Identification, and Chemical Synthesis of 6α-Hydroxyraumacline: A Novel Alkaloid from CultivatedRauwolfia serpentinaCells
From RAUWOLFIA SERPENTINA cells cultivated in the presence of ajmaline ( 2) the new indole alkaloid, 6alpha-hydroxyraumacline ( 1), was isolated. This alkaloid also occurs in significant amounts in the nutrition medium. A simple chemical synthesis of 1 was developed starting from ajmaline ( 2).