Reisebericht: Kongress “Chemistry, Pharmacology and Biosynthesis of Alkaloids”

Im April 2006 hatten wir die Gelegenheit, am Kongress “Chemistry, Pharmacology and Biosynthesis of Alkaloids” teilzunehmen. Dieser Kongress wurde von der “Phytochemical Society of Europe” in Belek/Turkei veranstaltet und ist ein Treffen hochrangiger Wissenschaftler auf dem Gebiet der Alkaloidforschung.

Erratum to “3D-Structure and function of strictosidine synthase – The key enzyme of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis” [Plant Physiol. Biochem. 46 (3) (2008) 340–355]

The Structure of Rauvolfia serpentina Strictosidine Synthase Is a Novel Six-Bladed β-Propeller Fold in Plant Proteins

Abstract The enzyme strictosidine synthase (STR1) from the Indian medicinal plant Rauvolfia serpentina is of primary importance for the biosynthetic pathway of the indole alkaloid ajmaline. Moreover, STR1 initiates all biosynthetic pathways leading to the entire monoterpenoid indole alkaloid family representing an enormous structural variety of ∼2000 compounds in higher plants. The crystal structures of STR1 in complex with its natural substrates tryptamine and secologanin provide structural understanding of the observed substrate preference and identify residues lining the active site surface that contact the substrates. STR1 catalyzes a Pictet-Spengler–type reaction and represents a novel…

Structure-based engineering of strictosidine synthase: auxiliary for alkaloid libraries.

SummaryThe highly substrate-specific strictosidine synthase (EC 4.3.3.2) catalyzes the biological Pictet-Spengler condensation between tryptamine and secologanin, leading to the synthesis of about 2000 monoterpenoid indole alkaloids in higher plants. The crystal structure of Rauvolfia serpentina strictosidine synthase (STR1) in complex with strictosidine has been elucidated here, allowing the rational site-directed mutation of the active center of STR1 and resulting in modulation of its substrate acceptance. Here, we report on the rational redesign of STR1 by generation of a Val208Ala mutant, further describing the influence on substrate acceptance and the enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of 10-m…

3D-Structure and function of strictosidine synthase--the key enzyme of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis.

Strictosidine synthase (STR; EC 4.3.3.2) plays a key role in the biosynthesis of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids by catalyzing the Pictet-Spengler reaction between tryptamine and secologanin, leading exclusively to 3alpha-(S)-strictosidine. The structure of the native enzyme from the Indian medicinal plant Rauvolfia serpentina represents the first example of a six-bladed four-stranded beta-propeller fold from the plant kingdom. Moreover, the architecture of the enzyme-substrate and enzyme-product complexes reveals deep insight into the active centre and mechanism of the synthase highlighting the importance of Glu309 as the catalytic residue. The present review describes the 3D-structure and …