Two early and potential rate-limiting steps in the biosynthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids, such as morphine and codeine, in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) involve decarboxylation of L-tyrosine and L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) to yield tyramine and dopamine, respectively. A DNA fragment was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using degenerate primers designed to two highly conser...

Noscapine is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid produced in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and other members of the Papaveraceae. It has been used as a cough suppressant and more recently was shown to possess anticancer activity. However, the biosynthesis of noscapine in opium poppy has not been established. A proposed pathway leading from (S)-reticuline to noscapine includes (S)-scoulerine, (S)-c...

In this study, amount of morphine from poppy capsules (Papaver somniferum) was investigated using ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE). Response surface methodology was used to estimate effective experimental conditions on the content extraction of poppy capsules. For this purpose, solvent/solid ratio (10-20 mL/500 mg sample), pH (1-13), time (30-60 min), and temperature (30-50°C) were chosen a...

The collar rot disease has been reported recently and occurs at the 10-12-leaf stage of plants of opium poppy. Infected plants topple down and dry prematurely due to fast rotting at the collar region. The inoculum for this study was multiplied on the cornmeal-sand culture. Genetic ratios were calculated by the chi-square test. Inheritance studies on this disease show a monogenic pattern of segr...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) negatively control gene expression by cleaving or inhibiting the translation of mRNA of target genes, and as such, they play an important role in plant development. Of the 79 plant miRNA families discovered to date, most are from the fully sequenced plant genomes of Arabidopsis, Populus and rice. Here, we identified miRNAs from leaves, roots, stems and flowers at different de...

MADS-box genes are crucial regulators of floral development, yet how their functions have evolved to control different aspects of floral patterning is unclear. To understand the extent to which MADS-box gene functions are conserved or have diversified in different angiosperm lineages, we have exploited the capability for functional analyses in a new model system, Papaver somniferum (opium poppy...

An analytical method is presented here for the assessment of morphine and codeine concentrations in human serum by employing mass spectrometry in the selective ion monitoring mode following its separation with gas chromatography. Deuterated (marked with heavy water) analogies of the analytes were used as surrogate internal standards. Samples were cleaned up using solid phase extraction. The tar...

S-Adenosyl-l-methionine:tetrahydroprotoberberine cis-N-methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.122) catalyzes the conversion of (S)-stylopine to the quaternary ammonium alkaloid, (S)-cis-N-methylstylopine, as a key step in the biosynthesis of protopine and benzophenanthridine alkaloids in plants. A full-length cDNA encoding a protein exhibiting 45 and 48% amino acid identity with coclaurine N-methyltransfe...