A chemoenzymatic approach for the asymmetric total synthesis of the title compounds is described that employs an enantioselective oxidative C-C bond formation catalyzed by berberine bridge enzyme (BBE) in the asymmetric key step. This unique reaction yielded enantiomerically pure (R)-benzylisoquinoline derivatives and (S)-berbines such as the natural product (S)-scoulerine, a sedative and muscl...

Aporphinoids form an important group of plant secondary metabolites. Some of these compounds are used for a long time in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, from benign syndromes to more severe illnesses. More than 500 aporphine alkaloids have been isolated from various plant families and many of these compounds display potent cytotoxic activities which may be exploited ...

The benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are a diverse class of plant secondary metabolites that exhibit a broad range of pharmacological activities and are synthesized through biosynthetic pathways that exhibit complex enzyme activities and regulatory strategies. We have engineered yeast to produce the major branch point intermediate reticuline and downstream BIA metabolites from a commercially...

Berberine (BBR), a kind of quaternary ammonium benzylisoquinoline alkaloids with multiple pharmacological activities, has been regarded as promising lipid-lowering agent in the field drug repurposing. Particularly, chemical modification at C-9 position BBR can remarkably improve its efficacy. In this study, thirteen novel derivatives were rationally designed, synthesized, and evaluated by preli...

Many plant secondary metabolites show strong biological activities and are potentially also toxic to plants, while plants producing such active compounds are usually insensitive to their own metabolites, suggesting that they have species-specific detoxification mechanisms. In order to clarify the detoxification mechanism of alkaloids, we used cultured cells of Coptis japonica, which are capable...

We move from benzo-fused pyrroles to benzo-fused pyridines and meet quinoline and isoquinoline. Isoquinolines will feature as benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in Chapter 51 and their synthesis will mostly be discussed there. In this section we shall concentrate on the quinolines. Quinoline forms part of the structure of quinine, the malaria remedy found in cinchona bark and known since the time of ...

Synthesis gas, that consists largely of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, has been used in a process to make the commodity chemical, 2-hydroxybutyric acid. This news report discusses a proposal to alter regulations of materials and products involved in using synthetic biology to make chemicals. Genetic engineering can be complex and time consuming. This research paper describes an a...

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) produces medicinally important benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, including the analgesics codeine and morphine, in the morphinan pathway. We aligned three dioxygenases that were recently discovered in P. somniferum and subsequently identified the nonconserved regions. Two of these enzymes, codeine O-demethylase (PsCODM) and thebaine O-demethylase (PsT6ODM), are know...

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are a diverse class of plant specialized metabolites that includes the analgesic morphine, the antimicrobials sanguinarine and berberine, and the vasodilator papaverine. The two-electron oxidation of dihydrosanguinarine catalyzed by dihydrobenzophenanthridine oxidase (DBOX) is the final step in sanguinarine biosynthesis. The formation of the fully conjugated ring sy...

Recent advances in the cell, developmental, and molecular biology of alkaloid biosynthesis have heightened our appreciation for the complexity and importance of plant secondary pathways. Several biosynthetic genes involved in the formation of tropane, benzylisoquinoline, and terpenoid indole alkaloids have now been isolated. The early events of signal perception, the pathways of signal transduc...