BACKGROUND Benzylisoquinoline is the structural backbone of many alkaloids with a wide variety of structures including papaverine, noscapine, codeine, morphine, apomorphine, berberine, protopine and tubocurarine. Many benzylisoquinoline alkaloids have been reported to show therapeutic properties and to act as novel medicines. Thus it is important to collect and compile benzylisoquinoline alkalo...

Methoxy- and benzyloxy-substituted isoquinolines are regioselectively metalated at C-1 with the Knochel-Hauser base, subsequent trapping with aromatic aldehydes gives aryl(isoquinolin-1-yl)carbinols as building blocks for divergent syntheses of different types of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Photochemical cyclization of ortho-bromo analogues under reductive conditions gives oxoaporphine alkalo...

abstract benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are a diverse group of nitrogenous compounds which is found in about 20% of plant species. isolation of effective genes involved in morphine biosynthesis of opium poppy is very important in the production of specific which can be achieved using metabolic engineering techniques. in this biosynthesis pathway, the key enzyme sat is involved in the conversion o...

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are one of the most important secondary metabolite groups, and include the economically important analgesic morphine and the antimicrobial agent berberine. To improve the production of these alkaloids, we investigated the effect of the overexpression of putative rate-limiting step enzymes in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis. We introduced two O-methyltransfe...

-Plant cell cultures rather than differentiated plants are the preferred material for studying secondary product formation and elucidate the enzyme pathways responsible for isoquinoline alkaloid formation. Using callus and cell suspension cultures of different BwberiJ species, we studied the incorporation ofearly precursors like tyrosine, dopa, tyramine, and dopamine into jatrorrhizine. Besides...

BACKGROUND Protoberberine alkaloids are bioactive molecules abundant in plant preparations for traditional medicines. Yeast engineered to express biosynthetic pathways for fermentative production of these compounds will further enable investigation of the medicinal properties of these molecules and development of alkaloid-based drugs with improved efficacy and safety. Here, we describe the opti...

The substance archive of the laboratory of Johannes Gadamer (1867-1928), Marburg, Germany, was analyzed thoroughly with modern instrumental methods, with the samples purified when necessary, and the authenticity of the samples confirmed by historical and analytical evidence. Eight formerly unknown alkaloids of the benzylisoquinoline type were identified in the archive originally isolated from C...