Journal of Biological Chemistry

Three new O-methyltransferases are sufficient for all O-methylation reactions of ipecac alkaloid biosynthesis in root culture of Psychotria ipecacuanha

T Nomura, TM Kutchan

Index: Nomura, Taiji; Kutchan, Toni M. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2010 , vol. 285, # 10 p. 7722 - 7738

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Citation Number: 15

Abstract

Abstract The medicinal plant Psychotria ipecacuanha produces ipecac alkaloids, a series of monoterpenoid-isoquinoline alkaloids such as emetine and cephaeline, whose biosynthesis derives from condensation of dopamine and secologanin. Here, we identified three cDNAs, IpeOMT1–IpeOMT3, encoding ipecac alkaloid O-methyltransferases (OMTs) from P. ipecacuanha. They were coordinately transcribed with the recently identified ipecac ...