Mann SGA, Paz-Galeano M, Shahsavarani M, Perley JO, Guo J, Garza-Garcia JJ*, Qu Y. (2025). Stereochemical Insights into Sarpagan and Akuammiline Alkaloid Biosynthesis. New Phytologist 

https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70272

Mann SGA, Richardson MB, Young RN, Deslongchamps G, Qu Y. (2025). Regiospecific hydroxylase and O-methyltransferase for the biosynthesis of anticancer alkaloids in Tabernaemontana elegans (toad tree). Plant Physiology and Biochemistry

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.110161

Mai Z, Richardson MB, Mann SGA, Greene J, Paul AM, Perley JO, Deslongchamps G, Qu Y. (2025). Promiscuous and Regiospecific Vinca Minor Hydroxylases for Opioid Akuammine Biosynthesis and Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloid Diversification. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 223:109841

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.109841

Mai Z, Kim K, Richardson MB, Deschênes DAR, Garza-Garcia JJO, Shahsavarani M, Perley JO, Njoku DI, Deslongchamps G, Qu Y. (2024) Oxidation of four monoterpenoid indole alkaloid classes by three cytochrome P450 monooxygenases from Tabernaemontana litoralis . The Plant Journal  120:2770

https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17145

Guo J, Gao D, Lian J, Qu Y. (2024) De novo biosynthesis of antiarrhythmic alkaloid ajmaline. Nature Communications. 15:457

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44797-z

Farzana M,  Richardson MB, Deschenes DAR, Mai Z, Njoku DI, Deslongchamps G, Qu Y. (2024) Parallel evolution of methyltransferases leads to vobasine biosynthesis in Tabernaemontana elegans and Catharanthus roseus. Frontiers in Plant Science. 15:1451298

 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1451298

Garza-Garcia JJO, Qu Y (2024) Chemical, pharmacological properties and biosynthesis of opioid mitragynine in Mitragyna speciosa (kratom). Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 81:102600

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102600

Li, F, Shahsavarani, M, Handy-Hart, CJ, Cote A, Brasseur-Trottier X, Montgomery V, Beech RN, Liu L, Bayen S, Qu Y, De Luca V, Dastmalchi M. (2024) Characterization of a vacuolar importer of secologanin in Catharanthus roseus. Communications Biology. 7:939.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06624-5

Kim K, Shahsavarani M, Garza-García JJO, Carlisle JE, Guo J, De Luca V, Qu Y. (2023) Biosynthesis of Kratom Opioids. New Phytologist. 240:757-769

https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19162

Blatt-Janmaat K, Neumann S, Schmidt F, Ziegler J, Qu Y, Peters K. (2023) Impact of in vitro phytohormone treatments on the metabolome of the leafy liverwort Radula complanata (L.) Dumort. Metabolomics 19 (3):17

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-023-01979-y

Eng JGM, Shahsavarani M, Smith DP, Hajícek J, De Luca V, Qu Y (2022) A Catharanthus roseus Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase catalyzes a redox-neutral reaction responsible for vindolinine biosynthesis. Nature Communications. 13:3335

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31100-1

Shahsavarani M, Utomo JC, Kumar R, Paz-Galeano M, Garza-García JJO, Mai Z, Ro DK, Qu Y. (2023) Improved protein glycosylation enabled heterologous biosynthesis of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids and their unnatural derivatives in yeast. Metabolic Engineering Communications. 16:e00215

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mec.2022.e00215

Blatt-Janmaat K, Neumann S, Schmidt F, Ziegler J, Peters K, Qu Y. (2022) Impact of in vitro hormone treatments on the bibenzyl production of Radula complanata. Botany

https://doi.org/10.1139/cjb-2022-0048

Shahsavarani M, Farzana M, De Luca V, Qu Y. (2022) Generating an EMS Mutant Population and Rapid Mutant Screening by Thin-Layer Chromatography Enables the Studies of Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloids Biosynthesis in Catharanthus Roseus. Methods in Molecular Biology - the Catharanthus Edition 2505:181-190

https://link.springer.com/protocol/10.1007/978-1-0716-2349-7_13

Farzana M, Shahsavarani M, De Luca V, Qu Y. (2022) Studying iridoid transport in Catharanthus roseus by grafting. Methods in Molecular Biology - the Catharanthus Edition 2505:69-77

https://link.springer.com/protocol/10.1007/978-1-0716-2349-7_5

Blatt-Janmaat K, Qu Y. (2021). The Biochemistry of Phytocannabinoids and Metabolic Engineering of Their Production in Heterologous Systems. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 22(51): 2454.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22052454

Barnes EB, Kwon M, Hodgins CH, Qu Y, Kim SW, Yeung EC, Ro DK. (2021). The promoter sequences of lettuce cis-prenyltransferase and its binding protein specify gene expression in laticifers. Planta. 253(51)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-021-03566-8

Kidd T, Easson M, Qu Y, De Luca V. (2019). Inter-organ transport of secologanin allows assembly of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids in a Catharanthus roseus mutant. Phytochemistry. 159: 119-126.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2018.12.017

Williams D, Qu Y, Simonescu R, De Luca V. (2019). The assembly of (+)-vincadifformine and (-)- tabersonine derived monoterpenoid indole alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus involve separate branch pathways. The Plant Journal. 99:626-636

https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14346

Qu Y, Safonova O, De Luca V. (2019). Completion of the canonical pathway for assembly of anticancer drugs vincristine/vinblastine in Catharanthus roseus. The Plant Journal. 97(2): 257-266

https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14111

Qu Y, Easson M, Simionescu R, Thamm A, Salim V, De Luca V. (2018). Solution of the multistep pathway for assembly of corynanthean, strychnos, iboga, and aspidosperma monoterpenoid indole alkaloids from 19E-geissoschizine. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A.115(12): 3180-3185.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719979115

Edge A, Qu Y, Easson M, Thamm A, Kim K, De Luca V. (2018). A tabersonine 3-reductase Catharanthus roseusmutant accumulates vindoline pathway intermediates. Planta. 247(1): 155-169.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-017-2775-8

Qu Y, Thamm A, Czerwinski M, Masada S, Kim K, Jones G, Liang P, De Luca V. (2018). Geissoschizine synthase controls flux in the formation of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids in a Catharanthus roseus mutant. Planta.247(3): 625-634.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-017-2812-7

Demessie Z, Woolfson K, Yu F, Qu Y, De Luca V. (2017). The ATP binding cassette transporter, VmTPT2/ VmABCG1, is involved in export of the monoterpenoid indole alkaloid, vincamine in Vinca minor leaves. Phytochemistry. 140: 118-124

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2017.04.019

Thamm A, Qu Y, De Luca V. (2016). Discovery and metabolic engineering of iridoid/secoiridoid and monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis. Phytochemistry Reviews. 15(3): 339-361

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-016-9468-y

Qu Y, Simonescu R, De Luca V. (2016). Monoterpene Indole Alkaloids from the Fruit of Tabernaemontana litoralis and Differential Alkaloid Composition in Various Fruit Components. Journal of Natural Products. 79(12): 3143-3147

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6b00405​

Ro D, Qu Y, Kwon M. (2016). Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology of plant secondary metabolism. Arimura G, Maffei M. Plant Specialized Metabolism. 1: 315-360.

[link]

Qu Y, Easson M, Froese J, Simionescu R, Hudlicky T, De Luca V. (2015). Completion of the seven- step pathway from tabersonine to the anticancer drug precursor vindoline and its assembly in yeast. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A.112(19): 6224-6229.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1501821112

Qu Y, Chakrabarty R, Tran H, Kwon E, Kwon M, Nguyen T, Ro D. (2015). A lettuce (Lactuca sativa) homolog of human Nogo-B receptor interacts with cis-prenyltransferase and is necessary for natural rubber biosynthesis. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 290(4): 1898-1914

https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M114.616920

Chakrabarty R, Qu Y, Ro D. (2015). Silencing the lettuce homologs of small rubber particle protein does not influence natural rubber biosynthesis in lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Phytochemistry. 113: 121-129

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2014.12.003