Qu Research Group | Natural Medicine Biosynthesis
Publication of latest findings:
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.
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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