Speaker:
Title:
Discovery and Engineering of Acutumine-type Alkaloids In Menispermaceae Plants
Abstract:
Plant halogenated natural products are rare and harbor various interesting bioactivities, yet the biochemical basis for the involved halogenation chemistry is unknown. Here, we report the discovery of dechloroacutumine halogenase (DAH) from Menispermaceae plants known to produce the tetracyclic chloroalkaloid acutumine. Inspired by DAH, we also showcase the mechanism-based engineering of plant Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases and discuss computational approaches
for the discovery of acutumine biosynthetic genes.