Director and Professor of Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Bioengineering Institute for Plant-Human Interface, Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts
Acutumine-type alkaloids are rare halogenated natural products produced in Menispermum plants with considerable medicinal interest, yet their biosynthesis remains largely underexplored. In the is talk, I will discuss the discovery of dechloroacutumine halogenase (DAH) and examine its evolutionary origins at the genomic level. Chromosomal-level assembly of M. canadense and synteny-based analyses with closely related species suggest that DAH evolved as a result of gene duplication and neofunctionalization of flavonol synthase (FLS) gene. This exemplifies the mode of action for diversification of alkaloid biosynthesis in plants and provides insights for plant halogenase evolution. Inspired by the evolution of DAH, we also explore the mechanism-based engineering of plant Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases.