Opium poppy blueprint for an alkaloid factory

Authors: Peter J Facchini Jillian M Hagel David K Liscombe Natalia Loukanina Benjamin P MacLeod Nailish Samanani Katherine G Zulak

Publish Date: 2007/03/01

Volume: 6, Issue: 1, Pages: 97-124

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Abstract

Opium poppy Papaver somniferum produces a large number of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids including the narcotic analgesics morphine and codeine and has emerged as one of the most versatile model systems to study alkaloid metabolism in plants As summarized in this review we have taken a holistic strategy—involving biochemical cellular molecular genetic genomic and metabolomic approaches—to draft a blueprint of the fundamental biological platforms required for an opium poppy cell to function as an alkaloid factory The capacity to synthesize and store alkaloids requires the cooperation of three phloem cell types—companion cells sieve elements and laticifers—in the plant but also occurs in dedifferentiated cell cultures We have assembled an opium poppy expressed sequence tag EST database based on the attempted sequencing of more than 30000 cDNAs from elicitortreated cell culture stem and root libraries Approximately 23000 of the elicitorinduced cell culture and stem ESTs are represented on a DNA microarray which has been used to examine changes in transcript profile in cultured cells in response to elicitor treatment and in plants with different alkaloid profiles Fourier transformion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance mass spectroscopy are being used to detect corresponding differences in metabolite profiles Several new genes involved in the biosynthesis and regulation of alkaloid pathways in opium poppy have been identified using genomic tools A biological blueprint for alkaloid production coupled with the emergence of reliable transformation protocols has created an unprecedented opportunity to alter the chemical profile of the world’s most valuable medicinal plant

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