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Updated: May 19, 2026
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Rapid High-throughput Species Identification of Botanical Material Using Direct Analysis in Real Time High Resolution Mass Spectrometry
Published on: October 2, 2016
Interactomics-driven discovery of alkaloid biosynthetic pathways in kratom
Bo Yang1, Samuel Kemiji1,2, Jianing Han1,3
1Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|May 18, 2026
Summary
Researchers discovered novel enzymes in kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) that produce medically important plant alkaloids. Protein interactions revealed new pathways for monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) biosynthesis, advancing our understanding of these compounds.
Area of Science:
- Plant biochemistry
- Molecular biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Plant monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) possess significant pharmacological activities, but their biosynthetic pathways are not fully elucidated.
- Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are crucial regulatory mechanisms in plants that produce MIAs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the protein interactions of strictosidine β-D-glucosidase (SGD) from Mitragyna speciosa using a yeast-based screening pipeline.
- To identify novel enzymes involved in MIA biosynthesis and characterize their functions.
Main Methods:
- Large-scale yeast-based screening to profile PPIs of SGD.
- Biochemical characterization of identified interaction partners.
- Transcriptomics and genomics analyses to uncover biosynthetic gene clusters.
Main Results:
- Six novel medium-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (MDRs) were identified as SGD interaction partners.
- All six MsMDRs produce a new MIA, charlamine, by acting on the strictosidine aglycone intermediate.
- One MsMDR converts vallesiachotamine to another new MIA, vallesiachotaminol.
- A downstream biosynthetic gene cluster containing a dihydrocorynantheine aldehyde esterase was identified.
Conclusions:
- Interactomics-based approaches are effective for discovering plant biosynthetic pathways.
- Novel enzymes and MIAs (charlamine and vallesiachotaminol) have been identified, expanding the known MIA biosynthetic network.
- The findings provide a functional rationale for SGD-MDR interactions in MIA production.
