Enzyme

Vinblastine

Vindoline

Catharanthus roseus

Stereochemistry

Biology

Chemistry

Chemotherapy

Alkaloid

Genetics

Biosynthesis

Biochemistry

Science

How to make bioactive alkaloids Vinblastine and vincristine are important, expensive anticancer agents that are produced by dimerization of the plant-derived alkaloids catharanthine and vindoline. The enzymes that transform tabersonine into vindoline are known; however, the mechanism by which the scaffolds of catharanthine and tabersonine are generated has been a mystery. Caputi et al. now describe the biosynthetic genes and corresponding enzymes responsible. This resolves a long-standing question of how plant alkaloid scaffolds are synthesized, which is important not only for vinblastine and vincristine biosynthesis, but also for understanding the many other biologically active alkaloids found throughout nature. Science , this issue p. 1235

Missing enzymes in the biosynthesis of the anticancer drug vinblastine in Madagascar periwinkle