Abstract
In the biosynthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids, several unusual monooxygenation reactions such as the intermolecular C-O phenol-coupling and the intramolecular C-C phenol coupling reactions are involved, and cytochromes P450 such as CYP80A1 and CYP80G2 have been shown to catalyze these reactions. Root cultures of Stephania cephatantha produce several isoquinoline alkaloids, and, in this study, we have isolated five P450 cDNAs from the root cultures by RT-PCR with the degenerated primers specific to CYP80A1 and CYP80G2. The isolated P450s showed high amino-acid sequence identities with the CYP80 family members, suggesting their involvement in isoquinoline biosynthesis in S. cepharantha. Further analyses to determine the function of these P450 cDNAs with heterologous expression are now in progress.
