A Role for Old Yellow Enzyme in Ergot Alkaloid Biosynthesis

Johnathan Z. Cheng, Christine M. Coyle, Daniel G. Panaccione, Sarah O'Connor

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

50 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ergot alkaloids, secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi, elicit a diverse array of pharmacological effects. The biosynthesis of this class of natural products has not been fully elucidated. Here we demonstrate that a homologue of Old Yellow Enzyme encoded in the Aspergillus fumigatus ergot gene cluster catalyzes reduction of the alpha,beta unsaturated alkene of chanoclavine-I aldehyde 3. This reduction, which yields dihydrochanoclavine aldehyde, facilitates an intramolecular reaction between a secondary amine and aldehyde to form the D ring of the ergot alkaloid structural framework.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1776-1777
Number of pages2
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume132
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Cite this