An assay for secologanin in plant tissues based on enzymatic conversion into strictosidine

Didier Hallard, Robert van der Heijden, Adriana Contin, E. M. T. Jiménéz, Wim Snoeijer, Robert Verpoorte, Søren Rosendal Jensen, M. I. L. Cardoso, Giancarlo Pasquali, Johan Memelink, J. H. C. Hoge

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    The secoiridoid glucoside secologanin is the terpenoid building block in the biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids. A method for its determination in plant tissues and cell suspension cultures has been developed. This assay is based on the condensation of secologanin with tryptamine, yielding strictosidine, a reaction catalysed by the enzyme strictosidine synthase (STR; E.C. 4.3.3.2). Subsequently, the formation of strictosidine is quantified by HPLC. STR was isolated from transgenic Nicotiana tabacum cells expressing a cDNA-derived gene coding for STR from Catharanthus roseus. The high specificity of STR for secologanin, in combination with a sensitive and selective HPLC system, allows a simple extraction of secologanin from plant tissue. The detection limit of this methos is 15 ng secologanin. Using this assay, secologanin contents were determined in tissues of various plant species; Lonicera xylosteum hairy roots were found to contain 1 % of secologanin on a dry weight basis.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalPhytochemical Analysis
    Volume9
    Pages (from-to)162-167
    Publication statusPublished - 1998

    Cite this