Abstract
Among a large number of plant secondary metabolites, alkaloids comprise one of the most important groups due to their strong and divergent biological activities, and some are applied for clinical use. Alkaloids are often highly accumulated in particular organs of medicinal plants, which are called the ‘medicinal part’, whereas it is known that some alkaloids are translocated from source organs to such sink organs. The movement of biosynthetic intermediates from specific cells to other types of cells in tissue, and further detailed movement within the organelles in a cell is also suggested. However, little is known how alkaloids are transported across membranes and finally accumulated in specific organelles such as vacuole of the sink organ. To increase the productivity of valuable alkaloids in planta, not only biosynthetic genes of alkaloids but also genes involved in their transport will be important. Recently, the involvement of ABC transporters in the translocation of berberine alkaloid from root to rhizome was reported, while H+ antiporters were also suggested as the responsible transporters for vacuolar accumulation of the alkaloid. In this review, we describe intra-organ, intra-tissue and intra-cellular transport of the alkaloid via membrane transports. Furthermore, we discuss the possibility of increasing alkaloid production in transgenic plants by using alkaloid transporter genes.
Keywords: ABC Transporter, accumulation, alkaloid, MATE, membrane, transport, translocation
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Title: Accumulation and Membrane Transport of Plant Alkaloids
Volume: 8 Issue: 4
Author(s): N. Shitan and K. Yazaki
Affiliation:
Keywords: ABC Transporter, accumulation, alkaloid, MATE, membrane, transport, translocation
Abstract: Among a large number of plant secondary metabolites, alkaloids comprise one of the most important groups due to their strong and divergent biological activities, and some are applied for clinical use. Alkaloids are often highly accumulated in particular organs of medicinal plants, which are called the ‘medicinal part’, whereas it is known that some alkaloids are translocated from source organs to such sink organs. The movement of biosynthetic intermediates from specific cells to other types of cells in tissue, and further detailed movement within the organelles in a cell is also suggested. However, little is known how alkaloids are transported across membranes and finally accumulated in specific organelles such as vacuole of the sink organ. To increase the productivity of valuable alkaloids in planta, not only biosynthetic genes of alkaloids but also genes involved in their transport will be important. Recently, the involvement of ABC transporters in the translocation of berberine alkaloid from root to rhizome was reported, while H+ antiporters were also suggested as the responsible transporters for vacuolar accumulation of the alkaloid. In this review, we describe intra-organ, intra-tissue and intra-cellular transport of the alkaloid via membrane transports. Furthermore, we discuss the possibility of increasing alkaloid production in transgenic plants by using alkaloid transporter genes.
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Cite this article as:
N. Shitan and K. Yazaki , Accumulation and Membrane Transport of Plant Alkaloids, Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2007; 8 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920107781387429
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920107781387429 |
Print ISSN 1389-2010 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4316 |
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