In the present study two phytocystatins (thiol protease inhibitors) have been isolated and purified to homogeneity form Catharanthus roseus by a simple two step procedure using ammonium sulphate fractionation and gelfiltration chromatography on Sephacryl100HR.The two inhibitors were named as CRCI and CRCII (Catharanthus roseus cystatin I and II). CRCI and CRCII were purified with a fold purific...

Jasmonic acid is an important signaling molecule in plants that regulates a wide variety of cellular responses including the responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. The external application of jasmonic acid has been shown to increase the accumulation of the monomeric terpenoid indole alkaloids, TIAs, in Catharanthus roseus seedlings and hairy root cultures (1-3). Jasmonic acid regulates the e...

A rapid and simple reversed phase liquid chromatographic system has been developed for simultaneous analysis of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) and their precursors. This method allowed separation of 11 compounds consisting of eight TIAs (ajmalicine, serpentine, catharanthine, vindoline, vindolinine, vincristine, vinblastine, and anhydrovinblastine) and three related precursors i.e., tryptoph...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate numerous crucial biological processes in plants. However, information is limited on their involvement in the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites in plants, including Catharanthus roseus that produces a number of pharmaceutically valuable, bioactive terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs). Using small RNA-sequencing, we identified 181 conserved and 173 novel miRNAs (cro...

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don is a medicinal plant well known for producing antitumor drugs such as vinblastine and vincristine, which are classified as terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs). The TIA metabolic pathway in C. roseus has been extensively studied. However, the localization of TIA intermediates at the cellular level has not been demonstrated directly. In the present study, the metabol...

Glycosylation of bisphenol A, which is an endocrine disrupting chemical, was investigated using immobilized marine microalga and plant cells from the viewpoint of bioremediation of bisphenol A. Immobilized marine microalga of Amphidinium crassum glucosylated bisphenol A to the corresponding glucoside. On the other hand, bisphenol A was glycosylated to its glucoside, diglycoside, gentiobioside, ...

In the presence of PP, as an energy source, the tonoplast-bound inorganic pyrophosphatase from Catharanthus roseus cells is able to create a proton-gradient which can drive the synthesis of ATP from ADP and Pi. ATP synthesis is linked to the pH-gradient dissipation as monitored by the recovery of the fluorescence intensity of quinacrine and by the amount of synthesized ATP measured by the biolu...

The (seco)iridoids and their derivatives, the monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs), form two large families of plant-derived bioactive compounds with a wide spectrum of high-value pharmacological and insect-repellent activities. Vinblastine and vincristine, MIAs used as anticancer drugs, are produced by Catharanthus roseus in extremely low levels, leading to high market prices and poor availab...