Opium poppy metabolic engineering

The isolation of the cDNAs encoding the enzymes involved in diverse isoquinoline alkaloid formation in plants and microorganisms allowed the first metabolic engineering routes to be developed and paved the way for new ways of future production of isoquinoline alkaloids. For instance, transgenic opium poppy plants were created in which codeinone reductase was suppressed by RNAi, resulting in the substitution of morphine synthesis with the non-narcotic precursor reticuline [110]. In a similar approach, RNAi suppression or overexpression of salutaridinol 1-0-acetyltransferase in opium poppy led to accumulation of salutaridine or increase of morphine, codeine and thebaine content [111], suppression of the BBE led to accumulation of berberine in California poppy cells [112],... 

Kutchan TM. A target for medicinal plant metabolic engineering—The opium poppy Papaver somniferum. J Biotechnol 2005 118(Suppl. 1) 143. 

Frick S, Kiamell R, Kutchan TM (2007) Metabolic engineering with a morphine biosynthetic P450 in opium poppy surpasses breeding. Metab Eng 9 169-176... 

Allen RS et al (2008) Metabolic engineering of morphinan alkaloids by over-expression and RNAi suppressirai of salutaridinol 7-0-acetyltransferase in opium poppy. Plant Biotechnol J... 

Allen RS, Miller JAC, Chitty JA, et al. (2008) Metabolic engineering of morphinan alkaloids by over-expression and RNAi suppression of salutaridinol7-0-acetyltransferase in opium poppy. Plant Biotech J 6 22-30 Allen RS, Millgate AG, Chitty JA, et al. (2004) RNAi-mediated replacement of morphine with the noimarcotic alkaloid reticuline in opium poppy. Nature Biotech 22 1559-1568 AmaimM, Wanner G,ZenkMH (1986) Intracellular compartmentation of two enzymes of berberine biosynthesis in plant cell cultures. Planta 167 310-320... 

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