Biotransformation of Cadaverine and Potential Biogenetic Intermediates of Lupanine Biosynthesis by Plant Cell Suspension Cultures

Abstract

Alkaloid extracts obtained from cell suspension cultures of Lupinus polyphyllus, Conium maculatum and Symphytum officinale were separated by glass capillary gas chromatography and identified by GC/MS. Cadaverine is incorporated into the quinolizidine alkaloids by L. polyphyllus cell cultures only; identified transformation products are sparteine, 17-oxosparteine, lupanine and 4 other alkaloids which probaly are α-isosparteine, α-isolupanine, 12,13 -dehy drosparteine and 12,13 -dehy dro-17-oxosparteine. Sparteine displays a biotransformation pattern in all cell cultures which is similar to the pattern after cadaverine feeding. 17-oxosparteine is converted into lupanine indicating its intermediacy in lupanine biosynthesis. A possible pathway of lupanine biosynthesis and alkaloid transformation is discussed.