Publications

influence of reserpine free extract of rauvolfia serpentina on the action of acth and cortisone acetate in rats.		1956	13382379
effect of reserpine free extract of rauvolfia serpentina on gastric acidity in man.		1957	13462576
the cdna clone for strictosidine synthase from rauvolfia serpentina. dna sequence determination and expression in escherichia coli.	the cdna clone for strictosidine synthase, the enzyme which catalyzes the stereospecific condensation of tryptamine with secologanin to form the key intermediate in indole alkaloid biosynthesis, strictosidine, has been identified with a synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide hybridization probe in a lambda gt11 cdna library of cultured cells of rauvolfia serpentina. the dna has been sequenced, revealing an open reading frame of 1032 base pairs encoding 344 amino acids. the sequence of 60 nucleotides in ...	1988	3049153
expression of enzymatically active cloned strictosidine synthase from the higher plant rauvolfia serpentina in escherichia coli.	the cdna for strictosidine synthase, the enzyme catalyzing the stereospecific condensation of tryptamine with secologanin producing strictosidine, the key intermediate in indole alkaloid biosynthesis, has been expressed in an enzymatically active form in escherichia coli. the cdna trimmed of its 3'- and 5'-flanking regions was inserted into the vector pkk223-3 by addition of a synthetic adapter containing the ribosome binding site derived from the beta-galactosidase gene. strictosidine synthase ...	1989	2680603
heterologous expression of the plant proteins strictosidine synthase and berberine bridge enzyme in insect cell culture.	the heterologous expression of cdnas encoding the alkaloid biosynthetic enzymes, strictosidine synthase [ec 4.3.3.2] from rauvolfia serpentina and the berberine bridge enzyme [(s)-reticuline: oxygen oxidoreductase (methylene-bridge-forming), ec 1.5.3.9] from eschscholtzia californica, has been achieved in a cell culture (sf9) of the fall army worm, spodoptera frugiperda, using a baculovirus-based expression system. the expression resulted in the overproduction of each plant enzyme in a catalytic ...	1994	7764480
the gene encoding polyneuridine aldehyde esterase of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis in plants is an ortholog of the alpha/betahydrolase super family.	the biosynthesis of the anti-arrhythmic alkaloid ajmaline is catalysed by more than 10 specific enzymes. in this multistep process polyneuridine aldehyde esterase (pnae) catalyses a central reaction by transforming polyneuridine aldehyde into epi-vellosimine, which is the immediate precursor for the synthesis of the ajmalane skeleton. pnae was purified from cell suspension cultures of rauvolfia serpentina. the n-terminal sequence and endoproteinase lysc fragments of the purified protein were use ...	2000	10691977
molecular cloning and functional bacterial expression of a plant glucosidase specifically involved in alkaloid biosynthesis.	monoterpenoid indole alkaloids are a vast and structurally complex group of plant secondary compounds. in contrast to other groups of plant products which produce many glycosides, indole alkaloids rarely occur as glucosides. plants of rauvolfia serpentina accumulate ajmaline as a major alkaloid, whereas cell suspension cultures of rauvolfia mainly accumulate the glucoalkaloid raucaffricine at levels of 1.6 g/l. cell cultures do contain a specific glucosidase. known as raucaffricine-o-beta-d-gluc ...	2000	10975500
utilizing genetically engineered bacteria to produce plant-specific glucosides.	plant-derived glucosides have attracted much attention due to their widespread applications. this class of products is difficult to isolate or to synthesize in pure form because of the resulting low yields. thus, simple approaches for the generation of such glucosides would be highly beneficial. we purified and characterized a novel glucosyltransferase from plant cell suspension cultures of rauvolfia serpentina, which showed rather low substrate specificity. we obtained its cdna and expressed th ...	2001	11505382
arbutin synthase, a novel member of the nrd1beta glycosyltransferase family, is a unique multifunctional enzyme converting various natural products and xenobiotics.	plant glucosyltransferases (gts) play a crucial role in natural product biosynthesis and metabolization of xenobiotics. we expressed the arbutin synthase (as) cdna from rauvolfia serpentina cell suspension cultures in escherichia coli with a 6 x his tag and purified the active enzyme to homogeneity. the recombinant enzyme had a temperature optimum of 50 degrees c and showed two different ph optima (4.5 and 6.8 or 7.5, depending on the buffer). out of 74 natural and synthetic phenols and two cinn ...	2002	11937332
heterologous expression of a rauvolfia cdna encoding strictosidine glucosidase, a biosynthetic key to over 2000 monoterpenoid indole alkaloids.	strictosidine glucosidase (sg) is an enzyme that catalyses the second step in the biosynthesis of various classes of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. based on the comparison of cdna sequences of sg from catharanthus roseus and raucaffricine glucosidase (rg) from rauvolfia serpentina, primers for rt-pcr were designed and the cdna encoding sg was cloned from r. serpentina cell suspension cultures. the active enzyme was expressed in escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. analysis of its deduc ...	2002	11985599
new alkaloids of the sarpagine group from rauvolfia serpentina hairy root culture.	three new monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, 19(s),20(r)-dihydroperaksine (1), 19(s),20(r)-dihydroperaksine-17-al (2), and 10-hydroxy-19(s),20(r)-dihydroperaksine (3), along with 16 known alkaloids 4-19 were isolated from hairy root culture of rauvolfia serpentina, and their structures were elucidated by 1d and 2d nmr analyses. taking into account the stereochemistry of the new alkaloids and results of preliminary enzymatical studies, the putative biosynthetical relationships between the novel alka ...	2002	12141861
probing suggested catalytic domains of glycosyltransferases by site-directed mutagenesis.	the plant enzyme arbutin synthase isolated from cell suspension cultures of rauvolfia serpentina and heterologously expressed in escherichia coli is a member of the nrd1beta family of glycosyltransferases. this enzyme was used to prove, by site-directed mutagenesis, suggested catalytic domains and reaction mechanisms proposed for enzyme-catalyzed glycosylation. replacement of amino acids far from the nrd domain do not significantly affect arbutin synthase activity. exchange of amino acids at the ...	2003	12542702
acetyltransfer in natural product biosynthesis--functional cloning and molecular analysis of vinorine synthase.	vinorine synthase (ec 2.3.1.160) catalyses the acetyl-coa- or coa-dependent reversible formation of the alkaloids vinorine (or 11-methoxy-vinorine) and 16-epi-vellosimine (or gardneral). the forward reaction leads to vinorine, which is a direct biosynthetic precursor along the complex pathway to the monoterpenoid indole alkaloid ajmaline, an antiarrhythmic drug from the indian medicinal plant rauvolfia serpentina. based on partial peptide sequences a cdna clone was isolated and functionally expr ...	2004	15110860
vinorine synthase from rauvolfia: the first example of crystallization and preliminary x-ray diffraction analysis of an enzyme of the bahd superfamily.	crystals of vinorine synthase (vs) from medicinal plant rauvolfia serpentina expressed in escherichia coli have been obtained by the hanging-drop technique at 305 k with ammonium sulfate and peg 400 as precipitants. the enzyme is involved in the biosynthesis of the antiarrhythmic drug ajmaline and is a member of the bahd superfamily of acyltransferases. so far, no three-dimensional structure of a member of this enzyme family is known. the crystals belong to the space group p2(1)2(1)2(1) with cel ...	2004	15450182
crystallization and preliminary x-ray crystallographic analysis of strictosidine synthase from rauvolfia: the first member of a novel enzyme family.	strictosidine synthase is a central enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of almost all plant monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. strictosidine synthase from rauvolfia serpentina was heterologously expressed in escherichia coli. crystals of the purified recombinant enzyme have been obtained by the hanging-drop technique at 303 k with potassium sodium tartrate tetrahydrate as precipitant. the crystals belong to the space group r3 with cell dimensions of a=b=150.3 a and c=122.4 a. under cryoconditions ( ...	2004	15450856
functional expression of an ajmaline pathway-specific esterase from rauvolfia in a novel plant-virus expression system.	acetylajmalan esterase (aae) plays an essential role in the late stage of ajmaline biosynthesis. based on the partial peptide sequences of aae isolated and purified from rauvolfia cell suspensions, a full-length aae cdna clone was isolated. the amino acid sequence of aae has the highest level of identity of 40% to putative lipases known from the arabidopsis thaliana genome project. based on the primary structure aae is a new member of the gdsl lipase superfamily. the expression in escherichia co ...	2005	16133216
heterologous expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary x-ray analysis of raucaffricine glucosidase, a plant enzyme specifically involved in rauvolfia alkaloid biosynthesis.	raucaffricine glucosidase (rg) is an enzyme that is specifically involved in the biosynthesis of indole alkaloids from the plant rauvolfia serpentina. after heterologous expression in escherichia coli cells, crystals of rg were obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion technique at 293 k with 0.3 m ammonium sulfate, 0.1 m sodium acetate ph 4.6 buffer and 11% peg 4000 as precipitant. crystals belong to space group i222 and diffract to 2.30 a, with unit-cell parameters a = 102.8, b = 127.3, c ...	2006	16511316
metabolic engineering of cell cultures versus whole plant complexity in production of bioactive monoterpene indole alkaloids: recent progress related to old dilemma.	monoterpene indole alkaloids (mias) are a large class of plant alkaloids with significant pharmacological interest. the sustained production of mias at high yields is an important goal in biotechnology. intensive effort has been expended toward the isolation, cloning, characterization and transgenic modulation of genes involved in mia biosynthesis and in the control of the expression of these biosynthesis-related genes. at the same time, considerable progress has been made in the detailed descri ...	2006	16716935
expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary x-ray analysis of perakine reductase, a new member of the aldo-keto reductase enzyme superfamily from higher plants.	perakine reductase (pr) is a novel member of the aldo-keto reductase enzyme superfamily from higher plants. pr from the plant rauvolfia serpentina is involved in the biosynthesis of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids by performing nadph-dependent reduction of perakine, yielding raucaffrinoline. however, pr can also reduce cinnamic aldehyde and some of its derivatives. after heterologous expression of a triple mutant of pr in escherichia coli, crystals of the purified and methylated enzyme were obtai ...	2006	17142919
chemical characterization and anti-inflammatory effect of rauvolfian, a pectic polysaccharide of rauvolfia callus.	the pectic polysaccharide named rauvolfian rs was obtained from the dried callus of rauvolfia serpentina l. by extraction with 0.7% aqueous ammonium oxalate. crude rauvolfian rs was purified using membrane ultrafiltration to yield the purified rauvolfian rsp in addition to glucan as admixture from the callus, with molecular weights 300 and 100-300 kd, respectively. a peroral pretreatment of mice with the crude and purified samples of rauvolfian (rs and rsp) was found to decrease colonic macrosco ...	2007	17680771
purification, cloning, functional expression and characterization of perakine reductase: the first example from the akr enzyme family, extending the alkaloidal network of the plant rauvolfia.	perakine reductase (pr) catalyzes an nadph-dependent step in a side-branch of the 10-step biosynthetic pathway of the alkaloid ajmaline. the enzyme was cloned by a "reverse-genetic" approach from cell suspension cultures of the plant rauvolfia serpentina (apocynaceae) and functionally expressed in escherichia coli as the n-terminal his(6)-tagged protein. pr displays a broad substrate acceptance, converting 16 out of 28 tested compounds with reducible carbonyl function which belong to three subst ...	2008	18409028
construction and expression of a dual vector for chemo-enzymatic synthesis of plant indole alkaloids in escherichia coli.	a dual vector (pqe-70-str1-sg) containing coding regions of strictosidine synthase (str1, ec 4.3.3.2) and strictosidine glucosidase (sg, ec 3.2.1.105) from the indian medicinal plant rauvolfia serpentina was constructed. functional expression of the vector in escherichia coli cells (m15 strain) was proven by isolation of prepurified enzyme extracts, which show both str1 and sg activities. incubation of the enzyme in the presence of tryptamine and secologanin delivered the indole alkaloid cathena ...	2010	20432158
strictosidine activation in apocynaceae: towards a "nuclear time bomb"?	the first two enzymatic steps of monoterpene indole alkaloid (mia) biosynthetic pathway are catalysed by strictosidine synthase (str) that condensates tryptamine and secologanin to form strictosidine and by strictosidine beta-d-glucosidase (sgd) that subsequently hydrolyses the glucose moiety of strictosidine. the resulting unstable aglycon is rapidly converted into a highly reactive dialdehyde, from which more than 2,000 mias are derived. many studies were conducted to elucidate the biosynthesi ...	2010	20723215
formulation and comparative evaluation of poly herbal anti-acne face wash gels.	context: rauvolfia serpentina (l). benth. ex kurz. (apocynaceae) possessing antibacterial properties are widely used in modern herbal medicines. curcuma longa l. (zingiberaceae), a readily available antiseptic, possess antioxidant, antibacterial, blood purifying and antiinflammatory properties and used in various skin creams. azadirachta indica a. juss. (meliaceae) possess astringent, antiviral, discutient, stimulant and antibacterial properties and works excellently well against acne and keeps ...	2011	21609304
development of transcriptomic resources for interrogating the biosynthesis of monoterpene indole alkaloids in medicinal plant species.	the natural diversity of plant metabolism has long been a source for human medicines. one group of plant-derived compounds, the monoterpene indole alkaloids (mias), includes well-documented therapeutic agents used in the treatment of cancer (vinblastine, vincristine, camptothecin), hypertension (reserpine, ajmalicine), malaria (quinine), and as analgesics (7-hydroxymitragynine). our understanding of the biochemical pathways that synthesize these commercially relevant compounds is incomplete due ...	2012	23300689
mosquito larvicidal activity of rauvolfia serpentina l. seeds against culex quinquefasciatus say.	to establish the larvicidal activities, if any of solvent extracts of rauvolfia serpentina (r. serpentina) l. seeds against culex quinquefasciatus (cx. quinquefasciatus) say, 1823 as target species.	2012	22182642
ethnomedicinal practices in different communities of uttara kannada district of karnataka for treatment of wounds.	uttara kannada district is located in the heart of the western ghats, one of the biodiversity hotspots, in karnataka state of india. the thick evergreen forests are home to several ethnic communities. the study was under taken for documentation and analysis of ethnomedicinal plants in the treatment of wounds.	2012	22820243
an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in terai forest of western nepal.	nepal himalayas have been known as a rich source for valuable medicinal plants since vedic periods. present work is the documentation of indigenous knowledge on plant utilization as natural remedy by the inhabitants of terai forest in western nepal.	2012	22591592
effect of plant secondary compounds on in vitro methane, ammonia production and ruminal protozoa population.	the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of secondary plant metabolites from 38 sources to serve as antimethanogenic additives in ruminant diets. the effect of leaf tannins from these different plant sources on rumen fermentation, protozoal populations and methanogenesis was also studied.	2013	23621853
differential network analysis reveals evolutionary complexity in secondary metabolism of rauvolfia serpentina over catharanthus roseus.	comparative co-expression analysis of multiple species using high-throughput data is an integrative approach to determine the uniformity as well as diversification in biological processes. rauvolfia serpentina and catharanthus roseus, both members of apocyanacae family, are reported to have remedial properties against multiple diseases. despite of sharing upstream of terpenoid indole alkaloid pathway, there is significant diversity in tissue-specific synthesis and accumulation of specialized met ...	2016	27588023
a picrinine n-methyltransferase belongs to a new family of γ-tocopherol-like methyltransferases found in medicinal plants that make biologically active monoterpenoid indole alkaloids.	members of the apocynaceae plant family produce a large number of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (mias) with different substitution patterns that are responsible for their various biological activities. a novel n-methyltransferase involved in the vindoline pathway in catharanthus roseus showing distinct similarity to γ-tocopherol c-methyltransferases was used in a bioinformatic screen of transcriptomes from vinca minor, rauvolfia serpentina, and c. roseus to identify 10 γ-tocopherol-like n-methy ...	2016	26848097
in vitro antimicrobial activity of spices and medicinal herbs against selected microbes associated with juices.	in the present investigation, comparison of antimicrobial activities of different spices, curcuma longa, zingiber officinale, and mentha arvensis, and medicinal herbs, such as withania somnifera, rauvolfia serpentina, emblica officinalis, terminalia arjuna, and centella asiatica, was evaluated. different extraction solvents (acetone, methanol, ethanol, and water) were used and extracts were examined against bacillus cereus, serratia sp., rhodotorula mucilaginosa, aspergillus flavus, and penicill ...	2016	26880927
rauvolfia serpentina n-methyltransferases involved in ajmaline and nβ -methylajmaline biosynthesis belong to a gene family derived from γ-tocopherol c-methyltransferase.	ajmaline biosynthesis in rauvolfia serpentina has been one of the most studied monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (mia) pathways within the plant family apocynaceae. detailed molecular and biochemical information on most of the steps involved in the pathway has been generated over the last 30 years. here we report the identification, molecular cloning and functional expression in escherichia coli of two r. serpentinacdnas that are part of a recently discovered γ-tocopherol-like n-methyltransferase (γ ...	2016	27122470