Inhibitor studies of tabersonine metabolism in C-roseus hairy roots

The conversion of tabersonine to lochnericine and horhammericine was invest igated in C. roseus hairy root cultures. The accumulation of lochnericine a nd horhammericine, like tabersonine, was associated with growth. Through th e use of oxygenase inhibitors, 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT), clotrimazole (CL OT), and 2,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PCA), details of the metabolic path way around tabersonine in hairy roots of C. roseus were elucidated. ABT spe cifically inhibited the formation of horhammericine, while CLOT inhibited t he accumulation of lochnericine. Using jasmonic acid in combination with th e inhibitors suggests an inducible P-450 enzyme responsible for the formati on of horhammericine. The inhibitor study also revealed that both lochneric ine and horhammericine are 'turned over' in hairy root cultures. (C) 1999 E lsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.