Comprehensive genomic analysis reveals the class II diterpene cyclases in Dodonaea viscosa.
Helwig K, Peters RJ.
Medicinal Plants
Hopbush, a tough drought-tolerant shrub grown in gardens worldwide as a hedge or ornamental, has been a folk remedy across Africa, Asia, and Australia for centuries — and now we know exactly which molecular switches the plant flips to make its healing compounds.
Researchers mapped the entire genetic blueprint of hopbush, a shrub long used in traditional medicine around the world. Inside that blueprint, they found two specific proteins the plant uses to build its signature medicinal molecules. Knowing exactly how the plant makes these compounds means scientists could one day brew them in a lab, making treatments more accessible without over-harvesting the plant.
Key Findings
The full nuclear, chloroplast, and mitochondrial genomes of Dodonaea viscosa were sequenced and annotated — providing the first comprehensive genomic map of this medicinal shrub.
Two class II diterpene cyclase enzymes (DvCPS and DvKPS) were identified and biochemically confirmed as the key catalysts in the biosynthetic pathway for labdane and clerodane diterpenoids.
DvCPS produces ent-copalyl pyrophosphate and DvKPS produces ent-kolavenyl pyrophosphate — the precursor molecules that the plant converts into its bioactive medicinal compounds.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists sequenced the genome of Dodonaea viscosa (hopbush) and identified two key enzymes responsible for producing its medicinal compounds, opening the door to manufacturing these natural medicines at scale without harvesting wild plants.
Abstract Preview
Dodonaea viscosa is known for its rich arsenal of phytochemicals and has been traditionally used as a folk medicine. Decades of research have targeted isolation of the potent bioactives, including ...
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Dodonaea, commonly known as hop-bushes, is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia, but 59 species are...