title: Enzymatic synthesis of artemisinin from natural and synthetic precursors.
abstract: To investigate the biosynthetic pathway of artemisinin, an assay system for the determination of activity of the enzymes involved in its synthesis has been developed. Results from these experiments have shown that HEPES provides a better buffer system than Tris-HCl. The enzyme(s) requires Mg2+ and/or Mn2+, and the addition of ATP and NADPH+H+ significantly enhances the enzyme activity. A new substrate, dihydroarteannuin B, has been synthesized that can easily be radiolabeled with high specific activity. It is utilized by the enzyme system and is converted to artemisinin with the same efficiency as the natural substrates. This can be conveniently used as a precursor for elucidation of the pathway for artemisinin biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Hamdard University, New Delhi, India, and National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bharel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gulati
authors.forename: M Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Abdin
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Vishwakarma
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jain
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D037621:Artemisinins; D019659:Asteraceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C112717:dihydroarteannuin B; C031327:artemisinin