title: Occurrence and non-detectability of maytansinoids in individual plants of the genera Maytenus and Putterlickia.
abstract: Individual plants belonging to different species of the family Celastraceae collected from their natural habitats in South Africa (Putterlickia verrucosa (E. Meyer ex Sonder) Szyszyl., Putterlickia pyracantha (L.) Szyszyl., Putterlickia retrospinosa van Wyk and Mostert) and Brazil (Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reiss., Maytenus evonymoides Reiss., Maytenus aquifolia Mart.) were investigated for the presence of maytansinoids and of maytansine, an ansamycin of high cytotoxic activity. Maytansinoids were not detectable in plants grown in Brazil. Analysis of plants growing in South Africa, however, showed clearly that maytansinoids were present in some individual plants but were not detectable in others. Molecular biological analysis of a Putterlickia verrucosa cell culture gave no evidence for the presence of the aminohydroxybenzoate synthase gene which is unique to the biosynthesis of aminohydroxybenzoate, a precursor of the ansamycins including maytansinoids. Moreover, this gene was not detectable in DNA extracted from the aerial parts of Putterlickia plants. In contrast, observations indicate that this gene may be present in microbes of the rhizosphere of Putterlickia plants. Our observations are discussed with respect to the possibility that the roots of Putterlickia plants may be associated with microorganisms which are responsible for the biosynthesis of maytansine or maytansinoids.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Nussallee 6, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Pullen
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meurer
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boettcher
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: von Bamberg
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Suzelei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Castro França
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Geertsema
authors.forename: Abraam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Wyk
authors.forename: Taifo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mahmud
authors.forename: Heinz G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Floss
authors.forename: Eckhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leistner
mesh_terms: D010723:3-Deoxy-7-Phosphoheptulonate Synthase / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D029753:Celastraceae / Q000737:chemistry; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D004777:Environment; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000187:drug effects; D006836:Hydro-Lyases / Q000235:genetics; D008453:Maytansine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D029755:Maytenus / Q000737:chemistry*; D010407:Penicillium / Q000187:drug effects; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant; D008453:Maytansine; D010723:3-Deoxy-7-Phosphoheptulonate Synthase; C111160:3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoic acid synthase; D006836:Hydro-Lyases