title: Biosynthetic pathways of ergot alkaloids.
abstract: Ergot alkaloids are nitrogen-containing natural products belonging to indole alkaloids. The best known producers are fungi of the phylum Ascomycota, e.g., Claviceps, Epichloë, Penicillium and Aspergillus species. According to their structures, ergot alkaloids can be divided into three groups: clavines, lysergic acid amides and peptides (ergopeptines). All of them share the first biosynthetic steps, which lead to the formation of the tetracyclic ergoline ring system (except the simplest, tricyclic compound: chanoclavine). Different modifications on the ergoline ring by specific enzymes result in an abundance of bioactive natural products, which are used as pharmaceutical drugs or precursors thereof. From the 1950s through to recent years, most of the biosynthetic pathways have been elucidated. Gene clusters from several ergot alkaloid producers have been identified by genome mining and the functions of many of those genes have been demonstrated by knock-out experiments or biochemical investigations of the overproduced enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie und Biotechnologie, Deutschhausstrasse 17A, D-35037 Marburg, Germany. nina.gerhards@pharmazie.uni-marburg.de.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gerhards
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 8, D-48143 Münster, Germany. l_neub04@uni-muenster.de.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neubauer
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 8, D-48143 Münster, Germany. tudzyns@uni-muenster.de.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tudzynski
authors.affiliation: Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie und Biotechnologie, Deutschhausstrasse 17A, D-35037 Marburg, Germany. shuming.li@staff.uni-marburg.de.
authors.forename: Shu-Ming
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000378:metabolism*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000378:metabolism; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways; D002967:Claviceps / Q000378:metabolism; D004873:Ergolines / Q000378:metabolism; D004876:Ergot Alkaloids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008237:Lysergic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005810:Multigene Family; D010407:Penicillium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004873:Ergolines; D004876:Ergot Alkaloids; C006959:chanoclavine; D008237:Lysergic Acid