Co-Authors:
Hagel, J.M., Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
Krizevski, R., Department of Aromatic, Medicinal and Spice Crops, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Ramat Yishay, Israel, Albert Katz Department of Dryland Agriculture, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research,Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer, Israel
Kilpatrick, K., Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, Ontario, Canada
Sitrit, Y., The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of The Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Marsolais, F., Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, Ontario, Canada
Lewinsohn, E., Department of Aromatic, Medicinal and Spice Crops, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Ramat Yishay, Israel
Facchini, P.J., Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
Abstract:
Khat (Catha edulisForsk.) is a flowering perennial shrub cultivated for its neurostimulant properties resulting mainly from the occurrence of (S)-cathinone in young leaves. The biosynthesis of (S)-cathinone and the related phenyl-propylamino alkaloids (1S,2S)-cathine and (1R, 2S)-norephedrine is not well characterized in plants. We prepared a cDNA library from young khat leaves and sequenced 4,896 random clones, generating an expressed sequence tag (EST) library of 3,293 unigenes. Putative functions were assigned to > 98% of the ESTs, providing a key resource for gene discovery. Candidates potentially involved at various stages of phenylpropylamino alkaloid biosynthesis from L-phenylalanine to (1S,2S)-cathine were identified. © 2011, Sociedade Brasileira de Genética.