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Abstract:
Plants sequester intermediates of metabolic pathways into different cellular compartments, but the mechanisms by which
these molecules are transported remain poorly understood. Monoterpene indole alkaloids, a class of specialized
metabolites that includes the anticancer agent vincristine, antimalarial quinine and neurotoxin strychnine, are synthesized
in several different cellular locations. However, the transporters that control the movement of these biosynthetic
intermediates within cellular compartments have not been discovered. Here we present the discovery of a tonoplast
localized nitrate/peptide family (NPF) transporter from Catharanthus roseus, CrNPF2.9, that exports strictosidine, the
central intermediate of this pathway, into the cytosol from the vacuole. This discovery highlights the role that intracellular
localization plays in specialized metabolism, and sets the stage for understanding and controlling the central branch point
of this pharmacologically important group of compounds.
