S. E. O'Connor

This study investigates the evolution and functional diversification of carboxylesterase-like cyclases in aspidosperma and iboga alkaloid biosynthesis using phylogenetic and biochemical approaches.

This study identifies the biosynthetic pathway for mitragynine and related alkaloids and uses it to enzymatically produce mitragynine, its epimer, and fluorinated analogues.

This study identifies the biosynthetic pathway for iridoid sex pheromones in pea aphids, revealing an independently evolved pathway distinct from plants.

The paper shows that redox enzymes can alter the regioselectivity of cycloaddition reactions in alkaloid biosynthesis, enabling the formation of pseudo-aspidosperma alkaloids.

The paper reports the crystal structure of an ADH enzyme that catalyzes a non-canonical 1,4 reduction, providing insights into how plant ADHs diversify their catalytic functions.

The paper uses single-cell multi-omics to identify alkaloid biosynthesis genes in Catharanthus roseus, revealing gene clusters, paralogs, and cell-type specific expression patterns.

This study identifies two bi-functional CYP72 enzymes in olive that catalyze oxidative C-C bond cleavage in secoxy-iridoid biosynthesis, revealing a secologanin-independent pathway and linking domestication to gene expression.

The paper reports the biosynthesis of (-)-voacangine and its conversion to (-)-ibogaine, revealing enantioselectivity in enzymatic Diels-Alder reactions for anti-addiction alkaloids.