Lorenzo Caputi

An auxiliary protein tunes reductase activity in alkaloid biosynthesis

The paper identifies an auxiliary protein, FoGS, that enhances the activity of geissoschizine synthase in producing alkaloid intermediates and controls product stereochemistry.

Conserved early steps of stemmadenine biosynthesis

The paper identifies and characterizes stemmadenine acetate pathway genes from Tabernanthe iboga, reconstitutes the biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana, and identifies shunt products affecting pathway flux.

Single-cell metabolome and RNA-seq multiplexing on single plant cells

The paper demonstrates multiplexing single-cell RNA-seq and metabolomics on the same plant cell to directly correlate gene expression and metabolite levels.

Discovery of iridoid cyclase completes the iridoid pathway in asterids

The paper identifies an enzyme, ICYC, that catalyzes the cyclization of an enol intermediate in the iridoid biosynthesis pathway in asterids, completing the pathway and enabling metabolic engineering of iridoid compounds.

Single cell mass spectrometry reveals intercellular compartmentalization of camptothecin biosynthesis in the tree Camptotheca acuminata

This study uses single cell mass spectrometry to investigate the intercellular compartmentalization of camptothecin biosynthesis in the tree Camptotheca acuminata and identifies cell-specific metabolite distributions.

Single-cell mass spectrometry reveals heterogeneous triterpenic acid accumulation in apple callus-derived cells

This study uses single-cell mass spectrometry to reveal metabolic heterogeneity in apple callus cells and shows that abiotic stress increases triterpenic acid production.

Isotopic Labeling Analysis using Single Cell Mass Spectrometry

The paper demonstrates the use of single cell mass spectrometry to track isotopic labeling in plant protoplasts, showing the synthesis and transport of alkaloids over 24 hours.

Divergent biosynthesis of monoterpene indole alkaloids from geissoschizine

The paper investigates how three cytochrome P450 enzymes in Catharanthus roseus transform 19E-geissoschizine into four distinct alkaloid scaffolds through oxidative transformations.

It runs in the family: Discovery of enzymes in the oleuropein pathway in Olive (Olea europaea) by comparative transcriptomics

This paper identifies enzymes in the oleuropein biosynthesis pathway in olive using comparative transcriptomics and discovers novel genes involved in the pathway.

Biosynthetic Origin of the Methoxy Group in Quinine and Related Cinchona Alkaloids

The paper identifies the biosynthetic origin of the methoxy group in quinine and related Cinchona alkaloids, showing it is introduced onto tryptamine and demonstrating the pathway in planta.

Cell-type aware regulatory landscapes governing monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis in the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus

The paper constructs a cell-type-aware gene regulatory network for MIA biosynthesis in C. roseus using single-cell multi-omics data, identifying a novel idioblast-specific TF that regulates late-stage biosynthetic genes.

Quantitative single cell mass spectrometry reveals the dynamics of plant natural product biosynthesis

The paper develops a method for single cell mass spectrometry to quantify natural products in plant cells, revealing biosynthetic dynamics not captured by scRNA-seq.

Directed evolution of piperazic acid incorporation by a nonribosomal peptide synthetase

The paper reports directed evolution of an NRPS adenylation domain to incorporate piperazic acid, demonstrating that low-throughput methods can alter NRPS substrate specificity.

Reconstitution of monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis in genome engineeredNicotiana benthamiana

The paper reconstitutes strictosidine biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana by co-expressing 14 enzymes, with MLPL from Nepeta enhancing flux through the iridoid pathway.