Quinine, deconstructed ✅
Plant Science Research WeeklyFor more than two centuries, quinine from Cinchona bark has stood as one of the best-known plant-derived medicines for malaria treatment, but the enzymes that build its distinctive scaffold were unknown. Lombe et al. have now resolved the core logic of cinchona alkaloid biosynthesis in Cinchona pubescens,…
Review: A century of studying plant secondary metabolism—From “what?” to “where, how, and why?”
Plant Science Research WeeklyPhytochemicals, also known as plant secondary metabolites, play primary roles in plant development, structure, and response to the environment. Their metabolism has been studied for over a century. In a new review, Dixon and Dickinson discuss past and recent advances in understanding the identity, localization,…