New phytoconstituents, anti-microbial and cytotoxic activities of Schweinf.

is wild plant growing in the desert of Egypt, and it has folkloric medicinal uses. Phytochemical investigation of extracts led to the isolation and identification of seven compounds. Among these compounds are three new simple phenolics: Resacetophenone-6-methyl [], Resorcinol [], Resorcinol-O- β -Glucoside []; phenolic ester; and other four known compounds: Methylparaben [4]; two chromones, Noreugenin [], Eugenin []; and one cyclitol: pinitol [].

Functional expression of an ajmaline pathway-specific esterase from Rauvolfia in a novel plant-virus expression system.

Acetylajmalan esterase (AAE) plays an essential role in the late stage of ajmaline biosynthesis. Based on the partial peptide sequences of AAE isolated and purified from Rauvolfia cell suspensions, a full-length AAE cDNA clone was isolated. The amino acid sequence of AAE has the highest level of identity of 40% to putative lipases known from the Arabidopsis thaliana genome project.