L. plants lacking reallocate carbon from monoterpenes to sesquiterpenes except artemisinin.

The monoterpene camphor is produced in glandular secretory trichomes of the medicinal plant , which also produces the antimalarial drug artemisinin. We have found that, depending on growth conditions, camphor can accumulate at levels ranging from 1- 10% leaf dry weight (LDW) in the Artemis F1 hybrid, which has been developed for commercial production of artemisinin at up to 1% LDW. We discovered that a camphor null (camphor-0) phenotype segregates in the progeny of self-pollinated Artemis material.

Silencing Genes in Leads to FPP Accumulation.

is established as an efficient crop for the production of the anti-malarial compound artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone synthesized and stored in Glandular Secretory Trichomes (GSTs) located on the leaves and inflorescences. synthase (AMS) catalyzes the conversion of farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) to amorpha-4,11-diene and diphosphate, which is the first committed step in the synthesis of artemisinin. FPP is the precursor for sesquiterpene and sterol biosynthesis in the plant.

Detailed Phytochemical Analysis of High- and Low Artemisinin-Producing Chemotypes of .

Chemical derivatives of artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone produced by , are the active ingredient in the most effective treatment for malaria. Comprehensive phytochemical analysis of two contrasting chemotypes of resulted in the characterization of over 80 natural products by NMR, more than 20 of which are novel and described here for the first time. Analysis of high- and low-artemisinin producing (HAP and LAP) chemotypes of confirmed the latter to have a low level of (artemisinic aldehyde Δ reductase) gene expression.

Artemisia annua mutant impaired in artemisinin synthesis demonstrates importance of nonenzymatic conversion in terpenoid metabolism.

Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone produced by Artemisia annua glandular secretory trichomes, is the active ingredient in the most effective treatment for malaria currently available. We identified a mutation that disrupts the amorpha-4,11-diene C-12 oxidase (CYP71AV1) enzyme, responsible for a series of oxidation reactions in the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway. Detailed metabolic studies of cyp71av1-1 revealed that the consequence of blocking the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway is the redirection of sesquiterpene metabolism to a sesquiterpene epoxide, which we designate arteannuin X.