A Transcriptomic Approach to Understanding Isoquinoline Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Narcissus pseudonarcissus

The Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids are isoquinoline alkaloids found only in plants of the Amaryllidaceae family. Many of these alkaloids have been investigated for medicinal uses. Galanthamine is of particular interest since it is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor used to treat symptoms in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. This study looks at the Daffodil, using the variety Narcissus pseudonarcissus var. Carlton as a reference variety. Carlton is known to produce high levels of galanthamine. An annotated reference transcriptome has been created using 454-pyrosequencing data from this variety.

The project now aims to identify biomarkers for the biosynthesis of these alkaloids, utilizing Illumina sequence data from both the reference plant and a daffodil variety that produces low levels of galanthamine. A targeted approach using known pathways for alkaloid production in other plants such as poppies (Papaver somniferum) and chilli peppers (Capsicum annuum) is being used to find candidate genes. The Illumina data will then be used to measure relative gene expression and SNP variation within the candidate genes.