The medicinal plant Psychotria ipecacuanha produces ipecac alkaloids, a series of monoterpenoid-isoquinoline alkaloids such as emetine and cephaeline, whose biosynthesis derives from condensation of dopamine and secologanin. Here, we identified three cDNAs, IpeOMT1-IpeOMT3, encoding ipecac alkaloid
From the dried roots of Cephaelis acuminata, five ipecac alkaloids, neocephaeline, 7'-O-demethylcephaeline, 10-O-demethylcephaeline, 2'-N-(1"-deoxy-1"-beta-D-fructopyranosyl)cephaeline and 2'-N-(1"-deoxy-1"-beta-D-fructopyranosyl)neocephaeline, were isolated, along with emetine, cephaeline,