Enzymatic control of enantioselective dimeric cyclotryptamine alkaloid biosynthesis in Calycanthaceae plants (opens in new tab)

Dimeric cyclotryptamine alkaloids are structurally intricate natural products characterized by two cyclotryptamine units linked through sterically hindered vicinal all-carbon quaternary stereocentres. Their complex architecture has long challenged asymmetric synthesis and has inspired decades of chemical innovation, yet the enzymatic basis of their enantioselective assembly in plants has remained unknown. Here we report the biosynthetic pathway of four dimeric cyclotryptamine alkaloids—(−)-ch...