Strictosidine

Strictosidine is a natural chemical compound formed by the Pictet–Spengler condensation reaction of tryptamine with secologanin, catalyzed by the enzyme strictosidine synthase. Thousands of strictosidine derivatives are sometimes referred to by the broad phrase of monoterpene indole alkaloids. Strictosidine an intermediate in the biosynthesis of numerous pharmaceutically valuable metabolites including quinine, camptothecin, ajmalicine, serpentine, vinblastine, and vincristine.
Biosynthetic pathways help to define the subgroups of strictosidine derivatives.
Distribution.
Strictosidine is found in the following plant families:
Recent efforts in metabolic engineering have permitted the synthesis of strictosidine by yeast ("Saccharomyces cerevisiae"). This was accomplished by adding 21 genes and 3 gene deletions.