Secondary Metabolites Pathway Genes from Coleus forskohlii

Coleus forskohlii, an important medicinal plant in the Indian system of medicine, accumulates a wide array of pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites, including forskolin (a reversible and potent activator of adenylate cyclase), which imparts anti-hypertensive property to the herb. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP450s) constitute one of the largest gene families in plants. CYP450s play vital roles in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, phytohormones as well as in detoxification of harmful chemicals. This work attempts to understand the role of CYP450s in different metabolic pathways of Coleus forskohlii. Apart from CYP450s, we also carried out the cloning and expression analysis of two important key enzymes of flavonoid biosynthesis in C.forskohlii: CfCHS and Cf4CL.