Publications

Calderini, O.; Kamileen, M. O.; Nakamura, Y.; Heinicke, S.; Alam, R. M.; Hong, B.; Jiang, Y.; Gutierrez-Vences, A.; Alagna, F.; Paolocci, F. et al.; Valeri, M. C.; Franco, E.; Mousavi, S.; Mariotti, R.; Caputi, L.; O’Connor, S. E.; Rodriguez-Lopez, C. E.: Comparative transcriptomic and co-expression analyses enable the discovery of key enzymes responsible for oleuropein biosynthesis in olive (Olea europaea). Plant Communications (accepted)

Carr, S. C.; McDonald, A.; Langley, C.; Grabe, V.; Gase, K.; O’Connor, S. E.: Protein-protein interactions modulate a key branch point in monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis. ACS Chemical Biology 21 (1), pp. 8 - 13 (2026)

Datta, M.; Luck, K.; Wu, S.; Chen, F.; Ulrich, Y.; O’Connor, S. E.; Köllner, T. G.: Independent evolution of geraniol-8-hydroxylase activity involved in iridoid formation in the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 186, 104441 (2026)

Florean, M.; Schultz, H.; Grabe, V.; Luck, K.; O’Connor, S. E.; Köllner, T. G.: A pseudoenzyme enables indole biosynthesis in eudicot plants. Nature Chemical Biology 22, pp. 120 - 127 (2026)

Hao, L. K.; Batyrshina, Z.; Goldstein, Y.; Mishra, A.; Köllner, T. G.; Yaakov, B.; Tzin, V.: Dual role of benzoxazinoids in plant response to combined drought stress and aphid feeding. Plant Biology 28 (1), pp. 45 - 57 (2026)

Kimbadi Lombe, B.; Zhou, T.; Kang, G.; Wood, J. C.; Hamilton, J. P.; Gase, K.; Nakamura, Y.; Alam, R. M.; Dirks, R. P.; Caputi, L. et al.; Buell, C. R.; O’Connor, S. E.: Biosynthesis of Cinchona alkaloids. Nature (2026)

Alam, R. M.; Nakamura, Y.; Bartram, S.; Ueberschaar, N.; Zetzsche, T.; Ulrich, Y.; O’Connor, S. E.; Köllner, T. G.: Identification and stereoselective total synthesis of an insect homosesquiterpene from the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi. Journal of Natural Products 88 (9), pp. 2107 - 2116 (2025)

Binns, G. E.; Hämäläinen, L.; Rowland, H. M.; Caputi, L.; Kunert, M.; Mappes, J.; Ramon-Cabrera, G. M.; Umbers, K. D. L.; Hart, N. S.; Herberstein, M. E.: Sexual differences in defensive strategies: investigating chemical defences and visual signals in a wasp moth Amata nigriceps. Royal Society Open Science 12 (4), 242186 (2025)

Caputi, L.; O’Connor, S. E.: Flowers with bad breath: How an old gene acquired a new function to exploit an insect’s sense of smell. Science 388 (6747), pp. 586 - 587 (2025)

Carr, S. C.; O’Connor, S. E.: A tight-knit family: The medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductases of monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis. Biochemistry 64 (13), pp. 2712 - 2726 (2025)

Colinas, M.; Morweiser, C.; Dittberner, O.; Chioca, B.; Alam, R. M.; Leucke, H.; Nakamura, Y.; Serna Guerrero, D. A.; Heinicke, S.; Kunert, M. et al.; Wurlitzer, J.; Ploss, K.; Hong, B.; Grabe, V.; Lopes, A. A.; O’Connor, S. E.: Ipecac alkaloid biosynthesis in two evolutionarily distant plants. Nature Chemical Biology 23 (8), pp. 3414 - 3416 (2025)

Colinas, M.; Tymen, C.; Wood, J. C.; David, A.; Wurlitzer, J.; Morweiser, C.; Gase, K.; Alam, R. M.; Titchiner, G. R.; Hamilton, J. P. et al.; Heinicke, S.; Dirks, R. P.; Lopes, A. A.; Caputi, L.; Buell, C. R.; O’Connor, S. E.: Discovery of iridoid cyclase completes the iridoid pathway in asterids. Nature Plants 111, pp. 2204 - 2216 (2025)

Florean, M.; Schultz, H.; Wurlitzer, J.; O’Connor, S. E.; Köllner, T. G.: Independent evolution of plant natural products: Formation of benzoxazinoids in Consolida orientalis (Ranunculaceae). Journal of Biological Chemistry 301 (1), 108019 (2025)

Frey, M.; Gohr, S. T.; Köllner, T. G.; Bathe, U.; Lackus, N. D.; Padilla-Gonzalez, F.; Ro, D.-K.; O’Connor, S. E.; Degenhardt, J. O. l.; Tissier, A.: Biosynthesis of biologically active terpenoids in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Natural Product Reports 42 (11), pp. 1887 - 1908 (2025)

Grzech, D.; Smit, S. J.; Alam, R. M.; Boccia, M.; Nakamura, Y.; Hong, B.; Barbole, R.; Heinicke, S.; Kunert, M.; Seibt, W. et al.; Grabe, V.; Caputi, L.; Lichman, B. R.; O’Connor, S. E.; Aharoni, A.; Sonawane, P. D.: Incorporation of nitrogen in antinutritional Solanum alkaloid biosynthesis. Nature Chemical Biology 21, pp. 131 - 142 (2025)

Kamileen, M. O.; Hong, B.; Gase, K.; Kunert, M.; Caputi, L.; Lichman, B. R.; O’Connor, S. E.: Oxidative rearrangements of the alkaloid intermediate geissoschizine. Angewandte Chemie, International Edition in English 64 (24), e202501323 (2025)

Kamileen, M. O.; Nakamura, Y.; Siegmund, M.; Keshan, R.; Grabe, V.; Heinicke, S.; Kunert, M.; Hong, B.; Alam, R. M.; Kang, G. et al.; Caputi, L.; O’Connor, S. E.: Conserved early steps of stemmadenine biosynthesis. Journal of Biological Chemistry 302 (2), 111120 (2025)

Kang, M.; Vu, H. A.; Casper, A. L.; Kim, R.; Wurlitzer, J.; Heinicke, S.; Yeroslaviz, A.; Caputi, L.; O’Connor, S. E.: Single-cell metabolome and RNA-seq multiplexing on single plant cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 122 (43), e2512828122 (2025)

Kimbadi Lombe, B.; Zhou, T.; Caputi, L.; Ploss, K.; O’Connor, S. E.: Biosynthetic origin of the methoxy group in quinine and related alkaloids. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 64 (5), e202418306 (2025)

Laezza, C.; Heinicke, S.; Wurlitzer, J.; D'Amelia, V.; Caputi, L.; Rigano, M. M.; O’Connor, S. E.: Single-cell mass spectrometry reveals heterogeneous triterpenic acid accumulation in apple callus-derived cells. Plant Biotechnology Journal 23 (8), pp. 3414 - 3416 (2025)