Male (left) and female (right) moths of the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis. The caterpillars of this pest mainly attack the stems of maize plants.

Publications of Yoko Nakamura

Journal Article (26)

2025
Journal Article
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 (2025)
Journal Article
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)
Journal Article
Sun, R.; Römhild, S.; Nakamura, Y.; Reichelt, M.; Luck, K.; Mai, D. T.; Rothe, B.; Gershenzon, J.; Giddings Vassão, D.: Multiple glutathione-S-transferases detoxify diverse glucosinolate-based defenses of Brassicales plants in a generalist lepidopteran herbivore (Spodoptera littoralis). Communications Biology 8, 931 (2025)
Journal Article
Xiao, J.; Nakamura, Y.; Wu, Z.; Fu, W.; Chen, Y.; Lou, Y.; Baldwin, I. T.; Boland, W.; Li, R.: A synthetic jasmonate receptor agonist uncouples the growth–defense trade-off in rice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 122 (24), e2505675122 (2025)
2024
Journal Article
Kamileen, M. O.; Nakamura, Y.; Luck, K.; Heinicke, S.; Hong, B.; Colinas, M.; Lichman, B. R.; O’Connor, S. E.: Streamlined screening platforms lead to the discovery of pachysiphine synthase from Tabernanthe iboga. New Phytologist 244 (4), pp. 1437 - 1449 (2024)
Journal Article
Lucier, R.; Kamileen, M. O.; Nakamura, Y.; Serediuk, S.; Barbole, R.; Wurlitzer, J.; Kunert, M.; Heinicke, S.; O’Connor, S. E.; Sonawane, P. D.: Steroidal scaffold decorations in Solanum alkaloid biosynthesis. Molecular Plant 17 (8), pp. 1236 - 1254 (2024)
Journal Article
Lyu, H.; Ernst, L.; Nakamura, Y.; Okamura, Y.; Köllner, T. G.; Luck, K.; Liu, B.; Chen, Y.; Beerhues, L.; Gershenzon, J. et al.; Paetz, C.: Phenylphenalenones and linear diarylheptanoid derivatives are biosynthesized via parallel routes in Musella lasiocarpa, the chinese dwarf banana. Organic Letters 26 (26), pp. 5522 - 5527 (2024)
Journal Article
Müller, A. T.; Nakamura, Y.; Reichelt, M.; Luck, K.; Cosio, E.; Lackus, N.; Gershenzon, J.; Mithöfer, A.; Köllner, T. G.: Biosynthesis, herbivore induction, and defensive role of phenylacetaldoxime glucoside. Plant Physiology 194 (1), pp. 329 - 346 (2024)
Journal Article
Schnurrer, F.; Nakamura, Y.; Paetz, C.: A mechanism to transform complex Salicinoids with caffeoylquinic acids in lepidopteran specialist herbivores (Notodontidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology 50, pp. 71 - 83 (2024)
2023
Journal Article
Bradley, S. A.; Lehka, B. J.; Hansson, F. G.; Adhikari, K. B.; Rago, D.; Rubaszka, P.; Haidar, A. K.; Chen, L.; Hansen, L. G.; Gudich, O. et al.; Giannakou, K.; Lengger, B.; Gill, R. T.; Nakamura, Y.; de Bernonville, T. D.; Koudounas, K.; Romero-Suarez, D.; Ding, L.; Qiao, Y.; Frimurer, T. M.; Petersen, A. A.; Besseau, S.; Kumar, S.; Gautron, N.; Melin, C.; Marc, J.; Jeanneau, R.; O’Connor, S. E.; Courdavault, V.; Keasling, J. D.; Zhang, J.; Jensen, M. K.: Biosynthesis of natural and halogenated plant monoterpene indole alkaloids in yeast. Nature Chemical Biology 19, pp. 1551 - 1560 (2023)
Journal Article
Florean, M.; Luck, K.; Hong, B.; Nakamura, Y.; O’Connor, S. E.; Köllner, T. G.: Reinventing metabolic pathways: Independent evolution of benzoxazinoids in flowering plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 120 (42), e2307981120 (2023)
Journal Article
Kandasamy, D.; Zaman, R.; Nakamura, Y.; Tao, Z.; Hartmann, H.; Andersson, M. N.; Hammerbacher, A.; Gershenzon, J.: Conifer-killing bark beetles locate fungal symbionts by detecting volatile fungal metabolites of host tree resin monoterpenes. PLoS Biology 21 (2), e3001887 (2023)
2022
Journal Article
DeMars, M.; Nakamura, Y.; Kamileen, M. O.; Sanders, J. N.; Paetz, C.; Houk, K. N.; O’Connor, S. E.: Mechanism and evolution of [4+2] cyclases in monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis. Faseb Journal 36 (S1) (2022)
Journal Article
Förster, C.; Handrick, V.; Ding, Y.; Nakamura, Y.; Paetz, C.; Schneider, B.; Castro-Falcón, G.; Hughes, C. C.; Luck, K.; Poosapati, S. et al.; Kunert, G.; Huffaker, A.; Gershenzon, J.; Schmelz, E. A.; Köllner, T. G.: Biosynthesis and antifungal activity of fungus-induced O-methylated flavonoids in maize. Plant Physiology 188 (1), pp. 167 - 190 (2022)
Journal Article
Gordon, H.; Fellenberg, C.; Lackus, N.; Archinuk, F.; Sproule, A.; Nakamura, Y.; Köllner, T. G.; Gershenzon, J.; Overy, D. P.; Constabel, C. P.: CRISPR/Cas9 disruption of UGT71L1 in poplar connects salicinoid and salicylic acid metabolism and alters growth and morphology. The Plant Cell 34 (8), pp. 2925 - 2947 (2022)
Journal Article
Kamileen, M. O.; DeMars II, M. D.; Hong, B.; Nakamura, Y.; Paetz, C.; Lichman, B. R.; Sonawane, P. D.; Caputi, L.; O’Connor, S. E.: Recycling upstream redox enzymes expands the regioselectivity of cycloaddition in Pseudo-Aspidosperma alkaloid biosynthesis. Journal of the American Chemical Society 144 (43), pp. 19673 - 19579 (2022)
Journal Article
Langley, C.; Tatsis, E. E.; Hong, B.; Nakamura, Y.; Paetz, C.; Stevenson, C. E. M.; Basquin, J.; Lawson, D. M.; Caputi, L.; O’Connor, S. E.: Expansion of the catalytic repertoire of alcohol dehydrogenases in plant metabolism. Angewandte Chemie, International Edition in English 61 (48), e202210934 (2022)
2021
Journal Article
Rodríguez‐López, C. E.; Hong, B.; Paetz, C.; Nakamura, Y.; Koudounas, K.; Passeri, V.; Baldoni, L.; Alagna, F.; Calderini, O.; O’Connor, S. E.: Two bi-functional cytochrome P450 CYP72 enzymes from olive (Olea europaea) catalyze the oxidative C-C bond cleavage in the biosynthesis of secoxy-iridoids – flavor and quality determinants in olive oil. New Phytologist 229 (4), pp. 2288 - 2301 (2021)
Journal Article
Trenti, F.; Yamamoto, K.; Hong, B.; Paetz, C.; Nakamura, Y.; O’Connor, S. E.: Early and late steps of quinine biosynthesis. Organic Letters 23 (5), pp. 1793 - 1797 (2021)
2020
Journal Article
Lackus, N.; Müller, A. T.; Kröber, T.; Reichelt, M.; Schmidt, A.; Nakamura, Y.; Paetz, C.; Luck, K.; Lindroth, R. L.; Constabel, C. P. et al.; Unsicker, S.; Gershenzon, J.; Köllner, T. G.: The occurrence of sulfated salicinoids in poplar and their formation by sulfotransferase 1. Plant Physiology 183 (1), pp. 137 - 151 (2020)
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