Abstract
Squalene epoxidase, thought to be one of the rate-limiting enzymes in the biosynthetic pathways of both membrane sterols and triterpenes (e.g., celastrol), catalyses the formation of oxidosqualene as the common precursor of sterols and triterpenoids. In this work, we first found five squalene epoxidase genes (TwSEs) from Tripterygium wilfordii. Tissue expression pattern, consistent with methyl jasmonate induction study, showed that TwSEs1–4 were involved in the production of special metabolites. In contrast, TwSE5 showed a different tissue expression pattern and was not induced by methyl jasmonate. To probe the functions of the TwSEs, we first tried using a prokaryotic system by constructing an engineered bacterium, but we failed to detect their products. Next, we used the CRISPR/Cas9 tool to construct an erg1 mutant yeast by knocking out the ERG1 gene of yeast strain BY4741 and then applied this mutant to identify the function of TwSEs. We found that only TwSEs1–4 can functionally complement the erg1 mutant yeast. This study laid the foundation for the heterologous biosynthesis of special metabolites in Tripterygium wilfordii.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
