De Novo Biosynthesis of a Polyene-Type Ginsenoside Precursor Dammaradienol in .

Typical dammarane-type ginsenosides are well-known tetracyclic triterpenoids with significant pharmacological effects including antitumor, cardiovascular protection, and neuroprotection. Polyene-type ginsenosides exhibit stronger biological activities than common ginsenosides; however, their contents are low, and most are converted from ginsenosides through a series of processing steps, resulting in higher preparation costs. In this study, a dammaradienol synthase, AarOSC20433, was identified for the first time from H.

Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for high-level production of (+)-ambrein from glucose.

(+)-Ambrein is the primary component of ambergris, a rare product found in sperm whales (Physeter microcephalus). Microbial production using sustainable resources is a promising way to replace animal extraction and chemical synthesis. We constructed an engineered yeast strain to produce (+)-ambrein de novo.

Adjusting Catalytic Activity of β-Amyrin Synthase GgBAS by Utilizing the Plasticity Residues of an Active Site.

β-Amyrin synthase (bAS) is a representative plant oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC), and previous studies have identified many functional residues and mutants that can alter its catalytic activity. However, the regulatory mechanism of the active site architecture for adjusting the catalytic activity remains unclear. In this study, we investigate the function of key residues and their regulatory effects on the catalytic activity of β-amyrin synthase (GgbAS) through molecular dynamics simulations and site-directed mutagenesis experiments.

Functional characterization of triterpene synthases in .

(Linn.) J. Sm.

Characterization of a Group of 2,3-Oxidosqualene Cyclase Genes Involved in the Biosynthesis of Diverse Triterpenoids of .

(L.), a traditional edible and medicinal crop, contains diverse triterpenes with multiple pharmacological properties. However, the biosynthesis of triterpenes in perilla remains rarely revelation.