Unravelling triterpene biosynthesis through functional characterization of an oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) from Cleome arabica L

2019 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 73-84
Author(s):  
Afef Ladhari ◽  
Joseph Chappell
Keyword(s):  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Oxidosqualene Cyclase ◽  
Cleome Arabica ◽  
Triterpene Biosynthesis

Cloning and Characterization of Oxidosqualene Cyclases Involved in Taraxasterol, Taraxerol and Bauerenol Triterpene Biosynthesis in Taraxacum coreanum

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 1595-1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Yeon Han ◽  
Hye-Jeong Jo ◽  
Eun Kyung Kwon ◽  
Yong Eui Choi
Keyword(s):  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Taraxacum Officinale ◽  
Oxidosqualene Cyclases ◽  
Oxidosqualene Cyclase ◽  
The Family ◽  
Triterpene Synthases ◽  
Taraxacum Coreanum ◽  
Heterologous Expression In Yeast ◽  
Triterpene Biosynthesis

Abstract Triterpenes, consisting of six isoprene units, are one of the largest classes of natural compounds in plants. The genus Taraxacum is in the family Asteraceae and is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Various triterpenes, especially taraxerol and taraxasterol, are present in Taraxacum plants. Triterpene biosynthesis occurs through the action of oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC), which generates various types of triterpenes from 2,3-oxidosqualene after the rearrangement of the triterpene skeleton. However, no functional characterization of the OSC genes involved in triterpene biosynthesis, except for a lupeol synthase in Taraxacum officinale, has been performed. Taraxacum coreanum, or Korean dandelion, grows in Korea and China. Putative OSC genes in T. coreanum plants were isolated by transcriptome analysis, and four of these (TcOSC1, TcOSC2, TcOSC3 and TcOSC4) were functionally characterized by heterologous expression in yeast. Both TcOSC1 and TcOSC2 were closely related to dammarenediol-II synthases. TcOSC3 and TcOSC4 were strongly grouped with β-amyrin synthases. Functional analysis revealed that TcOSC1 produced several triterpenes, including taraxasterol; Ψ-taraxasterol; α-, β- and δ-amyrin; and dammarenediol-II. TcOSC2 catalyzed the production of bauerenol and another unknown triterpene, TcOSC3 catalyzed the production of β-amyrin. TcOSC4 catalyzed the production of taraxerol. Moreover, we identified taraxasterol, ψ-taraxasterol, taraxerol, lupeol, δ-amyrin, α-amyrin, β-amyrin and bauerenol in the roots and leaves of T. coreanum. Our results suggest that TcOSC1, TcOSC2, TcOSC3 and TcOSC4 are key triterpene biosynthetic enzymes in T. coreanum. These enzymes are novel triterpene synthases involved in the production of taraxasterol, bauerenol and taraxerol.

scholarly journals Squalene Cyclases and Cycloartenol Synthases from Polystichum polyblepharum and Six Allied Ferns

Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junichi Shinozaki ◽  
Takahisa Nakene ◽  
Akihito Takano
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Molecular Markers ◽  
Pichia Pastoris ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Biosynthetic Enzymes ◽  
Oxidosqualene Cyclase

Ferns are the most primitive of all vascular plants. One of the characteristics distinguishing them from flowering plants is its triterpene metabolism. Most cyclic triterpenes in ferns are hydrocarbons derived from the direct cyclization of squalene by squalene cyclases (SCs). Both ferns and more complex plants share sterols and biosynthetic enzymes, such as cycloartenol synthases (CASs). Polystichum belongs to Dryopteridaceae, and is one of the most species-rich of all fern genera. Several Polystichum ferns in Japan are classified as one of three possible chemotypes, based on their triterpene profiles. In this study, we describe the molecular cloning and functional characterization of cDNAs encoding a SC (PPH) and a CAS (PPX) from the type species Polystichum polyblepharum. Heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris revealed that PPH and PPX are hydroxyhopane synthase and CAS, respectively. By using the PPH and PPX sequences, we successfully isolated SC- and CAS-encoding cDNAs from six Polystichum ferns. Phylogenetic analysis, based on SCs and oxidosqualene cyclase sequences, suggested that the Polystichum subclade in the fern SC and CAS clades reflects the chemotype—but not the molecular phylogeny constructed using plastid molecular markers. These results show a possible relation between triterpenes and their biosynthetic enzymes in Polystichum.

Functional characterization of an oxidosqualene cyclase (PdFRS) encoding a monofunctional friedelin synthase in Populus davidiana

Planta ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 249 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Yeon Han ◽  
Chang-Ho Ahn ◽  
Prakash Babu Adhikari ◽  
Subramanyam Kondeti ◽  
Yong Eui Choi
Keyword(s):  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Oxidosqualene Cyclase ◽  
Populus Davidiana

Functional characterization of human brown adipose tissue metabolism

2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (7) ◽  
pp. 1261-1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Anne Richard ◽  
Hannah Pallubinsky ◽  
Denis P. Blondin
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Treatment Of Obesity ◽  
And Function

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has long been described according to its histological features as a multilocular, lipid-containing tissue, light brown in color, that is also responsive to the cold and found especially in hibernating mammals and human infants. Its presence in both hibernators and human infants, combined with its function as a heat-generating organ, raised many questions about its role in humans. Early characterizations of the tissue in humans focused on its progressive atrophy with age and its apparent importance for cold-exposed workers. However, the use of positron emission tomography (PET) with the glucose tracer [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) made it possible to begin characterizing the possible function of BAT in adult humans, and whether it could play a role in the prevention or treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). This review focuses on the in vivo functional characterization of human BAT, the methodological approaches applied to examine these features and addresses critical gaps that remain in moving the field forward. Specifically, we describe the anatomical and biomolecular features of human BAT, the modalities and applications of non-invasive tools such as PET and magnetic resonance imaging coupled with spectroscopy (MRI/MRS) to study BAT morphology and function in vivo, and finally describe the functional characteristics of human BAT that have only been possible through the development and application of such tools.

Functional Characterization of PM6/13, a β3-specific (GPIIIa/CD61) Monoclonal Antibody that Shows Preferential Inhibition of Fibrinogen Binding over Fibronectin Binding to Activated Human Platelets

1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (01) ◽  
pp. 177-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashia Siddiqua ◽  
Michael Wilkinson ◽  
Vijay Kakkar ◽  
Yatin Patel ◽  
Salman Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Platelet Aggregation ◽  
Platelet Rich Plasma ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Human Platelets ◽  
Western Blots ◽  
Activated Platelets ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Fibronectin Binding

SummaryWe report the characterization of a monoclonal antibody (MAb) PM6/13 which recognises glycoprotein IIIa (GPIIIa) on platelet membranes and in functional studies inhibits platelet aggregation induced by all agonists examined. In platelet-rich plasma, inhibition of aggregation induced by ADP or low concentrations of collagen was accompanied by inhibition of 5-hydroxytryptamine secretion. EC50 values were 10 and 9 [H9262]g/ml antibody against ADP and collagen induced responses respectively. In washed platelets treated with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, PM6/13 inhibited platelet aggregation induced by thrombin (0.2 U/ml), collagen (10 [H9262]g/ml) and U46619 (3 [H9262]M) with EC50 = 4, 8 and 4 [H9262]g/ml respectively, without affecting [14C]5-hydroxytryptamine secretion or [3H]arachidonate release in appropriately labelled cells. Studies in Fura 2-labelled platelets revealed that elevation of intracellular calcium by ADP, thrombin or U46619 was unaffected by PM6/13 suggesting that the epitope recognised by the antibody did not influence Ca2+ regulation. In agreement with the results from the platelet aggregation studies, PM6/13 was found to potently inhibit binding of 125I-fibrinogen to ADP activated platelets. Binding of this ligand was also inhibited by two other MAbs tested, namely SZ-21 (also to GPIIIa) and PM6/248 (to the GPIIb-IIIa complex). However when tested against binding of 125I-fibronectin to thrombin stimulated platelets, PM6/13 was ineffective in contrast with SZ-21 and PM6/248, that were both potent inhibitors. This suggested that the epitopes recognised by PM6/13 and SZ-21 on GPIIIa were distinct. Studies employing proteolytic dissection of 125I-labelled GPIIIa by trypsin followed by immunoprecipitation with PM6/13 and analysis by SDS-PAGE, revealed the presence of four fragments at 70, 55, 30 and 28 kDa. PM6/13 did not recognize any protein bands on Western blots performed under reducing conditions. However Western blotting analysis with PM6/13 under non-reducing conditions revealed strong detection of the parent GP IIIa molecule, of trypsin treated samples revealed recognition of an 80 kDa fragment at 1 min, faint recognition of a 60 kDa fragment at 60 min and no recognition of any product at 18 h treatment. Under similar conditions, SZ-21 recognized fragments at 80, 75 and 55 kDa with the 55kDa species persisting even after 18 h trypsin treatment. These studies confirm the epitopes recognised by PM6/13 and SZ-21 to be distinct and that PM6/13 represents a useful tool to differentiate the characteristics of fibrinogen and fibronectin binding to the GPIIb-IIIa complex on activated platelets.

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