Plant lanosterol synthase: divergence of the sterol and triterpene biosynthetic pathways in eukaryotes

Plant Cell Physiol. 2006 May;47(5):673-7. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcj032. Epub 2006 Mar 10.

Abstract

Sterols, essential eukaryotic constituents, are biosynthesized through either cyclic triterpenes, lanosterol (fungi and animals) or cycloartenol (plants). The cDNA for OSC7 of Lotus japonicus was shown to encode lanosterol synthase (LAS) by the complementation of a LAS-deficient mutant yeast and structural identification of the accumulated lanosterol. A double site-directed mutant of OSC7, in which amino acid residues crucial for the reaction specificity were changed to the cycloartenol synthase (CAS) type, produced parkeol and cycloartenol. The multiple amino acid sequence alignment of a conserved region suggests that the LAS of different eukaryotic lineages emerged from the ancestral CAS by convergent evolution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Biological Evolution
  • DNA, Plant / analysis
  • DNA, Plant / genetics
  • Eukaryotic Cells / metabolism*
  • Intramolecular Transferases / analysis
  • Intramolecular Transferases / chemistry
  • Intramolecular Transferases / genetics
  • Intramolecular Transferases / physiology*
  • Lanosterol / analogs & derivatives
  • Lanosterol / analysis
  • Lanosterol / chemistry
  • Lanosterol / metabolism
  • Lotus / chemistry
  • Lotus / physiology*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Phytosterols / analysis
  • Phytosterols / chemistry
  • Phytosterols / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Triterpenes / metabolism*

Substances

  • DNA, Plant
  • Phytosterols
  • Triterpenes
  • Lanosterol
  • parkeol
  • Intramolecular Transferases
  • lanosterol synthase
  • cycloartenol synthase
  • cycloartenol

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AB244670
  • GENBANK/AB244671