Identification of unique mechanisms for triterpene biosynthesis in Botryococcus braunii

Tom D. Niehaus, Shigeru Okada, Timothy P. Devarenne, David S. Watt, Vitaliy Sviripa, Joe Chappell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

128 Scopus citations

Abstract

Botryococcene biosynthesis is thought to resemble that of squalene, a metabolite essential for sterol metabolism in all eukaryotes. Squalene arises from an initial condensation of two molecules of farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) to form presqualene diphosphate (PSPP), which then undergoes a reductive rearrangement to form squalene. In principle, botryococcene could arise from an alternative rearrangement of the presqualene intermediate. Because of these proposed similarities, we predicted that a botryococcene synthase would resemble squalene synthase and hence isolated squalene synthase-like genes from Botryococcus braunii race B. While B. braunii does harbor at least one typical squalene synthase, none of the other three squalene synthase-like (SSL) genes encodes for botryococcene biosynthesis directly. SSL-1 catalyzes the biosynthesis of PSPP and SSL-2 the biosynthesis of bisfarnesyl ether, while SSL-3 does not appear able to directly utilize FPP as a substrate. However, when combinations of the synthase-like enzymes were mixed together, in vivo and in vitro, robust botryococcene (SSL-1+SSL-3) or squalene biosynthesis (SSL1+SSL-2) was observed. These findings were unexpected because squalene synthase, an ancient and likely progenitor to the other Botryococcus triterpene synthases, catalyzes a two-step reaction within a single enzyme unit without intermediate release, yet in B. braunii, these activities appear to have separated and evolved interdependently for specialized triterpene oil production greater than 500 MYA. Coexpression of the SSL-1 and SSL-3 genes in different configurations, as independent genes, as gene fusions, or targeted to intracellular membranes, also demonstrate the potential for engineering even greater efficiencies of botryococcene biosynthesis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12260-12265
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume108
Issue number30
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 26 2011

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Science Foundation (NSF)0828648
National Center for Research ResourcesP20RR020171
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science21380130

    Keywords

    • Algae
    • Biofuels
    • Terpene enzymology

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General

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