Biosynthesis of cholesterol and other sterols.
TL;DR: Cholesterol and its relatives possessing the 1,2-cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring system as mentioned in this paper form the sterolome, which comprises a chemical library of more than 1000 natural products found in all forms of eukaryotes and some prokaryotes that serve a myriad of biological functions.
Abstract: Cholesterol and its relatives possessing the 1,2-cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring system (Figure (Figure1)1) form the sterolome, which comprises a chemical library of more than 1000 natural products found in all forms of eukaryotes and some prokaryotes that serve a myriad of biological functions.1,2 The structural and stereochemical commonality of these compounds derive in large part from the action of oxidosqualene synthases (formerly cyclases) that generate the parent sterol frame. In their 1985 Nobel lecture, Brown and Goldstein stated that “cholesterol is the most highly decorated small molecule in biology”, a comment supported by the many Nobel prizes awarded to individuals who devoted a large part of their lives to research one or more aspects of the chemistry and chemical biology of sterols, their metabolites, or other isoprenoids.2,3
Figure 1
Common tetracyclic steroid frame containing the 1,2-cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring skeleton.
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TL;DR: Emphasis is placed in this Review on the description of the main oxidation reactions initiated by 1O2 and the resulting modifications within key cellular targets, including guanine for nucleic acids, unsaturated lipids, and targeted amino acids.
Abstract: Singlet oxygen (1O2) is a biologically relevant reactive oxygen species capable of efficiently reacting with cellular constituents. The resulting oxidatively generated damage to nucleic acids, membrane unsaturated lipids, and protein components has been shown to be implicated in several diseases, including arthritis, cataracts, and skin cancer. Singlet oxygen may be endogenously produced, among various possibilities, by myeloperoxidase, an enzyme implicated in inflammation processes, and also efficiently in skin by the UVA component of solar radiation through photosensitization reactions. Emphasis is placed in this Review on the description of the main oxidation reactions initiated by 1O2 and the resulting modifications within key cellular targets, including guanine for nucleic acids, unsaturated lipids, and targeted amino acids. Most of these reactions give rise to peroxides and dioxetanes, whose formation has been rationalized in terms of [4+2] cycloaddition and 1,2-cycloaddition with dienes + olefins, ...
342 citations
TL;DR: Phytosterol-enriched functional foods first appeared about twenty years ago and many clinical studies have confirmed the low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol-lowering properties of various types of phytosterols, which have provided insights to better understand the cholesterol- Lowering and other biological effects of plant sterols.
258 citations
TL;DR: The engineering of a ‘high-cholesterol’ model plant underscores the future value of the gene toolbox to produce high-value steroidal compounds via synthetic biology and provides a unique example of nature's capacity to exploit existing protein folds and catalytic machineries from primary metabolism to assemble a new, multi-step metabolic pathway.
Abstract: The amount of cholesterol made by many plants is not negligible. Whereas cholesterogenesis in animals was elucidated decades ago, the plant pathway has remained enigmatic. Among other roles, cholesterol is a key precursor for thousands of bioactive plant metabolites, including the well-known Solanum steroidal glycoalkaloids. Integrating tomato transcript and protein co-expression data revealed candidate genes putatively associated with cholesterol biosynthesis. A combination of functional assays including gene silencing, examination of recombinant enzyme activity and yeast mutant complementation suggests the cholesterol pathway comprises 12 enzymes acting in 10 steps. It appears that half of the cholesterogenesis-specific enzymes evolved through gene duplication and divergence from phytosterol biosynthetic enzymes, whereas others act reciprocally in both cholesterol and phytosterol metabolism. Our findings provide a unique example of nature's capacity to exploit existing protein folds and catalytic machineries from primary metabolism to assemble a new, multi-step metabolic pathway. Finally, the engineering of a 'high-cholesterol' model plant underscores the future value of our gene toolbox to produce high-value steroidal compounds via synthetic biology.
252 citations
TL;DR: In this review, an endeavor has been made to uncover the significance of various metabolites like phenolics, phytoene/terpenoids, phytols, sterols, free fatty acids, photoprotective compounds, etc., which have several biotechnological, industrial, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic uses.
Abstract: Cyanobacteria and algae having complex photosynthetic systems can channelize absorbed solar energy into other forms of energy for production of food and metabolites. In addition, they are promising biocatalysts and can be used in the field of “white biotechnology” for enhancing the sustainable production of food, metabolites and green energy sources such as biodiesel. In this review, an endeavour has been made to uncover the significance of various metabolites like phenolics, phytoene/terpenoids, phytols, sterols, free fatty acids, photoprotective compounds (MAAs, scytonemin, s, polysaccharides, halogenated compounds, etc.), phytohormones, cyanotoxins, biocides (algaecides, herbicides and insecticides) etc. Apart from this, the importance of these metabolites as antibiotics, immunosuppressant, anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory agent has also been discussed. Metabolites obtained from cyanobacteria and algae have several biotechnological, industrial, pharmaceutical and cosmetic uses which have also been discussed in this review along with the emerging technology of their harvesting for enhancing the production of compounds like bioethanol, biofuel etc. at commercial level. In later sections, we have discussed genetically modified organisms and metabolite production from them. We have also briefly discussed the concept of bioprocessing highlighting the functioning of companies engaged in metabolites production as well as their cost effectiveness and challenges that are being addressed by these companies.
251 citations
TL;DR: This Review examines the different strategies used by nature to create new intra(inter)molecular bonds via redox chemistry, with an emphasis on the former.
Abstract: Oxidative cyclizations are important transformations that occur widely during natural product biosynthesis. The transformations from acyclic precursors to cyclized products can afford morphed scaffolds, structural rigidity, and biological activities. Some of the most dramatic structural alterations in natural product biosynthesis occur through oxidative cyclization. In this Review, we examine the different strategies used by nature to create new intra(inter)molecular bonds via redox chemistry. This Review will cover both oxidation- and reduction-enabled cyclization mechanisms, with an emphasis on the former. Radical cyclizations catalyzed by P450, nonheme iron, α-KG-dependent oxygenases, and radical SAM enzymes are discussed to illustrate the use of molecular oxygen and S-adenosylmethionine to forge new bonds at unactivated sites via one-electron manifolds. Nonradical cyclizations catalyzed by flavin-dependent monooxygenases and NAD(P)H-dependent reductases are covered to show the use of two-electron mani...
237 citations
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TL;DR: Comparative genomic analysis indicates vertebrate expansions of genes associated with neuronal function, with tissue-specific developmental regulation, and with the hemostasis and immune systems are indicated.
Abstract: A 2.91-billion base pair (bp) consensus sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome was generated by the whole-genome shotgun sequencing method. The 14.8-billion bp DNA sequence was generated over 9 months from 27,271,853 high-quality sequence reads (5.11-fold coverage of the genome) from both ends of plasmid clones made from the DNA of five individuals. Two assembly strategies-a whole-genome assembly and a regional chromosome assembly-were used, each combining sequence data from Celera and the publicly funded genome effort. The public data were shredded into 550-bp segments to create a 2.9-fold coverage of those genome regions that had been sequenced, without including biases inherent in the cloning and assembly procedure used by the publicly funded group. This brought the effective coverage in the assemblies to eightfold, reducing the number and size of gaps in the final assembly over what would be obtained with 5.11-fold coverage. The two assembly strategies yielded very similar results that largely agree with independent mapping data. The assemblies effectively cover the euchromatic regions of the human chromosomes. More than 90% of the genome is in scaffold assemblies of 100,000 bp or more, and 25% of the genome is in scaffolds of 10 million bp or larger. Analysis of the genome sequence revealed 26,588 protein-encoding transcripts for which there was strong corroborating evidence and an additional approximately 12,000 computationally derived genes with mouse matches or other weak supporting evidence. Although gene-dense clusters are obvious, almost half the genes are dispersed in low G+C sequence separated by large tracts of apparently noncoding sequence. Only 1.1% of the genome is spanned by exons, whereas 24% is in introns, with 75% of the genome being intergenic DNA. Duplications of segmental blocks, ranging in size up to chromosomal lengths, are abundant throughout the genome and reveal a complex evolutionary history. Comparative genomic analysis indicates vertebrate expansions of genes associated with neuronal function, with tissue-specific developmental regulation, and with the hemostasis and immune systems. DNA sequence comparisons between the consensus sequence and publicly funded genome data provided locations of 2.1 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A random pair of human haploid genomes differed at a rate of 1 bp per 1250 on average, but there was marked heterogeneity in the level of polymorphism across the genome. Less than 1% of all SNPs resulted in variation in proteins, but the task of determining which SNPs have functional consequences remains an open challenge.
12,098 citations
TL;DR: This is the first complete genome sequence of a plant and provides the foundations for more comprehensive comparison of conserved processes in all eukaryotes, identifying a wide range of plant-specific gene functions and establishing rapid systematic ways to identify genes for crop improvement.
Abstract: The flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana is an important model system for identifying genes and determining their functions. Here we report the analysis of the genomic sequence of Arabidopsis. The sequenced regions cover 115.4 megabases of the 125-megabase genome and extend into centromeric regions. The evolution of Arabidopsis involved a whole-genome duplication, followed by subsequent gene loss and extensive local gene duplications, giving rise to a dynamic genome enriched by lateral gene transfer from a cyanobacterial-like ancestor of the plastid. The genome contains 25,498 genes encoding proteins from 11,000 families, similar to the functional diversity of Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans--the other sequenced multicellular eukaryotes. Arabidopsis has many families of new proteins but also lacks several common protein families, indicating that the sets of common proteins have undergone differential expansion and contraction in the three multicellular eukaryotes. This is the first complete genome sequence of a plant and provides the foundations for more comprehensive comparison of conserved processes in all eukaryotes, identifying a wide range of plant-specific gene functions and establishing rapid systematic ways to identify genes for crop improvement.
8,742 citations
TL;DR: The approach was to apply the techniques of cell culture to unravel the postulated regulatory defect in FH, which led to the discovery of a cell surface receptor for a plasma cholesterol transport protein called low density lipoprotein (LDL) and to the elucidation of the mechanism by which this receptor mediates feedback control of cholesterol synthesis.
Abstract: In 1901 a physician, Archibald Garrod, observed a patient with black urine. He used this simple observation to demonstrate that a single mutant gene can produce a discrete block in a biochemical pathway, which he called an “inborn error of metabolism”. Garrod’s brilliant insight anticipated by 40 years the one gene-one enzyme concept of Beadle and Tatum. In similar fashion the chemist Linus Pauling and the biochemist Vernon Ingram, through study of patients with sickle cell anemia, showed that mutant genes alter the amino acid sequences of proteins. Clearly, many fundamental advances in biology were spawned by perceptive studies of human genetic diseases (1). We began our work in 1972 in an attempt to understand a human genetic disease, familial hypercholesterolemia or FH. In these patients the concentration of cholesterol in blood is elevated many fold above normal and heart attacks occur early in life. We postulated that this dominantly inherited disease results from a failure of end-product repression of cholesterol synthesis. The possibility fascinated us because genetic defects in feedback regulation had not been observed previously in humans or animals, and we hoped that study of this disease might throw light on fundamental regulatory mechanisms. Our approach was to apply the techniques of cell culture to unravel the postulated regulatory defect in FH. These studies led to the discovery of a cell surface receptor for a plasma cholesterol transport protein called low density lipoprotein (LDL) and to the elucidation of the mechanism by which this receptor mediates feedback control of cholesterol synthesis (2,3). FH was shown to be caused by inherited defects in the gene encoding the LDL receptor, which disrupt the normal control of cholesterol metabolism. Study of the LDL receptor in turn led to the understanding of receptor-mediated endocytosis, a genera! process by which cells communicate with each other through internalization of regulatory and nutritional molecules (4). Receptor-mediated endocytosis differs from previously described biochemical pathways because it depends upon the continuous and highly controlled movement of membraneembedded proteins from one cell organelle to another in a process termed
5,488 citations
TL;DR: The mevalonate pathway produces isoprenoids that are vital for diverse cellular functions, ranging from cholesterol synthesis to growth control, and could be useful in treating certain forms of cancer as well as heart disease.
Abstract: The mevalonate pathway produces isoprenoids that are vital for diverse cellular functions, ranging from cholesterol synthesis to growth control. Several mechanisms for feedback regulation of low-density-lipoprotein receptors and of two enzymes involved in mevalonate biosynthesis ensure the production of sufficient mevalonate for several end-products. Manipulation of this regulatory system could be useful in treating certain forms of cancer as well as heart disease.
5,125 citations
TL;DR: Alkane hydroxylation proceeds by TSR,70-72,120 in which the HS mechanism is truly stepwise with a finite lifetime for the radical intermediate, whereas the LS mechanism is effectively concerted with an ultrashort lifetime forThe radical intermediate.
Abstract: ion phase that leads to an alkyl radical coordinated to the iron-hydroxo complex by a weak OH---C hydrogen bond, labeled as CI; (ii) an alkyl (or OH) rotation phase whereby the alkyl group achieves a favorable orientation for rebound; and (iii) a rebound phase that leads to C-O bond making and the ferric-alcohol complexes, 4,2P. The two profiles remain close in energy throughout the first two phases and then bifurcate. Whereas the HS state exhibits a significant barrier and a genuine TS for rebound, in the LS state, once the right orientation of the alkyl group is achieved, the LS rebound proceeds in a virtually barrier-free fashion to the alcohol. As such, alkane hydroxylation proceeds by TSR,70-72,120 in which the HS mechanism is truly stepwise with a finite lifetime for the radical intermediate, whereas the LS mechanism is effectively concerted with an ultrashort lifetime for the radical intermediate. Subsequent studies of ethane and camphor hydroxylation by the Yoshizawa group117,181-183 arrived at basically the same conclusion, that the mechanism is typified by TSR. The differences between the results of Shaik et al.130,173,177-180 and Yoshizawa et al.117,181-183 were rationalized recently71,72 and shown to arise owing to technical problems and the choice of the mercaptide ligand,117,181-183 which is a powerful electron donor and is too far from the representation of cysteine in the protein environment. The most recent study of camphor hydroxylation, which was done at a higher quality,117 converged to the picture reported by Shaik et al.130,173,177-180 and shows a stepwise HS process with a barrier of more than 3 kcal/mol for C-O bond formation by rebound of the camphoryl radical vis-à-vis an effectively concerted LS process for which this barrier is 0.7 kcal mol-1 and is the rotational barrier for reaching the rebound position. By referring to Figure 21, it is possible to rationalize the clock data of Newcomb in a simple manner. The apparent lifetimes are based on the assumption that there is a single state that leads to the reaction, such that the radical lifetime can be quantitated from the rate constant of free radical rearrangement and the ratio of rearranged to unrearranged alcohol product. However, in TSR, the rearranged (R) product is formed only/mainly on the HS surface, while the unrearranged (U) product is formed mainly on Figure 20. Formal descriptions of iron(III)-peroxo, iron(III)-hydroperoxo, and iron(V)-oxo species with indication of the negative charges. The roles “electrophile” or “nucleophile” are assigned according to the charge type. Reprinted with permission from ref 7. Copyright 2000 Springer-Verlag Heidelberg. 3964 Chemical Reviews, 2004, Vol. 104, No. 9 Meunier et al.
2,002 citations