Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Lanosterol biosynthesis in plants.

Mariya D Kolesnikova1, Quanbo Xiong, Silvia Lodeiro

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 S. Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, USA.

Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics
|February 1, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Plants possess unique sterol pathways, distinct from animals and fungi. Researchers discovered a novel plant lanosterol synthase (LSS) in Arabidopsis, suggesting dual sterol roles and independent evolution in eudicots.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A combined Monte Carlo and experimental approach to correct foci overlap in quantifying carbon-ion-induced DNA double-strand breaks.

Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine·2026
Same author

Ouroboros: From Linear Carbons to Cyclic Carbons, Cyclo[25]carbon and Cyclo[50]carbon.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Scalable Incremental Clustering for Tandem Mass Spectra in Untargeted Metabolomics.

Journal of proteome research·2026
Same author

Engineering Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts in 2D Conjugated Metal-Organic Frameworks: Theoretical Perspectives on Metal-Ligand Synergistic Effects.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2025
Same author

A novel simplified structure model for accurate and flexible simulation of radiation-induced DNA damage.

Computer methods and programs in biomedicine·2025
Same author

Author Correction: A universal language for finding mass spectrometry data patterns.

Nature methods·2025

Area of Science:

  • Plant biochemistry
  • Molecular biology
  • Evolutionary biology

Background:

  • Plants synthesize sterols via cycloartenol, a pathway differing from the animal/fungal lanosterol route.
  • The presence and function of lanosterol synthases in plants were previously unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and function of lanosterol synthase (LSS) in plants.
  • To understand the evolutionary origins and catalytic properties of plant LSS.

Main Methods:

  • Genome-mining experiments in Arabidopsis.
  • Cloning and characterization of plant lanosterol synthase.
  • Phylogenetic analysis of lanosterol synthases.
  • Identification of novel catalytic motifs.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Arabidopsis thaliana encodes a functional lanosterol synthase (LSS), alongside cycloartenol synthase.
  • Lanosterol synthases are widespread in eudicots, with an evolutionary path independent of animals and fungi.
  • Plant LSS represents a third catalytically distinct class of lanosterol synthase.

Conclusions:

  • The coexistence of cycloartenol and lanosterol synthases in plants suggests distinct functional roles for cyclopropyl and conventional sterols.
  • Plant LSS evolved independently, highlighting a unique branch in sterol biosynthesis evolution.
  • Discovery of a new class of lanosterol synthase expands our understanding of sterol metabolism diversity.