Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Transient Expression in Nicotiana Benthamiana Leaves for Triterpene Production at a Preparative Scale
Published on: August 16, 2018
Functional Characterization of a Thujopsene-Type Sesquiterpene Synthase from Nemania Diffusa
Yuxin Zhou1, Jiatong Zeng1, Beilin Meng1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing401331, China.
Abstract:
Thujopsene, a 3/6/6 tricyclic sesquiterpene, is widely distributed in the essential oils of various plants with diverse biological activities, such as antibacterial, antifungal, and antitermite properties. Here, we identified a sesquiterpene synthase (NdSTS) from the fungus Nemania diffusa that catalyzes the formation of thujopsene and thujopsan-2β-ol, as demonstrated by both in vivo and in vitro assays. This study represents the first report of a thujopsene-type sesquiterpene synthase originating from a fungal source. In addition, NdSTS displays broad substrate promiscuity and is able to utilize GPP as a substrate to produce the acyclic monoterpene alcohol geraniol in vitro. Furthermore, protein modeling combined with site-directed mutagenesis identified seven residues that are essential for the catalytic activity of NdSTS. Overall, this work expands our understanding of the catalytic diversity of fungal terpene synthases and provides novel genetic resources for thujopsene biosynthesis.
Related Concept Videos
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations: Structural Overview
Removing one hydrogen from the intervening CH2 group with both...
Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview
Structure of Conjugated Dienes
Conjugated dienes are compounds characterized by the presence of alternating double and single bonds. In a conjugated system like 1,3-butadiene, the unhybridized 2p orbital on each carbon overlaps continuously, allowing the π electrons to be delocalized across the entire molecule. In contrast, this type of overlap does not occur in cumulated and isolated dienes, such as 2,3-pentadiene and 1,4-pentadiene, respectively. Instead, the π electrons remain localized between the double...
Criteria for Aromaticity and the Hückel 4n + 2 Rule
For the first time, Eric Hückel, a German chemical physicist, derived a set of structural features for a compound to be classified as aromatic. This is now known as Hückel’s rule or the 4n + 2 rule.
Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Woodward–Fieser Rules

