Combinatorial biosynthesis of triterpenes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Nicotiana benthamiana systems using P450 enzymes on friedelin substrate

Abstract

Association of synthetic biology and combinatorial biosynthesis has become a successful and economic alternative to produce novel compounds with biological potential mainly due to the wide range of structural diversity achieved by the combinatorial biosynthesis and the renewable source of compounds production provided by the synthetic biology.Profa. Maysa Furlan's research group (Chemistry Institute - UNESP), in collaboration with prof. Cleslei Zanelli's group (School of Pharmaceutical Sciences - UNESP) has been working on triterpenes biosynthesis and its molecular aspects aiming to unraveling the quinonemethides triterpenes pathway in plants from Celastraceae family. In association with the great experience of prof. Alain Gossens's research group (VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium) in combinatorial biosynthesis, molecular biology and synthetic biology of triterpenes, we will be able to develop an innovative research involving combinatorial biosynthesis of triterpenes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Nicotiana benthamiana using P450 enzymes on friedelin substrate.Once friedelane-type compounds are known to show several biological activities, production of novel oxidized derivatives from friedelin triterpene is a promising field to discovery novel "unnatural" triterpenes substantially increasing structural diversity of friedelin with potential pharmaceutical value, as well as, start building the biosynthetic route for the potent antitumor quinonemethides pristimerin and maytenin.