• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.273-278
• /
• 2008

Various biological resources from plants, animals, mushrooms, microorganisms, and foods were tested for the inhibitory activity against squalene synthase (SQS). Among 32 samples, more than one fourths (9 samples) exhibited significant SQS inhibitory activity. Interestingly, SQS inhibitory activity was detected in the samples such as green tea, fermented soybean paste, and plum juice. The SQS inhibitory activity of green tea was not only high but also stable. Its SQS inhibitors were supposed to be catechin derivatives, which have been known to be main bioactive components in green tea. The galloyl catechins showed higher SQS inhibitory activity compared to the nongalloyl catechins. Especially, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate appeared to be strongest inhibitor against squalene synthase ($IC_{50}=90{\mu}M$).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.297-301
• /
• 2003

An inhibitor of squalene synthase, a key enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathways and a target for improved agents to lower plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein, was sequentially purified from Curcuma longa by acetone extraction, silica gel column chromatography, and sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Active compound, YUF-01, was successfully purified and analyzed as $C_{20}H_{21}O_6$ by electron ionization mass spectrum. Through $^1H-NMR$ and $^{13}C-NMR$ analyses, YUF-01 was identified as curcumin, which showed strong inhibition of squalene synthase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.222-227
• /
• 2002

Squalene synthase catalyzes the reductive dimerization of two molecules of farnesyl diphosphate to form squalene at the final branch point of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. Due to the unique position of this enzyme in the pathway, its inhibitors may have advantages as antihypercholesterolemic agents. Therefore, selective inhibitors of squalene synthase do not prevent the formation of the essential branch products of the isoprene pathway, such as dolichol, coenzyme-Q, and prenylated proteins, as might be expected for inhibitors of enzymes earlier in the pathway; for example, lovastatin and mevalotin. The current study reports that CJ90002, a pentagalloylglucose isolated from Paeonia moutan SIM (Paeoniaceae), which is an important Chinese crude drug used in many traditional prescriptions, was a potent inhibitor of rat microsomal squalene synthase, and also a potent inhibitor of cholesterol biosynthesis in vitro. In addition, the intraperitoneal and oral administration of CJ90002 had a significant lowering effect on plasma cholesterol levels in hamsters.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.12
• /
• pp.1970-1975
• /
• 2007

Squalene synthase plays an important role in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. Inhibiting this enzyme in hypercholesterolemia can lower not only plasma cholesterol but also plasma triglyceride levels. A squalene synthase inhibitor was screened from Prunus mume fruit, and then purified via sequential processes of ethanol extraction, HP-20 column chromatography, ethyl acetate extraction, silica gel column chromatography, and crystallization. The squalene synthase inhibitor was identified as chlorogenic acid with a molecular mass of 354 Da and a molecular formula of $C_{16}H_{18}O_9$ based on UV spectrophotometry, $^1H$ and $^{13}C$ NMRs, and mass spectrometry. Chlorogenic acid inhibited the squalene synthase of pig liver with an $IC_{50}$ level of 100 nM. Since chlorogenic acid was an effective inhibitor against the squalene synthase of an animal source, it may be a potential therapeutic agent for hypercholesterolemia.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.7
• /
• pp.1106-1112
• /
• 2007

This report provides the complete nucleotide sequences of the full-length cDNA encoding squalene synthase (SQS) and its genomic DNA sequence from a triterpene-producing fungus, Ganoderma lucidum. The cDNA of the squalene synthase (SQS) (GenBank Accession Number: DQ494674) was found to contain an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,404 bp encoding a 468-amino-acid polypeptide, whereas the SQS genomic DNA sequence (GenBank Accession Number: DQ494675) consisted of 1,984 bp and contained four exons and three introns. Only one gene copy was present in the G. lucidum genome. The deduced amino acid sequence of Ganoderma lucidum squalene synthase (GI-SQS) exhibited a high homology with other fungal squalene synthase genes and contained six conserved domains. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that G. lucidum SQS belonged to the fungi SQS group, and was more closely related to the SQS of U. maydis than to those of other fungi. A gene expression analysis showed that the expression level was relatively low in mycelia incubated for 12 days, increased after 14 to 20 days of incubation, and reached a relatively high level in the mushroom primordia. Functional complementation of GI-SQS in a SQS-deficient strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae confirmed that the cloned cDNA encoded a squalene synthase.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.17-27
• /
• 2004

Cholesterol inhibitory activity was investigated to develop the functional food from edible forest resources such as Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum and other 12 species. Among tested samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), leaf extracts of A. victorialis var. platyphyllum inhibited 73.9% of the activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) which is the highly regulated and major rate-limiting of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. Moreover, those extracts inhibited 76.7% of squalene synthase which catalyzes the head-to-head condensation of two farnesyl pyrophosphate molecules to form squalene in the biosynthesis of cholesterol. In order to find out the compounds which would play a key role in inhibitory activity of cholesterol, kaempferol and quercetin were isolated from the dichloromethane soluble fraction of extracts of A. victorialis var. platyphyllum. Kampferol, quercetin and each soluble fraction was also subjected to the test of the mRNA expression of HMG-CoA reductase and squalene synthase by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, respectively. By treating both enzymes with 10 ㎍/㎖ of kaempferol and quercetin for 24 hours, respectively, the mRNA expression was not observed, suggesting that both compounds inhibited the biosynthesis of cholesterol at mRNA level. In this regard, it could be inferred that cholesterol inhibitory activity of A. victorialis var. platyphyllum was derived from kaempferol and quercetin. Both compounds have already been found in many plant extracts including hardwood and softwood, but it might be first known that they have cholesterol inhibitory activity.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.89-93
• /
• 2005

Squalene synthase (SQS) inhibitors were screened from various plants and food extracts. Effective SQS inhibitor was purified from fermented soybean paste using ethanol extraction, HP-20 column chromatography, ethyl acetate extraction, silica gel column chromatography, and crystallization. Through UV spectrometry, $^1H$ NMR, $^{13}C$ NMR, and mass spectrometry, SQS inhibitor was identified as daidzein with molecular mass of 254 and molecular formula of $C_{15}H_{10}O_4$. Daidzein showed $IC_{50}$ value of 50 nmol/L against SQS, confirming its potential as therapeutic agent for hypercholesterolemia.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.441-451
• /
• 2016

Squalene is a linear triterpene formed via the MVA or MEP biosynthetic pathway and is widely distributed in bacteria, fungi, algae, plants, and animals. Metabolically, squalene is used not only as a precursor in the synthesis of complex secondary metabolites such as sterols, hormones, and vitamins, but also as a carbon source in aerobic and anaerobic fermentation in microorganisms. Owing to the increasing roles of squalene as an antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory agent, the demand for this chemical is highly urgent. As a result, with the exception of traditional methods of the isolation of squalene from animals (shark liver oil) and plants, biotechnological methods using microorganisms as producers have afforded increased yield and productivity, but a reduction in progress. In this paper, we first review the biosynthetic routes of squalene and its typical derivatives, particularly the squalene synthase route. Second, typical biotechnological methods for the enhanced production of squalene using microbial cell factories are summarized and classified. Finally, the outline and discussion of the novel trend in the production of squalene with several updated events to 2015 are presented.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.116-120
• /
• 2004

The medicinal properties of Ganoderma lucidum have been recognized in China for many centuries. Active pharmaceutical components include triterpenes. To elucidate the molecular regulation of triterpene biosynthesis in this mushroom, a 57-base pair DNA fragment encoding the fourth conserved domain SQ-4 (SMGLFLQKTNIIRDYNEDL) of squalene synthase was synthesized and cloned into the expression vector pET-32a(＋). The recombinant fusion protein induced by IPTG (isopropyl-$\beta$-D-thiogalactopyranoside) was overexpressed in the Escherichia coli. Using the purified recombinant fusion protein of 20.9 kDa, a specific polyclonal antibody was obtained from immunized rabbit. Expression of squalene synthase at different development stages of Ganoderma lucidum was analyzed.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.98-103
• /
• 2010

The medicinal plant Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) contains various phytosterols and bioactive triterpene saponins (ginsenosides). Squalene synthase catalyzes the first committed step in ginsenoside biosynthesis. Transgenic plants of P. ginseng were generated by introducing the squalene synthase gene derived from P. ginseng. Adventitious roots of the transgenic ginseng grew best in B5 medium, and 2 g of inoculum secured an optimal growth rate. Two phytohormones, indolebutyric acid and 1-naphtalene acetic acid, increased root growth and decreased ginsenoside production. Treatment with two selected elicitors, chitosan and jasmonic acid, and a precursor of the isoprenoid pathway, mevalonic acid, enhanced ginsenoside production and retarded ginseng growth rate.