Tracking the sterol biosynthesis pathway of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Fabris, M; Matthijs, M; Carbonelle, S; Moses, T; Pollier, J; Dasseville, R; Baart, GJE; Vyverman, W; Goossens, A

Tracking the sterol biosynthesis pathway of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Fabris, M

Matthijs, M Carbonelle, S Moses, T Pollier, J Dasseville, R Baart, GJE Vyverman, W Goossens, A

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: New Phytologist, 2014, 204 (3), pp. 521 - 535
Issue Date:: 2014-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Fabris, M https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2910-2089	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Matthijs, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Carbonelle, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Moses, T	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Pollier, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Dasseville, R	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Baart, GJE	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Vyverman, W	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Goossens, A	en_US
dc.date.available	2014-06-02	en_US
dc.date.issued	2014-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	New Phytologist, 2014, 204 (3), pp. 521 - 535	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0028-646X	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/43557
dc.description.abstract	© 2014 New Phytologist Trust. Diatoms are unicellular photosynthetic microalgae that play a major role in global primary production and aquatic biogeochemical cycling. Endosymbiotic events and recurrent gene transfers uniquely shaped the genome of diatoms, which contains features from several domains of life. The biosynthesis pathways of sterols, essential compounds in all eukaryotic cells, and many of the enzymes involved are evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotes. Although well characterized in most eukaryotes, the pathway leading to sterol biosynthesis in diatoms has remained hitherto unidentified. Through the DiatomCyc database we reconstructed the mevalonate and sterol biosynthetic pathways of the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum in silico. We experimentally verified the predicted pathways using enzyme inhibitor, gene silencing and heterologous gene expression approaches. Our analysis revealed a peculiar, chimeric organization of the diatom sterol biosynthesis pathway, which possesses features of both plant and fungal pathways. Strikingly, it lacks a conventional squalene epoxidase and utilizes an extended oxidosqualene cyclase and a multifunctional isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase/squalene synthase enzyme. The reconstruction of the P. tricornutum sterol pathway underscores the metabolic plasticity of diatoms and offers important insights for the engineering of diatoms for sustainable production of biofuels and high-value chemicals.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	New Phytologist	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/nph.12917	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Plant Biology & Botany	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Diatoms	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Escherichia coli	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Saccharomyces cerevisiae	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Mevalonic Acid	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Sterols	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Gene Expression Regulation	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Molecular Structure	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Models, Biological	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Computer Simulation	en_US
dc.title	Tracking the sterol biosynthesis pathway of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	3	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	204	en_US
utslib.for	0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology	en_US
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	3	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	204	en_US

Abstract:

© 2014 New Phytologist Trust. Diatoms are unicellular photosynthetic microalgae that play a major role in global primary production and aquatic biogeochemical cycling. Endosymbiotic events and recurrent gene transfers uniquely shaped the genome of diatoms, which contains features from several domains of life. The biosynthesis pathways of sterols, essential compounds in all eukaryotic cells, and many of the enzymes involved are evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotes. Although well characterized in most eukaryotes, the pathway leading to sterol biosynthesis in diatoms has remained hitherto unidentified. Through the DiatomCyc database we reconstructed the mevalonate and sterol biosynthetic pathways of the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum in silico. We experimentally verified the predicted pathways using enzyme inhibitor, gene silencing and heterologous gene expression approaches. Our analysis revealed a peculiar, chimeric organization of the diatom sterol biosynthesis pathway, which possesses features of both plant and fungal pathways. Strikingly, it lacks a conventional squalene epoxidase and utilizes an extended oxidosqualene cyclase and a multifunctional isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase/squalene synthase enzyme. The reconstruction of the P. tricornutum sterol pathway underscores the metabolic plasticity of diatoms and offers important insights for the engineering of diatoms for sustainable production of biofuels and high-value chemicals.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/43557