Applications of glycosyltransferases in synthesis of triterpenoid saponins

doi:10.11949/0438-1157.20190607

Abstract

Abstract:

Triterpenoid saponins are usually composed of one or more glycosyl groups attached to hydrophobic aglycones, which are widely used as active ingredients in traditional Chinese herbal medicines. The traditional method for obtaining triterpenoid saponins is extracted from plants, due to the low content of triterpenoid saponins in plants and the limitation of plant growth by land resources, climate and environment, it has greatly restricted its large-scale promotion and application. Thus，it’s hard to be applied and popularized on large scale. The use of synthetic biology principles to design and construct microbial cell factories to synthesize triterpenoids is considered to be the most promising alternative and has become a new research hotspot. Glycosyltransferases play a key role in the synthesis of triterpenoid saponins. This article will describe the research progress in the synthesis of triterpenoid saponins using glycosyltransferases, and provide a reference for the further application of triterpenoid saponins.

Key words: triterpenoid saponins, glycosylation, glycosyltransferases, synthetic biology

摘要：

三萜皂苷类化合物通常由一个或多个糖基连接在疏水的皂苷元上构成，其作为传统中草药的活性成分有着广泛应用。三萜皂苷类化合物的传统获取方法是从植物中提取，由于植物中三萜皂苷类化合物含量较低，植物生长受到土地资源、气候、环境等因素影响较大，严重制约了其大规模推广和应用。利用合成生物学技术，设计构建微生物细胞工厂合成三萜皂苷类化合物被认为是一种变革性的生产方法，成为新的研究热点。在三萜皂苷类化合物的合成过程中，糖基转移酶起着重要作用。阐述了利用糖基转移酶合成三萜皂苷类化合物的研究进展，为三萜皂苷类化合物的进一步应用提供参考。

关键词: 三萜皂苷, 糖基化, 糖基转移酶, 合成生物学

CLC Number:

Q 19

Nuonan LI, Chun LI. Applications of glycosyltransferases in synthesis of triterpenoid saponins[J]. CIESC Journal, 2019, 70(10): 3869-3879.

李诺楠, 李春. 糖基转移酶在三萜皂苷合成中的应用[J]. 化工学报, 2019, 70(10): 3869-3879.

Figures/Tables 3

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