Sterol biosynthesis in the oomycete Saprolegnia parasitica proceeds via a lanosterol intermediate.

What is it about?

We cloned and expressed the gene for the oxidosqualene cyclase from Saprolegnia parasitica in E.coli cells, and were able to purify reliable amounts of the protein. We were then able to conclusively verify that this protein synthesises lanosterol specifically, and does not produce cycloartenol. There had been debate in earlier literature as to whether the lanosterol or cycloartenol intermediates were utilised by the oomycetes, which do not fall neatly into either the fungal or plant lineages.

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Why is it important?

The sterol biosynthesis pathway is considered a promising potential target for new anti-pathogen technologies. The more information we have about the mechanisms of sterol biosynthesis in the oomycetes, the more effectively we can design new highly targeted inhibitors.

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