Abstract: | Squalene synthase (SS) dimerizes two molecules of farnesyl diphosphate to synthesize squalene, a shared precursor in steroid
and triterpenoid biosynthesis in plants. The SS1 gene encoding SS from Arabidopsis thaliana was introduced in Withania coagulans under the control of the CaMV35S promoter together with the T-DNA of Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4. The engineered hairy roots were studied for withanolide production and phytosterol accumulation and the results were
compared with those obtained from control roots harbouring only the T-DNA from pRiA4. The increased capacity of the engineered
roots for biosynthesizing phytosterols and withanolides was strongly related with the expression level of the transgene, showing
the effectiveness of overexpressing 35SS1 to increase triterpenoid biosynthesis. |