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Plant sterol‐C24‐methyl transferases: Different profiles of tobacco transformed with SMT1 or SMT2
Author(s) -
Schaeffer Aurélie,
BouvierNavé Pierrette,
Benveniste Pierre,
Schaller Hubert
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/s11745-000-0522-1
Subject(s) - lipidology , sterol , clinical chemistry , chemistry , botany , biology , biochemistry , cholesterol
Higher plant cells contain a mixture of 24‐desmethyl, 24‐methyl(ene), and 24‐ethyl(idene) sterols in given proportions according to species but also to cell type. As a first step to investigate the function of such sterol compositions in the physiology of a plant, we have illustrated in the present work the coexistence of two distinct ( S )‐adenosyl‐ l ‐methionine sterol‐C24‐methyltransferases (SMT) in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum L. Indeed, modulation of the expression of the tobacco gene SMT1‐1 , which encodes a cycloartenol‐C24‐methyltransferase, results in variations of the proportion of cycloartenol and a concomitant effect on the proportion of 24‐ethyl sterols. Overexpression in tobacco of the Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. gene SMT2‐1 which encodes a 24‐methylene lophenol‐C24 1 ‐methyltransferase, results in a dramatic modification of the ratio of 24‐methyl cholesterol to sitosterol associated with a reduced growth, a topic discussed in the present work.