ArticleNature chemical biology2024
Complete biosynthesis of the potent vaccine adjuvant QS-21.
Article in Nature chemical biology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Harnessing two UDP-glycosyltransferases from Saponaria officinalis toward heterologous production of endosomal escape enhancer saponins in Gypsophila elegans hairy roots.The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology · 2026Article
- Complete biosynthesis of the clinical agent escin Ia.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Combinatorial in situ cancer vaccines: unlocking broad and enhanced antitumor responses.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- Discovery of pseudobaptigenin synthase in fungal-infected Trifolium pratense roots.The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology · 2026Article
- The Oplopanax elatus genome reveals dammaradienol synthase evolution enabling reconstruction of RK type ginsenosides biosynthesis.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Advances in the heterologous biosynthesis of QS saponins: a review.Microbial cell factories · 2026Review
- Saponin Chemistry Controls Anionic Lipid Tolerance and Divalent Metal Ion Responses in Magnetically Alignable Bicelles.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Identification and Optimization of Kratom Strictosidine Pathway Enabled by Yeast Multiplex Engineering.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
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- Telomere-to-telomere genome assembly and multiomics analyses illustrate the high accumulation of quercetin glucosides in tetraploidHorticulture research · 2026Article
- Causes and consequences of experimental variation in Nicotiana benthamiana transient expression.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Large-scale mining of plant genomes unlocks the diversity of oxidosqualene cyclases.Nature chemical biology · 2026Article
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- Synthetic Biology of Plants and Microbes for Agriculture, Environment, and Future Applications.Chemical reviews · 2026Review
- Advances in Adjuvanted Rabies Vaccines.Vaccines · 2026Review
- Tea saponin-soybean oil submicron emulsion promotes durable protective immunity againstFrontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- The characterization of a rhamnosylated triterpenic saponin fromFrontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 3 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
Abstract
QS-21 is a potent vaccine adjuvant currently sourced by extraction from the Chilean soapbark tree. It is a key component of human vaccines for shingles, malaria, coronavirus disease 2019 and others under development. The structure of QS-21 consists of a glycosylated triterpene scaffold coupled to a complex glycosylated 18-carbon acyl chain that is critical for immunostimulant activity. We previously identified the early pathway steps needed to make the triterpene glycoside scaffold; however, the biosynthetic route to the acyl chain, which is needed for stimulation of T cell proliferation, was unknown. Here, we report the biogenic origin of the acyl chain, characterize the series of enzymes required for its synthesis and addition and reconstitute the entire 20-step pathway in tobacco, thereby demonstrating the production of QS-21 in a heterologous expression system. This advance opens up unprecedented opportunities for bioengineering of vaccine adjuvants, investigating structure-activity relationships and understanding the mechanisms by which these compounds promote the human immune response.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.