Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41053430›Full record

ArticleNature chemical biology2026

Large-scale mining of plant genomes unlocks the diversity of oxidosqualene cyclases.

Michael J Stephenson, Charlotte Owen, James Reed, Anne Osbourn

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature chemical biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Michael J Stephenson *Department of Biochemistry and Metabolism, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2594-1806
Charlotte Owen *Department of Biochemistry and Metabolism, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9023-2179
James ReedDepartment of Biochemistry and Metabolism, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5780-6134
Anne OsbournDepartment of Biochemistry and Metabolism, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK. anne.osbourn@jic.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-2195-5810

Funding

Synthetic biology tools for scalable production of medicinal plant terpenesR01AT010593 · NCCIH · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI KEASLING, JAY D, LANGE, BERND MARKUS · 2019 to 2023
$3.5M
John Innes Foundation (JIF)NCCIH NIH HHS R01 AT010593Novo Nordisk Fonden (Novo Nordisk Foundation) NNF23SA0084012RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) BB/L014130/1RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) BB/S016023/1RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) BB/X01097X/1U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) 1R01AT010593-01Wellcome Trust 227375Wellcome Trust (Wellcome) 227375/Z/23/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The differential cyclization and rearrangement of 2,3-oxidosqualene controlled by oxidosqualene cyclases (OSCs) represents one of the most complex single enzyme transformations in nature and gives rise to a vast array of triterpenoid diversity in the plant kingdom. Here we systematically mine 599 plant genomes representing 387 species and investigate OSC diversity across different plant lineages. From the OSC sequences identified, 20 were selected for functional evaluation. Through analysis of these enzymes, we discover product profiles within clades previously believed to be functionally conserved and OSCs producing triterpenes for which no enzymatic source was known. We also discover OSCs with product profiles that yield mechanistic insights into the control of specific reaction pathways. Our study reveals lineage-specific blooms of OSC subgroups suggestive of adaptation to different environmental niches, opens up previously inaccessible chemistry and provides a framework for systematic investigations of metabolic diversification and underlying enzymatic mechanisms in the plant kingdom.

Indexed as

Genome, PlantIntramolecular TransferasesPlantsPhylogenySqualeneTriterpenesIntramolecular Transferaseslanosterol synthaseSqualeneTriterpenes

Identifiers

PMID41053430
PMCPMC12858397

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.