Production of bicyclic and tricyclic triterpenes by mutated squalene- hopene cyclase

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4039(99)01248-4

Mutagenesis of Tyr420 to Ala in the catalytic cavity of squalene-hopene cyclase of Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius resulted in an altered product spectrum. Besides hopene and diplopterol, this mutant produced significant amounts of the bicyclic α- and γ-polypodatetraenes and minor amounts of the tricyclic 13α(H)-malabaricatriene.