Plant Bioscience Limited

James Reed

Anne Osbourn

Anastasia Orme

Thomas Louveau

The invention relates generally to materials and methods for biosynthesising quillaic acid in a host by expressing heterologous nucleotide sequences in the host each of which encodes a polypeptide which in combination have said QA biosynthesis activity. Example polypeptides include (i) a Beta-amyrin synthase; (ii) an enzyme capable of oxidising Beta-amyrin or an oxidised derivative thereof at the C-28 position to a carboxylic acid; (iii) an enzyme capable of oxidising Beta-amyrin or an oxidised derivative thereof at the C-16α position to an alcohol; and (iv) an enzyme capable of oxidising Beta-amyrin or an oxidised derivative thereof at the C-23 position to an aldehyde. Preferred nucleotide sequences are obtained from, or derived from,

Metabolic engineering

The present invention relates generally to genes and polypeptides which have utility in glycosylating quillaic acid in host cells, including enzymes capable of successive glycosylation at the C-3 position of quillaic acid. The invention further relates to systems, methods and products employing the same.

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Norwich, United Kingdom

James Reed