The State of Israel, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Agricultural Research Organization (Aro) (Volcani Center)

Shmuel Shen

Arthur A Schaffer

Marina Petreikov

Nurit Katzir

Yosef Burger

Yaakov Tadmor

Shahar Cohen

Efraim Lewinsohn

Rachel Davidovich-rikanati

Adi Doron-faigenboim

Maxim Itkin

Vitaly Portnoy

Elad Oren

Isolated mogroside and mogrol biosynthetic pathway enzyme polypeptides useful in mogroside biosynthesis are provided. Mogroside biosynthetic pathway enzymes of the invention include squalene epoxidase (SE), epoxy hydratase (EH), cytochrome p450 (Cyp), cucurbitadienol synthase (CDS) and udp-glucosyl-transferase (UGT), Also provided are methods of producing a mogroside using the isolated mogroside and mogrol biosynthetic enzyme polypeptides, the methods comprising contacting a mogrol and/or a glycosylated mogrol (mogroside) with at least one UDP glucose glucosyl transferase (UGT) enzyme polypeptide of the invention catalyzing glucosylation of the mogrol and/or the glucosylated mogrol to produce a mogroside with an additional glucosyl moietie(s), thereby producing the mogroside. Alternatively or additionally provided is a method of synthesizing a mogrol, the method comprising contacting a mogrol precursor substrate with one or more mogrol biosynthetic pathway enzyme polypeptides as described herein catalyzing mogrol synthesis from the mogrol precursor substrate, thereby synthesizing the mogrol.

Cells comprising mogroside pathway enzymes and uses thereof

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Moshav Beit-Elazari, Israel

Shmuel Shen