Abstract
Triterpenes produced by higher plants have a structural diversity and are accumulated in particular organs such as a root, a seed, etc. From a point of pharmaceutical view, they are very fascinating compounds since they showed various biological activities depending on structures. They are also plant-physiologically interesting compounds since their roles in plants are unknown. More than eighty different skeletal types of triterpenes are known as natural products, which are elaborated at the cyclization step of 2,3-oxidosqualene. Cyclization of oxidosqualene is the primary origin of structural diversity of triterpenes. Up to now, eight kinds of triterpene synthases such as β-amyrin synthase, lupeol synthase, etc. have been cloned from triterpene producing plants, as well as cycloartenol synthase. In this symposium, our recent advances in the research of triterpene synthases from Arabidopsis thaliana, will be reported. And, structural diversity and molecular origin of triterpenes in higher plants will be also discussed.
