2024/12/19 by Adam Jóźwiak, Sayantan Panda, Ryota Akiyama +15 · 1 voice · 6 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy #Plant Reproductive Biology #Potato Plant Research
paper · doi:10.1126/science.adq5721
openalex publication_date 2024/12/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Decades of research on the infamous antinutritional steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) in Solanaceae plants have provided deep insights into their metabolism and roles. However, engineering SGAs in heterologous hosts has remained a challenge. We discovered that a protein evolved from the machinery involved in building plant cell walls is the crucial link in the biosynthesis of SGAs. We show that cellulose synthase–like M [GLYCOALKALOID METABOLISM15 (GAME15)] functions both as a cholesterol glucuronosyltransferase and a scaffold protein. Silencing GAME15 depletes SGAs, which makes plants more vulnerable to pests. Our findings illuminate plant evolutionary adaptations that balance chemical defense and self-toxicity and open possibilities for producing steroidal compounds in heterologous systems for food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.