植物甾醇是一类在植物中广泛存在的、具有环戊烷多氢菲骨架的甾体类化合物，是植物细胞膜的重要组成部分。植物甾醇在植物体内以游离形式和共轭形式存在，游离甾醇是植物细胞膜的重要结构成分，可维持细胞膜流动性、调节其立体结构，共轭甾醇则在植物的生长发育及应激反应中发挥重要作用。植物甾醇的生物合成过程非常复杂，可分为环阿屯醇的合成、4-甲基-24-亚甲基胆甾-7-烯醇的合成及菜油甾醇、β-谷甾醇、豆甾醇的合成3个阶段，涉及近30步反应，受角鲨烯合酶、甾醇侧链还原酶等多种酶的调控。总结了植物甾醇及其部分衍生物生物合成途径的研究进展，以期为利用合成生物学技术创建这类重要植物天然产物的人工生物合成体系提供参考。

Phytosterols are a family of steroids widely distributed in plants. They possess a cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene skeleton and are an essential component of the plant cell membranes. Phytosterols exist in the free and conjugated forms in plants. Free sterols can maintain the fluidity of the cell membrane and regulate its three-dimensional structure. Conjugated sterols play an indispensable role in the growth and stress response of plants. The biosynthesis process of phytosterols is very complex. It can be divided into three stages, synthesis of cycloartenol, synthesis of 24-methylenelophenol, and synthesis of campesterol, β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. The synthesis pathway of phytosterols involves nearly 30 steps of reaction, which is regulated by a variety of enzymes such as squalene synthase and sterol side chain reductase. Research progress on biosynthesis of phytosterols and their derivatives were summarized in this paper, in order to provide a basis for creating the artificial biosynthetic cells for this family of important plant natural products.

R282.6

国家重点研发计划“合成生物学”重点专项（2020YFA0907900）