Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41912781›Full record

ArticleNature chemistry2026

Exploring bacterial cytochrome P450s for selective activation of aliphatic C-H bonds in pentacyclic triterpenoids.

Xiaowei Zhang, Hongwei Chen, Yaxin Wang, Shihan Xie, Zengyuan Wang, Jialiang Qian, Xiaoxu Lin, Fang-Ru Li, Xingming Pan, Hui-Min Xu and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature chemistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Xiaowei Zhang *State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.ORCID 0009-0008-5161-608X
Hongwei Chen *State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Yaxin WangState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Shihan XieMudi Meng Honors College, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Zengyuan WangState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Jialiang QianState Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Xiaoxu LinState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Fang-Ru LiState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Xingming PanState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Hui-Min XuThe Public Laboratory Platform, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Yong LiangState Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China. yongliang@nju.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0001-5026-6710
Liao-Bin DongState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China. ldong@cpu.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0002-2943-1299

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Selective activation of aliphatic C-H bonds in polycyclic terpenoids offers a potent strategy for exploring diverse chemical space in drug design, yet challenges persist in achieving site- and diastereoselectivity, especially with increasing structural complexity. Here we report a bioinformatics-driven terpene-P450 discovery strategy to develop bacterial cytochrome P450s for selective activation of aliphatic C-H bonds in structurally intricate pentacyclic triterpenoids (PTs). The identified ApPT demonstrated elegant diastereoselectivity and broad substrate tolerance, facilitating a chemo-enzymatic platform to explore the chemical space of PTs at previously inaccessible sites. Protein crystallization and computational analysis reveal the mechanism of the preliminary C-H bond activation selectivity of ApPT towards various PTs, particularly an example of enzymatic C7-to-C15 relay oxidation mediated by 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer. This work offers ApPT as a valuable biocatalyst to explore the chemical space of PTs via aliphatic C-H bond activation, demonstrating the advantage of our biocatalyst-discovery strategy for the late-stage diversification of polycyclic terpenoids.

Indexed as

Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme SystemPentacyclic TriterpenesHydrogenStereoisomerismCytochrome P-450 Enzyme SystemHydrogenPentacyclic Triterpenes

Identifiers

PMID41912781

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.