MSU researchers produce squalene from poplar trees

In Michigan, scientists ask, what do poplar trees, sharks and biofuels have in common? While it might sound a bit like a riddle, a team led by Michigan State University biochemists has reported exciting findings concerning all three in the quest for cleaner energy.

Published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, the team’s latest paper explores how poplar trees can be engineered to produce a highly valuable chemical that’s commonly obtained from shark livers.

Today, most squalene comes from shark liver—in fact, the name of the chemical even originates from the Latin word for shark, squalus. During the project, the team engineered poplars to produce squalene along two distinct chemical pathways.

One pathway utilized the gel-like substance known as cytosol found in the center of cells, while another sought to produce squalene in chloroplasts, the organelles responsible for photosynthesis.

While the cytosol pathway was discovered to interfere with poplar root formation, the chloroplast route resulted in the production of 0.63 milligrams per gram of squalene in leaves.