High impact information on SMT2

• We identified CVP1 and found that it encodes STEROL METHYLTRANSFERASE2 (SMT2), an enzyme in the sterol biosynthetic pathway [1].
• In the Arabidopsis cotyledon vascular pattern1 (cvp1) mutant, vascular cells are not arranged in parallel files and are misshapen, suggesting that CVP1 has a role in promoting vascular cell polarity and alignment [1].
• Neither cvp1 nor cvp2 mutants displayed altered auxin perception, biosynthesis, or transport, suggesting that auxin metabolism is not generally affected in these mutants [2].
• Observations of the early petal development revealed that the morphology of the developing frl1 petal was normal until the middle of stage 9, but the frl1 phenotype became apparent in stages later than 10 [3].
• These observations indicate that the frl1 mutation affects the number of cell divisions and the subsequent cell expansion during the late stage of petal lamina formation, and that FRL1 might be maintaining the mitotic state or suppressing the transition to the endo-reduplication cycle [3].

Biological context of SMT2

• The general phenotype of transformants was similar to that of controls, although SMT2 transformants displayed a reduced height at anthesis [4].
• The results suggest plant SMT2 has a position-specific substrate specificity for Delta(24(25))-sterols and contains a single active center to catalyze the consecutive C(1)-transfer activities by substrate reaction channels similar to the fungal SMT1 [5].

Associations of SMT2 with chemical compounds

• On the other hand, in SMT2 transformants the level of 24-methyl cholesterol was reduced, whereas the level of sitosterol was raised [4].

References