New type of triterpenes discovered

A remarkable discovery and collaborative effort have revealed a new type of triterpenes, a group of organic compounds which are an important source of many medicines. Until now, all triterpenes were believed to be derived from squalene, itself a type of triterpene. However, for the very first time, researchers witnessed biosynthesis, the formation of complex compounds from simple ones in living organisms, of triterpenes in fungi without the use of squalene. This important discovery opens up a wh...