Steroid-transforming enzymes in fungi

► Review of the characterised and/or purified enzymes for steroid transformations. ► Two groups: enzymes of the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway and the other steroid-transforming enzymes. ► Discussion of the substrate specificities, cellular localisation, association with protein super-families and potential applications. Fungal species are a very important source of many different enzymes, and the ability of fungi to transform steroids has been used for several decades in the production of compounds with a sterane skeleton. Here, we review the characterised and/or purified enzymes for steroid transformations, dividing them into two groups: (i) enzymes of the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway, including data for, e.g. ERG11 (14α-demethylase), ERG6 (C-24 methyltransferase), ERG5 (C-22 desaturase) and ERG4 (C-24 reductase); and (ii) the other steroid-transforming enzymes, including different hydroxylases (7α-, 11α-, 11β-, 14α-hydroxylase), oxidoreductases (5α-reductase, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/isomerase, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, C-1/C-2 dehydrogenase) and C-17–C-20 lyase. The substrate specificities of these enzymes, their cellular localisation, their association with protein super-families, and their potential applications are discussed. Article from a special issue on steroids and microorganisms.