{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,30]],"date-time":"2026-05-30T05:01:06Z","timestamp":1780117266852,"version":"3.54.0"},"reference-count":119,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]],"date-time":"2026-05-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779926400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Hunan Provincial Forestry Science and Technology Innovation Program","award":["XLK202506"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["XLK202506"]}]},{"name":"Yuelushan Laboratory Breeding Program","award":["YLS-2025-ZY02046"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["YLS-2025-ZY02046"]}]},{"name":"Top Ten Technical Research Projects in Hunan Province","award":["2024NK1020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024NK1020"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004735","name":"Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["2025JJ70108"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025JJ70108"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004735","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Plants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Squalene is a triterpene with potent biological activities. Squalene (C30H50) is a linear polyunsaturated hydrocarbon composed of six isoprene units and six carbon\u2013carbon double bonds. It serves as an essential precursor for sterols, steroid hormones, and vitamin D in humans and exhibits antioxidant, anti-tumor, and lipid-regulating properties. In plants, squalene is produced via the mevalonate (MVA) and 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathways. The key rate-limiting enzymes in these pathways include 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPS), and squalene synthase (SQS). Camellia oleifera, a unique woody oil crop native to China, is valued for its high-quality edible oil and as a rich natural source of squalene. This review provides a systematic overview of recent progress in squalene biosynthesis in C. oleifera. It summarizes the structural characteristics and biosynthetic routes. It further elaborates on the multi-level regulatory network modulated by transcription factors (WRKY, bHLH, MYB, and ERF), phytohormones (jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, and gibberellin), and abiotic factors (light and drought). Notably, this review distinguishes earlier foundational studies from recent breakthroughs and integrates emerging progress on squalene\u2019s non-canonical functions and pathway crosstalk. It further highlights novel regulatory mechanisms unique to C. oleifera (e.g., CoWRKY15, CoMYB1, and CoMYC2). By bridging molecular regulation with practical breeding and metabolic engineering, this review lays a solid theoretical foundation for cultivating high-squalene C. oleifera varieties. It represents a prominent innovation relative to previously published studies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/plants15111652","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]],"date-time":"2026-05-28T08:00:36Z","timestamp":1779955236000},"page":"1652","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Squalene in Camellia oleifera: Biosynthetic Pathways, Regulatory Networks, and Functional Perspectives"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Aoxue","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hunan Engineering Research Center of Lotus Deep Processing and Nutritional Health Sciences, Hunan Key Laboratory of Economic Crops Genetic Improvement and Integrated Utilization, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China"},{"name":"Yuelushan Laboratory, Changsha 410128, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jingya","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hunan Engineering Research Center of Lotus Deep Processing and Nutritional Health Sciences, Hunan Key Laboratory of Economic Crops Genetic Improvement and Integrated Utilization, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China"},{"name":"Yuelushan Laboratory, Changsha 410128, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Senwen","family":"Deng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hunan Engineering Research Center of Lotus Deep Processing and Nutritional Health Sciences, Hunan Key Laboratory of Economic Crops Genetic Improvement and Integrated Utilization, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China"},{"name":"Yuelushan Laboratory, Changsha 410128, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4381-0575","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bolin","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yuelushan Laboratory, Changsha 410128, China"},{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Youcha, State Key Laboratory of Woody Oil Resources Utilization, Hunan Academy of Forestry, Shao Shan South Road, No. 658, Changsha 410004, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jihong","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hunan Engineering Research Center of Lotus Deep Processing and Nutritional Health Sciences, Hunan Key Laboratory of Economic Crops Genetic Improvement and Integrated Utilization, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China"},{"name":"Yuelushan Laboratory, Changsha 410128, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Li","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yuelushan Laboratory, Changsha 410128, China"},{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Youcha, State Key Laboratory of Woody Oil Resources Utilization, Hunan Academy of Forestry, Shao Shan South Road, No. 658, Changsha 410004, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"184","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2017.09.089","article-title":"Profiling and quantification of phenolic compounds in Camellia seed oils: Natural tea polyphenols in vegetable oil","volume":"102","author":"Wang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Food Res. 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