摘要
Paclitaxel(Taxol)stands out as a tetracyclic diterpenoid natural product derived from the endangered plant Taxus.Recognized as a pivotal broad-spectrum anticancer drug,it has garnered widespread attention due to its low yield,intricate structure,unique anticancer mechanism,and remarkable efficacy(Tong et al.,2021).Although chemists achieved the total synthesis of paclitaxel 30 years ago,after decades of research,the natural biosynthetic pathway for its production remains an enigma(Ajikumar et al.,2010;Malci et al.,2023).A recent breakthrough,published in Molecular Plant by Alisdair R.Fernie's team,unveils a minimal gene set of 18 genes required for paclitaxel biosynthesis(Zhang et al.,2023),representing a significant mark toward unraveling the entire biosynthetic pathway and enhancing paclitaxel production efficiency.
基金
National Natural Science Foundation of China(no.32371499)for supporting their research.
