Rethinking production of Taxol (R) (paclitaxel) using endophyte biotechnology

Kusari, Souvik and Singh, Satpal and Jayabaskaran, Chelliah (2014) Rethinking production of Taxol (R) (paclitaxel) using endophyte biotechnology. In: TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, 32 (6). pp. 304-311.

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Abstract

Taxol (R) (generic name paclitaxel) represents one of the most clinically valuable natural products known to mankind in the recent past. More than two decades have elapsed since the notable discovery of the first Taxol (R) producing endophytic fungus, which was followed by a plethora of reports on other endophytes possessing similar biosynthetic potential. However, industrial-scale Taxol (R) production using fungal endophytes, although seemingly promising, has not seen the light of the day. In this opinion article, we embark on the current state of knowledge on Taxol (R) biosynthesis focusing on the chemical ecology of its producers, and ask whether it is actually possible to produce Taxol (R) using endophyte biotechnology. The key problems that have prevented the exploitation of potent endophytic fungi by industrial bioprocesses for sustained production of Taxol (R) are discussed.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
Publisher:	ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON.
Keywords:	endophytic fungi; red biotechnology; plant-microbe interaction; Taxol (R); endophyte biotechnology; industrial bioprocess; secondary metabolites; biosynthetic pathway; Taxol (R) biosynthetic pathway; genetic engineering; co-cultivation; bioreactor; design
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Biochemistry
Date Deposited:	18 Jul 2014 05:43
Last Modified:	18 Jul 2014 05:43
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/49431

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