Taxol biosynthetic genes.
The function and properties of heterologously expressed full-length cDNA clones, isolated from a Taxus cDNA library and specific to Taxol biosynthesis, are summarized. Recombinant enzymes are described that catalyze early steps of the pathway, including taxadiene synthase, taxadien-5alpha-ol-O-acetyltransferase and taxadien-5alpha-yl acetate 10beta-hydroxylase, and that catalyze late steps, including 10-deacetylbaccatin III-10beta-O-acetyltransferase and taxane 2alpha-O-benzoyltransferase. The properties of Taxus geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase are also described; although this synthase does not mediate a committed step of Taxol biosynthesis, it does provide the universal plastidial diterpenoid precursor, geranylgeranyl diphosphate, for initiating Taxol biosynthesis.
Walker
K
K
Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6340, USA. toyota@mail.wsu.edu
Croteau
R
R
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005813:Genes, Synthetic; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017239:Paclitaxel