title: Rethinking production of Taxol® (paclitaxel) using endophyte biotechnology.
abstract: Taxol® (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®-producing endophytic fungus, which was followed by a plethora of reports on other endophytes possessing similar biosynthetic potential. However, industrial-scale Taxol® 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® biosynthesis focusing on the chemical ecology of its producers, and ask whether it is actually possible to produce Taxol® using endophyte biotechnology. The key problems that have prevented the exploitation of potent endophytic fungi by industrial bioprocesses for sustained production of Taxol® are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Research (INFU), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chair of Environmental Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry, TU Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Str. 6, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany. Electronic address: souvik.kusari@infu.tu-dortmund.de.
authors.forename: Souvik
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusari
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Satpal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India. Electronic address: cjb@biochem.iisc.ernet.in.
authors.forename: Chelliah
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jayabaskaran
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D060026:Endophytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism*; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D017239:Paclitaxel
keywords: Taxol(®); Taxol(®) biosynthetic pathway; bio-reactor design; biosynthetic pathway; co-cultivation; endophyte biotechnology; endophytic fungi; genetic engineering; industrial bioprocess; plant–microbe interaction; red biotechnology; secondary metabolites