The Taxus genome provides insights into paclitaxel biosynthesis

Xingyao Xiong; Junbo Gou; Qinggang Liao; Yanlin Li; Qian Zhou; Guiqi Bi; Chong Li; Ran Du; Xiaotong Wang; Tianshu Sun; Lvjun Guo; Haifei Liang; Pengjun Lu; Yaoyao Wu; Zhonghua Zhang; Dae‐Kyun Ro; Yi Shang; Sanwen Huang; Jianbin Yan

doi:10.1038/s41477-021-00963-5

GenomicsNature PlantsJul 15, 2021

Peer-reviewed journal article

The Taxus genome provides insights into paclitaxel biosynthesis

Xingyao Xiong iD, Junbo Gou iD, Qinggang Liao iD, Yanlin Li iD, Qian Zhou iD, Guiqi Bi iD, Chong Li iD, Ran Du iD, Xiaotong Wang iD, Tianshu Sun iD, Lvjun Guo iD, Haifei Liang, Pengjun Lu iD, Yaoyao Wu iD, Zhonghua Zhang iD, Dae‐Kyun Ro iD, Yi Shang iD, Sanwen Huang iD, Jianbin Yan iD

Abstract

The ancient gymnosperm genus Taxus is the exclusive source of the anticancer drug paclitaxel, yet no reference genome sequences are available for comprehensively elucidating the paclitaxel biosynthesis pathway. We have completed a chromosome-level genome of Taxus chinensis var. mairei with a total length of 10.23 Gb. Taxus shared an ancestral whole-genome duplication with the coniferophyte lineage and underwent distinct transposon evolution. We discovered a unique physical and functional grouping of CYP725As (cytochrome P450) in the Taxus genome for paclitaxel biosynthesis. We also identified a gene cluster in the taxadiene biosynthesis, which was mainly formed by gene duplications. This study will facilitate the elucidation of paclitaxel biosynthesis and unleash the biotechnological potential of Taxus. One Sentence SummaryA chromosome-level genome assembly of Taxus chinensis var. mairei uncovers its unique genome evolution process and genetic architectures for the paclitaxel biosynthesis pathway.

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