Prioritization Strategy and Engineering Optimization for Paclitaxel Biosynthesis: From Pathway Analysis to Synthetic Biology

College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China

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Abstract

Paclitaxel, one of the most widely used natural anticancer drugs in clinical treatment, plays a significant role across medicine, public health, and even the economic sphere. However, the traditional extraction method relies too heavily on Taxus spp., resulting not only in low yields but also in severe, irreversible environmental damage. This paper is based on a comprehensive review of studies on the anticancer mechanism of paclitaxel and its various synthetic methods, aiming to thoroughly explore the enzymatic pathway from geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) to the final product, with emphasis on its kinetically limiting steps. Additionally, six core bottlenecks of paclitaxel biosynthesis will be introduced, along with potential corresponding strategies. Due to the lack of a strategic priority framework based on path dependence and technical feasibility, this paper employs the concept of 'advantage accumulation effect' to analyze resource allocation in paclitaxel biosynthesis. By combining literature mining with quantitative indicators such as the coefficient of variation (CV) and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) to clarify the direction of research imbalance, a solid methodological foundation is laid for optimizing future work. Finally, a series of prospects for paclitaxel biosynthesis are listed.