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Gärditz KF, Czesnick H. Paclitaxel - a Product of Fungal Secondary Metabolism or an Artefact? PLANTA MEDICA 2024; 90:726-735. [PMID: 38754434 PMCID: PMC11254485 DOI: 10.1055/a-2309-6298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Taxol (common name: paclitaxel) is an extremely important component of drugs for the treatment of various cancers. Thirty years after the discovery of its effectiveness, a metabolic precursor of Taxol (10-deacetylbaccatin III) is still primarily extracted from needles of European yew trees. In order to meet the considerable demand, hopes were pinned on the possibilities of biotechnological production from the very beginning. In 1993, as if by chance, Taxol was supposedly discovered in fungi that grow endobiotically in yew trees. This finding aroused hopes of biotechnological use to produce fungal Taxol in large quantities in fermenters. It never came to that. Instead, a confusing flood of publications emerged that claimed to have detected Taxol in more and more eukaryotic and even prokaryotic species. However, researchers never reproduced these rather puzzling results, and they could certainly not be applied on an industrial scale. This paper will show that some of the misguided approaches were apparently based on a seemingly careless handling of sparse evidence and on at least questionable publications. Apparently, the desired gold rush of commercial exploitation was seductive. Scientific skepticism as an indispensable core of good scientific practice was often neglected, and the peer review process has not exerted its corrective effect. Self-critical reflection and more healthy skepticism could help to reduce the risk of such aberrations in drug development. This article uses this case study as a striking example to show what can be learned from the Taxol case in terms of research ethics and the avoidance of questionable research practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Ferdinand Gärditz
- Institute of Public Law, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Ombudsman for suspected cases of scientific misconduct, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Li Y, Wang J, Sun T, Yu X, Yang Z, Zhao Y, Tang X, Xiao H. Community structure of endophytic bacteria of Sargassum thubergii in the intertidal zone of Qingdao in China. AMB Express 2024; 14:35. [PMID: 38615116 PMCID: PMC11016019 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-024-01688-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Endophytic bacteria are one of the symbiotic microbial groups closely related to host algae. However, less research on the endophytic bacteria of marine algae. In this study, the endophytic bacterial community of Sargassum thunbergii was investigated using the culture method and high-throughput sequencing. Thirty-nine endophytic bacterial strains, belonging to two phyla, five genera and sixteen species, were isolated, and Firmicutes, Bacillus and Metabacillus indicus were the dominant taxa at the phylum, genus and species level, respectively. High-throughput sequencing revealed 39 phyla and 574 genera of endophytic bacteria, and the dominant phylum was Proteobacteria, while the dominant genus was Ralstonia. The results also indicated that the endophytic bacteria of S. thunbergii included various groups with nitrogen fixation, salt tolerance, pollutant degradation, and antibacterial properties but also contained some pathogenic bacteria. Additionally, the endophytic bacterial community shared a large number of groups with the epiphytic bacteria and bacteria in the surrounding seawater, but the three groups of samples could be clustered separately. In conclusion, there are a variety of functional endophytic bacteria living in S. thunbergii, and the internal condition of algae is a selective factor for the formation of endophytic bacterial communities. This study enriched the database of endophytic bacteria in marine macroalgae, paving the way for further understanding of the interrelationships between endophytic bacteria, macroalgae, and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Jing Wang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Tao Sun
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Xinlong Yu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Zhibo Yang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Yayun Zhao
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Xuexi Tang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, 266000, China.
| | - Hui Xiao
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, 266000, China.
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Hussain H. How can we unlock the full potential of marine biological resources for novel drug discovery in an effective and ethical way? Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024; 19:125-130. [PMID: 37994413 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2285402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hidayat Hussain
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
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Wang Y, Zhang Y, Cong H, Li C, Wu J, Li L, Jiang J, Cao X. Cultivable Endophyte Resources in Medicinal Plants and Effects on Hosts. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1695. [PMID: 37629552 PMCID: PMC10455732 DOI: 10.3390/life13081695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
With the increasing demand for medicinal plants and the increasing shortage of resources, improving the quality and yield of medicinal plants and making more effective use of medicinal plants has become an urgent problem to be solved. During the growth of medicinal plants, various adversities can lead to nutrient loss and yield decline. Using traditional chemical pesticides to control the stress resistance of plants will cause serious pollution to the environment and even endanger human health. Therefore, it is necessary to find suitable pesticide substitutes from natural ingredients. As an important part of the microecology of medicinal plants, endophytes can promote the growth of medicinal plants, improve the stress tolerance of hosts, and promote the accumulation of active components of hosts. Endophytes have a more positive and direct impact on the host and can metabolize rich medicinal ingredients, so researchers pay attention to them. This paper reviews the research in the past five years, aiming to provide ideas for improving the quality of medicinal plants, developing more microbial resources, exploring more medicinal natural products, and providing help for the development of research on medicinal plants and endophytes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Xiaoying Cao
- The Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Medicinal and Edible Plant Resources of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China; (Y.W.); (Y.Z.); (H.C.); (C.L.); (J.W.); (L.L.); (J.J.)
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Cao Z, Ma Q, Weng Y, Shi J, Chen J, Hao Z. Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of TPS Gene Family in Liriodendron chinense. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030770. [PMID: 36981040 PMCID: PMC10048281 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Terpenoids play a key role in plant growth and development, supporting resistance regulation and terpene synthase (TPS), which is the last link in the synthesis process of terpenoids. Liriodendron chinense, commonly called the Chinese tulip tree, is a rare and endangered tree species of the family Magnoliaceae. However, the genome-wide identification of the TPS gene family and its transcriptional responses to development and abiotic stress are still unclear. In the present study, we identified a total of 58 TPS genes throughout the L. chinense genome. A phylogenetic tree analysis showed that they were clustered into five subfamilies and unevenly distributed across six chromosomes. A cis-acting element analysis indicated that LcTPSs were assumed to be highly responsive to stress hormones, such as methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and abscisic acid (ABA). Consistent with this, transcriptome data showed that most LcTPS genes responded to abiotic stress, such as cold, drought, and hot stress, at the transcriptional level. Further analysis showed that LcTPS genes were expressed in a tissue-dependent manner, especially in buds, leaves, and bark. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis confirmed that LcTPS expression was significantly higher in mature leaves compared to young leaves. These results provide a reference for understanding the function and role of the TPS family, laying a foundation for further study of the regulation of TPS in terpenoid biosynthesis in L. chinense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijian Cao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Qianxi Ma
- Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Yuhao Weng
- Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Jisen Shi
- Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Jinhui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Zhaodong Hao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
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Pestalotiopsis Diversity: Species, Dispositions, Secondary Metabolites, and Bioactivities. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27228088. [PMID: 36432188 PMCID: PMC9695833 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27228088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Pestalotiopsis species have gained attention thanks to their structurally complex and biologically active secondary metabolites. In past decades, several new secondary metabolites were isolated and identified. Their bioactivities were tested, including anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, and nematicidal activity. Since the previous review published in 2014, new secondary metabolites were isolated and identified from Pestalotiopsis species and unidentified strains. This review gathered published articles from 2014 to 2021 and focused on 239 new secondary metabolites and their bioactivities. To date, 384 Pestalotiopsis species have been discovered in diverse ecological habitats, with the majority of them unstudied. Some may contain secondary metabolites with unique bioactivities that might benefit pharmacology.
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Kandasamy GD, Kathirvel P. Insights into bacterial endophytic diversity and isolation with a focus on their potential applications –A review. Microbiol Res 2022; 266:127256. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2022.127256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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An Overview on Taxol Production Technology and Its Applications as Anticancer Agent. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-022-0063-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Vélëz H, Gauchan DP, García-Gil MDR. Taxol and β-tubulins from endophytic fungi isolated from the Himalayan Yew, Taxus wallichiana Zucc. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:956855. [PMID: 36246258 PMCID: PMC9557061 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.956855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Paclitaxel, better known as the anticancer drug Taxol®, has been isolated from several plant species and has been shown to be produced by fungi, actinomycetes, and even bacteria isolated from marine macroalgae. Given its cytostatic effect, studies conducted in the 1990's showed that paclitaxel was toxic to many pathogenic fungi and oomycetes. Further studies led to the idea that the differences in paclitaxel sensitivity exhibited by different fungi were due to differences in the β-tubulin protein sequence. With the recent isolation of endophytic fungi from the leaves and bark of the Himalayan Yew, Taxus wallichiana Zucc., and the availability of genomes from paclitaxel-producing fungi, we decided to further explore the idea that endophytic fungi isolated from Yews should be well-adapted to their environment by encoding β-tubulin proteins that are insensitive to paclitaxel. Our results found evidence of episodic positive/diversifying selection at 10 sites (default p-value threshold of 0.1) in the β-tubulin sequences, corresponding to codon positions 33, 55, 172, 218, 279, 335, 359, 362, 379, and 406. Four of these positions (i.e., 172, 279, 359, and 362) have been implicated in the binding of paclitaxel by β-tubulin or formed part of the binding pocket. As expected, all the fungal endophytes grew in different media regardless of the paclitaxel concentration tested. Furthermore, our results also showed that Taxomyces andreanae CBS 279.92, the first fungus shown to produce paclitaxel, is a Basidiomycete fungus as the two beta tubulins encoded by the fungus clustered together with other Basidiomycete fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heriberto Vélëz
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Heriberto Vélëz
| | - Dhurva Prasad Gauchan
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal
| | - María del Rosario García-Gil
- Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
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Chu LL, Bae H. Bacterial endophytes from ginseng and their biotechnological application. J Ginseng Res 2022; 46:1-10. [PMID: 35035239 PMCID: PMC8753428 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgr.2021.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ginseng has been well-known as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. Bacterial endophytes ubiquitously colonize the inside tissues of ginseng without any disease symptoms. The identification of bacterial endophytes is conducted through either the internal transcribed spacer region combined with ribosomal sequences or metagenomics. Bacterial endophyte communities differ in their diversity and composition profile, depending on the geographical location, cultivation condition, and tissue, age, and species of ginseng. Bacterial endophytes have a significant effect on the growth of ginseng through indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore production, phosphate solubilization, and nitrogen fixation. Moreover, bacterial endophytes can protect ginseng by acting as biocontrol agents. Interestingly, bacterial endophytes isolated from Panax species have the potential to produce ginsenosides and bioactive metabolites, which can be used in the production of food and medicine. The ability of bacterial endophytes to transform major ginsenosides into minor ginsenosides using β-glucosidase is gaining increasing attention as a promising biotechnology. Recently, metabolic engineering has accelerated the possibilities for potential applications of bacterial endophytes in producing beneficial secondary metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luan Luong Chu
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Viet Nam
- Bioresource Research Center, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Hanhong Bae
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
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Škubník J, Pavlíčková V, Ruml T, Rimpelová S. Current Perspectives on Taxanes: Focus on Their Bioactivity, Delivery and Combination Therapy. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:569. [PMID: 33802861 PMCID: PMC8002726 DOI: 10.3390/plants10030569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Taxanes, mainly paclitaxel and docetaxel, the microtubule stabilizers, have been well known for being the first-line therapy for breast cancer for more than the last thirty years. Moreover, they have been also used for the treatment of ovarian, hormone-refractory prostate, head and neck, and non-small cell lung carcinomas. Even though paclitaxel and docetaxel significantly enhance the overall survival rate of cancer patients, there are some limitations of their use, such as very poor water solubility and the occurrence of severe side effects. However, this is what pushes the research on these microtubule-stabilizing agents further and yields novel taxane derivatives with significantly improved properties. Therefore, this review article brings recent advances reported in taxane research mainly in the last two years. We focused especially on recent methods of taxane isolation, their mechanism of action, development of their novel derivatives, formulations, and improved tumor-targeted drug delivery. Since cancer cell chemoresistance can be an unsurpassable hurdle in taxane administration, a significant part of this review article has been also devoted to combination therapy of taxanes in cancer treatment. Last but not least, we summarize ongoing clinical trials on these compounds and bring a perspective of advancements in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Silvie Rimpelová
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 3, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic; (J.Š.); (V.P.); (T.R.)
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