Metabolic and Enzyme Engineering for the Microbial Production of Anticancer Terpenoids

Terpene or terpenoid or isoprenoid represents the largest class of secondary metabolites and has a variety of applications in food, fragrance, and pharmaceutical industry. Recent advancements and extensive research analysis on various cell lines and animal models have recognized their anticancer potential. To date plants are the major sources of such terpenoid; however, due to low abundance in these natural resources, their extraction from plant is not cost-effective. In addition, several plant species have been heavily exploited due to the presence of such tremendous molecules and have become endangered. The complex structure of terpenoid also limits their production from chemical routes. Therefore, to overcome the limitations in plant-based extraction and chemical synthesis of terpenoids, several microbial hosts have been exploited for the production of therapeutically important terpenoids including precursors of anticancer terpene, paclitaxel, or Taxol. Here, we summarize the biosynthesis terpenoids in natural system and advances in their production from microbial sources. In silico analysis is done to explore the physicochemical properties of an important enzyme (IspA) of terpenoid biosynthesis pathway, which is responsible for the supply of an isoprenoid precursor, FPP. The enzyme is functionally explored to construct its near-native protein model by comparative modeling. The most and the least conserved residues are lastly traced in this class and structurally localized to delineate the further research.