Recent advances in Taxus molecular research: applications in genetic diversity, gene function and metabolic...

Plants belonging to the genus Taxus are abundant in pharmacologically active constituents, notably Taxol (paclitaxel), which has been extensively employed in the treatment of various cancers. This review aims to achieve a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the roles of omics technologies in exploring genetic diversity, molecular identification, functional genes, and Taxol biosynthesis within the Taxus genus. Molecular markers derived from chloroplast, mitochondrial, and nuclear genomes, such as microsatellites, have been developed to assess genetic variability, spatial distribution, varietal differentiation, kinship structures, and fluctuations in inbreeding levels among Taxus populations. Functional gene identification guided by omics approaches has elucidated several critical genes implicated in the Taxol biosynthetic pathway, including FoTO1, T1OH, T9αOH, T9α oxidase, C4β-C20 epoxidase, and Taxane Oxetanase 1 (TOT1)/CYP725A55/TmCYP1. Expression profiling aids in screening candidate genes related to Taxol biosynthesis, defense response, and growth and development process. Current advancements in omics technologies primarily focus on enhancing resolution, improving data visualization, and integrating multi-omics datasets. Looking forward, innovations such as telomere-to-telomere genome sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and comparative genomics are anticipated to inaugurate a new epoch in omics research pertaining to Taxus. Our review aims to accelerate the efficient utilization of these endangered gymnosperms.