Helotiales sp. EF0021 Genome sequencing and assembly. Helotiales sp. EF0021

For nearly 20 years, microbial Taxol biosynthesis has been a contentious area of natural product research. Taxol is a potent anticancer drug that was first isolated from the pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), and Taxol-like compounds were initially thought to be synthesized exclusively by members of the genus Taxus. In 1993, independent Taxol biosynthesis by an endophytic fungus isolated from T. brevifolia was reported, leading to more than 160 subsequent publications and patents. But numerous inconsistencies in the literature prompted us to reexamine this issue by using a combination of phytochemical and genome sequencing approaches involving the original isolate (Taxomyces andreanae), as well as several more recent isolates. We were unable to find any genomic or metabolic evidence of independent taxane biosynthesis by these microorganisms.