Chromosome-scale genomes throw light on plant drug biosynthesis

Abstract

Recent chromosome-scale genomes from prominent medicinal plants have provided unprecedented insight into the architecture and evolution of some prominent metabolic pathways. These new technologies also facilitate the identification of plant drug biosynthetic genes and would likely accelerate the development of new bioengineering procedures to secure the supply of important plant-derived pharmaceuticals.

Keywords: chromosome-scale genome; gene identification; metabolic gene cluster; specialized metabolites; synteny.