Biosynthesis of rare 20(R)-protopanaxadiol/protopanaxatriol type ginsenosides through Escherichia coli engineered with uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferase genes

摘要

BackgroundGinsenosides are known as the principal pharmacological active constituents in Panax medicinal plants such as Asian ginseng, American ginseng, and Notoginseng. Some ginsenosides, especially the 20(R) isomers, are found in trace amounts in natural sources and are difficult to chemically synthesize. The present study provides an approach to produce such trace ginsenosides applying biotransformation through Escherichia coli modified with relevant genes.