Back to Basics: Assigning Biochemical Function in the Post-Genomic Era Review Article

In the March and May issues of Chemistry & Biology, Croteau and coworkers reported the molecular cloning, expression, and biochemical characterization of two new cytochrome P450 hydroxylases of the taxol biosynthesis pathway. The results reported not only mark a major advance toward the long-term goal of engineering the taxoid pathway to increase biological production yields of this important anticancer agent, but also highlight the challenges and opportunities in assigning specific biochemical function to newly discovered biosynthetic genes.