Comparative Phylogenetics Approach for Discovering Alternative Source of Taxol

Abstract

Bioprospecting is one of the prominent areas of research of commercial and valuable compounds, as it provides alternative sources of these compounds. One of the most persuasive methods for bioprospecting is through molecular phylogenetics analysis. Enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of these compounds are considered as a base for bioprospecting. In this paper, an attempt has been made to find alternative sources for valuable compound taxol by comparative phylogenetics analysis using enzymes physiochemical data and sequence data. Dendogram was generated through physiochemical data whereas phylogenetic tree was generated through sequence data. Consequently after comparison four different organisms, Fungal BT2, OzoniumT2, Abies grandis and Ginkgo biloba, have been observed to be related to taxus plants both sequencially and physiochemically.