Genetic background of sesquiterpene lactones biosynthesis in Asteraceae. A review

Asteraceae family is a rich source of many sesquiterpene lactones (STLs). These secondary metabolites exhibit multidirectional activity including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial, just to name a few. Promising approach of metabolic engineering offers a way of increasing the production of STLs by reconstruction  of  their  biosynthetic  pathway  in  a  heterologous system. Moreover, their production in host plants might be increased through overexpression of biosynthetic genes and/or transcription factors (TFs) positively regulating the pathway. Either of the strategies requires extensive knowledge on the genetic background of STLs biosynthesis pathway. This review summarizes molecular investigations concerning biosynthesis of these medicinally essential metabolites.