Received: February 07, 2019 Accepted: February 08, 2019 Published: February 09, 2019
Endophytic microorganisms are those that live inside plants, inhabiting the aerial parts, such as the leaves and stems, without causing any damage to their hosts, unlike pathogens. These fungi may present many applications, such as use in bioremediation, processes and production of compounds with antimicrobial, antioxidant or antitumor activities. However, still been poorly explored industrially. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 8.8 million deaths occurred in 2015, due to cancer, and it is estimated that 12.6 million deaths will occur per year by 2030. Taxol (paclitaxel) is a potent drug used in the treatment of some neoplasms, as both a first – and second – line of treatment. It acts by inhibiting cell replication through binding to the beta-tubulin subunit of microtubules and induces apoptosis by inactivating the apoptosis inhibitory protein Bcl-2. Taxol can also be produced by some fungi. This study performed a screening to characterize endophytic fungi in a culture collection with ability to produce taxol through a search of the genes involved in the taxol metabolic pathway. This work shows the biotechnological potential of an isolate of this collection as producer of taxol, a substance with high pharmacological relevance and discuss alternatives to facilitate the industrial use of this drug in antitumor activities.