Ginsenosides, the primary pharmacologically active constituents of the Panax genus, have demonstrated a variety of medicinal properties, including anticardiovascular disease, cytotoxic, antiaging, and antidiabetes effects. However, the low concentration of ginsenosides in plants and the challenges associated with their extraction impede the advancement and application of ginsenosides. Heterologous biosynthesis represents a promising strategy for the targeted production of these natural active compounds. As representative triterpenoids, the biosynthetic pathway of the aglycone skeletons of ginsenosides has been successfully decoded. While the sugar moiety is vital for the structural diversity and pharmacological activity of ginsenosides, the mining of uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis has attracted a lot of attention and made great progress in recent years. In this paper, we summarize the identification and functional study of UGTs responsible for ginsenoside synthesis in both plants, such as Panax ginseng and Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and microorganisms including Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The UGT-related microbial cell factories for large-scale ginsenoside production are also mentioned. Additionally, we delve into strategies for UGT mining, particularly potential rapid screening or identification methods, providing insights and prospects. This review provides insights into the study of other unknown glycosyltransferases as candidate genetic elements for the heterologous biosynthesis of rare ginsenosides.

中文翻译：

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人参皂苷生物合成UDP-糖基转移酶鉴定研究进展

人参皂苷是人参属的主要药理活性成分，已被证明具有多种药用特性，包括抗心血管疾病、细胞毒性、抗衰老和抗糖尿病作用。然而，植物中人参皂苷的低浓度及其提取相关的挑战阻碍了人参皂苷的进步和应用。异源生物合成代表了定向生产这些天然活性化合物的一种有前景的策略。作为代表性三萜类化合物，人参皂苷苷元骨架的生物合成途径已被成功解码。虽然糖部分对于人参皂苷的结构多样性和药理活性至关重要，但参与人参皂苷生物合成的尿苷二磷酸依赖性糖基转移酶（UGT）的挖掘近年来引起了广泛关注并取得了很大进展。在本文中，我们总结了人参和绞股蓝等植物以及枯草芽孢杆菌和酿酒酵母等微生物中负责人参皂苷合成的 UGT 的鉴定和功能研究。还提到了用于大规模生产人参皂苷的UGT相关微生物细胞工厂。此外，我们还深入研究 UGT 挖掘策略，特别是潜在的快速筛选或识别方法，提供见解和前景。这篇综述为其他未知糖基转移酶作为稀有人参皂苷异源生物合成的候选遗传元件的研究提供了见解。