Medicinal terpenoid UDP-glycosyltransferases in plants: recent advances and research strategies

Terpenoid glycosides have significant curative effects on many kinds of diseases. Most of these compounds are derived from medicinal plants. Glycosylation is a key step in the biosynthesis of medicinal terpenoids. In plants, UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases comprise a large family of enzymes that catalyze the transfer of sugars from donor to acceptor to form various bioactive glycosides. In recent years, numerous terpenoid UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) have been cloned and characterized in medicinal plants. We review the typical characteristics and evolution of terpenoid-related UGTs in plants and summarize the advances and research strategies of terpenoid UGTs in medicinal plants over the past 20 years. We provide a reference for the study of glycosylation of terpenoid skeletons and the biosynthetic pathways for medicinal terpenoids in plants.