Cannabinoids: Biosynthesis and biotechnological applications

Cannabinoids are unique terpenophenolic metabolites found only in Cannabis sativa. The biosynthetic mechanism of these compounds had long been ambiguous since conventional biogenetic studies using radiolabelled precursors did not provide definitive results. On the other hand, various enzymological, molecular biological, and omics-based studies conducted over the past two decades have identified the majority of the enzymes and genes involved in the cannabinoid pathway, opening the way to the biotechnological production of pharmacologically active cannabinoids. This chapter describes the history of the biosynthetic studies, in particular those focused on the biosynthetic enzymes, and recent topics linked to cannabinoid-related biotechnology.