# Complete biosynthesis of QS-21 in engineered yeast

*PRI Rank #4 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-metabolic-engineering-and-bioproduction/2026/rank-4*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #4 |
| 18m citations | 72 |
| Journal | Nature |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41586-024-07345-9 |
| Corresponding authors | Jay D. Keasling |
| Institution | University of California, Berkeley, United States |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-metabolic-engineering-and-bioproduction/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1038/s41586-024-07345-9](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07345-9)

## Topics

QS-21 · vaccine adjuvant · saponin biosynthesis · Engineered yeast · Heterologous expression · Terpene synthase · P450s · nucleotide sugar synthases · glycosyltransferases · coenzyme A ligase · acyl transferases · polyketide synthases · Compartmentalization · endoplasmic reticulum · pathway flux tuning · structural analogues · enzyme promiscuity · Chilean soapbark tree · Bioprocessing · structure-activity relationship

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-metabolic-engineering-and-bioproduction/2026. Accessed 2026-07-29.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```