# Complete biosynthesis of QS-21 in engineered yeast

*PRI Rank #6 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-natural-products-and-biosynthesis/2026/rank-6*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #6 |
| 18m citations | 73 |
| 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 Natural Products and Biosynthesis Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-natural-products-and-biosynthesis/2026)

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

## Topics

QS-21 · vaccine adjuvant · saponin · Chilean soapbark tree · yeast biosynthesis · pathway engineering · heterologous expression · terpene synthase · cytochrome P450 · nucleotide sugar synthases · glycosyltransferases · coenzyme A ligase · acyltransferases · polyketide synthase · subcellular compartmentalization · endoplasmic reticulum · substrate promiscuity · structural analogues · structure-activity relationships · metabolic flux tuning

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-natural-products-and-biosynthesis/2026. Accessed 2026-10-29.

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
```