The effects of oligosaccharide from Fusarium oxysprum on secondary metabolisms in suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis var. mairei were investigated by detecting the oxidative burst (OB) signals using an Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (ESR) spectrometer. The oxidative burst signals induced by oligosaccharide gradually increased to a maximum at 4h. Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities were respectively 2 and 4 times higher than those of control, and large amount of phenolics were accumulated in culture medium. Two times of obvious increase in taxol production was observed, which was in accordance with the two times of elicitation of oxidative burst signals. The dependence of taxol production on the intensity of OB signals obeyed a modified Logistic curve. It was inferred that the syntheses of the side chain and nucleus of taxol were enhanced at low and high intensities of OB signals, respectively.

A crude extract from Fusarium oxysprum caused significant cell apoptosis in suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis var. mairei as determined by transmission electron microscopy, DNA gel electrophoresis and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick labeling (TUNEL) analysis. Cells of T. chinensis var. mairei responded to the fungal elicitors by altering the general phenylpropanoid pathway and affecting the biosynthesis of taxol. The activity of L-phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) increased appreciably within the first 36h of elicitor treatment, and then decreased rapidly. A large quantity of phenolic compounds accumulated in the culture medium. The maximum concentration of taxol was three times higher than that of the control. Cell apoptosis and taxol production are closely relevant in elicitor-treated culture of T. chinensis var. mairei .

在真菌（Fusarium oxysporum f . vasinfectum （Atkinson）Snyder et Hansen）寡聚糖诱导悬浮培养南方红豆杉(Taxus chinensis（Pilger）Rehd. var. mairei (Lemee et Lévl.)Cheng et L. K. Fu)细胞生产紫杉醇的体系中发现细胞出现凋亡，次生代谢增强。电镜观察到细胞核质和原生质出现凝集现象，液泡内出现大量的高电子致密体。核DNA经琼脂糖凝胶电泳，呈200 bp的整数倍的梯状条带（ladders）；而对照组细胞核DNA 完整，呈大片段，细胞完整，细胞器发达，但紫杉醇合成速率很低。加入寡聚糖后，细胞防御系统开启，细胞生长停止，次生代谢物酚类物质大量积累且次生壁加厚，多酚氧化酶活性迅速提高，苯丙烷类代谢途径的关键酶苯丙氨酸解氨酶的活性在1h后急速提高，目的产物紫杉醇在诱导后72h达到峰值，比对照组提高了6倍，且细胞凋亡的出现与紫杉醇合成的峰值具有时间上的一致性。