虫草素（Cordycepin）是虫草属（Cordyceps）真菌产生的核心高附加值次级代谢产物之一。与其他工业菌种相比，蛹虫草在腺苷结构类似物（如虫草素）合成方面有天然的代谢通量优势。近年，随着组学分析技术和蛹虫草基因编辑技术的发展，蛹虫草虫草素合成代谢网络，尤其是关键的底物合成途径得到了完整的解析。因此，该综述对目前已知的蛹虫草虫草素合成代谢网络进行了模块化梳理，将其划分为中心碳代谢途径、单磷酸肌苷（Inosinate，IMP）途径和虫草素底物合成途径，并分析了前体物质组成和多个分散途径、关键节点对虫草素合成的影响，系统阐述了IMP物质的合成与流向，佐证了IMP的合成与代谢是虫草素合成的关键节点，为未来通过代谢工程与合成生物学策略优化蛹虫草虫草素代谢网络、构建稳定高产虫草素的蛹虫草菌株提供相对详实的背景参考。

Cordycepin is one of the core high-value-added secondary metabolites produced by fungi belonging to the genus Cordyceps. Compared with other industrial strains, Cordyceps militaris benefits from the innate metabolic flux in the synthesis of adenosine analogs such as cordycepin. In recent years, with the development of omic analysis technology and Cordyceps militaris gene-editing technology, the metabolic network of cordycepin synthesis, particularly the key substrate synthesis pathway, has been completely analyzed. Therefore, this review, the known metabolic network of cordycepin is modularized, dividing it into the central carbon metabolic pathway, inosinate (IMP) pathway, and substrate biosynthesis pathway, completely describing its metabolic network. The composition of cordycepin precursor and the influence of multiple dispersion pathways and key nodes on the synthesis of cordycepin have been analyzed, and the synthesis and flow direction of IMP substances have been systematically elaborated. This shows that the synthesis and metabolism of IMP is the essential node in cordycepin synthesis. These discoveries provide a comprehensive foundation for optimizing the metabolism network of Cordyceps militaris through metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies, for developing a stable and high-yielding Cordyceps militaris strain in the future.

广东省基础与应用基础研究基金项目区域联合基金-青年基金项目（2019A1515110609）；广东东省教育厅科研平台项目（2020KTSCX019）；广州市科技协会青年人才托举工程（C20190101019）；广东省自然科学基金-面上项目（2022A1515010057）