Natural products - modifying metabolite pathways in plants

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Metabolic Engineering

Background:

• Plant natural products (PNPs) exhibit vast molecular diversity, arising from complex biochemical and genetic pathways.
• PNPs are vital commodities, including fragrances, colorants, and pharmaceuticals, driving efforts to increase their production.
• Advances in understanding PNP biosynthesis are essential for successful metabolic engineering in plants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current knowledge of biosynthetic and regulatory pathways for major classes of PNPs.
• To highlight successes and remaining challenges in plant metabolic engineering for PNP production.
• To propose future research directions for optimizing plants as chemical factories.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis.
• Focus on terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and alkaloids as model systems.
• Analysis of genetic and biochemical data related to PNP pathways.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been made in elucidating PNP biosynthetic pathways over recent decades.
• Metabolic engineering has achieved initial successes in boosting PNP accumulation in plants.
• Key information gaps and challenges in pathway understanding and engineering remain.

Conclusions:

• Detailed knowledge of biosynthetic pathways is fundamental for plant metabolic engineering.
• Terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and alkaloids exemplify advancements in understanding and engineering PNPs.
• Future research should focus on addressing knowledge gaps for rational plant-based chemical production.