Natural products – learning chemistry from plants

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Plant Biochemistry

Background:

• Plant natural products (PNPs) possess diverse structures and significant biological activities, making them valuable for fragrances, flavors, medicines, and industrial chemicals.
• The complex structures of many PNPs are challenging to synthesize chemically, making plants the primary source for industrial production.
• Ensuring a sufficient supply of desired PNPs is a challenge, necessitating the development of alternative production strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in utilizing biocatalytic processes for generating complex PNPs.
• To evaluate the potential of heterologous organisms for producing valuable plant-derived secondary metabolites.
• To highlight strategies for overcoming supply limitations of important PNPs.

Main Methods:

• Genome mining and biochemical analysis to understand in planta enzymatic formation of PNPs.
• Application of biocatalysis using plant-derived enzymes.
• Combinatorial biochemistry approaches.
• Engineering heterologous organisms to harbor PNP biosynthetic pathways.

Main Results:

• Modern techniques provide insights into the enzymatic pathways of PNP biosynthesis.
• Biocatalytic processes and combinatorial biochemistry enable the generation of complex PNPs.
• Heterologous expression systems offer a viable alternative for the production of specific secondary metabolites.
• These approaches facilitate sustainable and scalable production of valuable PNPs.

Conclusions:

• Biocatalysis and metabolic engineering in heterologous hosts are promising strategies for sustainable PNP production.
• Understanding plant biosynthetic pathways is crucial for developing alternative production systems.
• These advancements address the challenge of limited supply for industrially relevant PNPs.