Recent advances in tenuazonic acid as a potential herbicide

Tenuazonic acid (TeA), belonging to tetramic acids that are the largest family of natural products, is a mycotoxin produced by members of the genus Alternaria and other phytopathogenic fungi. TeA has many desirable bioactivities. In the past two decades, several studies have addressed its phytotoxic activity. Because it can cause brown leaf spot and kill seedlings of mono- and dicotyledonous plants, TeA is regarded as a potential herbicidal agent. TeA blocks electron transport beyond Q_A by interacting with D1 protein and is a PSII inhibitor. The chloroplast-derived oxidative burst is responsible for TeA-induced cell death and plant necrosis. Based on the model of molecular interaction between TeA and D1 protein, a series of its derivatives with stable herbicidal activity have been designed, evaluated and patented. Recently, some chemical synthetic approaches of TeA and its derivatives have been successfully developed. This paper will mainly focus on new developments regarding TeA's herbicidal activity, mode of action, biosynthesis and chemical synthesis, and characterization of new derivatives.