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Published on: December 4, 2021
Silent constraints: the hidden challenges faced in plant metabolic engineering
Joseph H Lynch1, Xing-Qi Huang1, Natalia Dudareva1
1Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, 175 South University St., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2063, USA; Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Abstract:
Metabolic engineering is embraced as a method to sustainably enhance production of valuable phytochemicals with beneficial properties. However, successful production of these compounds in plants is not always predictable even when the pathways are fully known, frequently due to the lack of comprehensive understanding of plant metabolism as a whole, and interconnections between different primary, secondary, and hormone metabolic networks. Here, we highlight critical hidden constraints, including substrate availability, silent metabolism, and metabolic crosstalk, that impair engineering strategies. We explore how these constraints have historically been manifested in engineering attempts and propose how modern advancements will enable future strategies to overcome these impediments.
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