Unlocking plant metabolic diversity: A (pan)-genomic view

Area of Science:

• Plant biochemistry and molecular biology
• Genomics and bioinformatics
• Natural product discovery

Background:

• Plants produce diverse natural chemicals crucial for adaptation.
• Plant genome complexity, including repetitive elements, impedes understanding of metabolic diversity.
• Biosynthetic gene clusters, common in microbes, are increasingly found in plants and linked to traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and exploit genomic and pan-genomic data for discovering plant metabolic diversification.
• To highlight the genomic underpinnings of plant chemodiversity.
• To discuss future challenges and perspectives in plant metabolic diversity research.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of genomic and pan-genomic data.
• Identification and characterization of plant biosynthetic gene clusters.
• Linking genetic variation to metabolic diversity.

Main Results:

• Recent examples demonstrate successful discovery of plant metabolic diversification through genomic exploration.
• Biosynthetic gene clusters are confirmed as a significant feature in plant genomes, associated with agronomic traits.
• Genome sequencing advancements are strengthening the connection between metabolic diversity and genetic variation.

Conclusions:

• Genomic and pan-genomic approaches are powerful tools for unraveling plant chemodiversity.
• Understanding the genetic basis of metabolic diversity is key to exploiting valuable plant compounds.
• The pan-genomics era offers exciting future prospects for plant metabolic research and applications.