Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2025

Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade
Published on: August 14, 2019
Biosynthesis and Physiological Significance of Organ-Specific Flavonol Glycosides in Solanaceae
Doosan Shin1, Haohao Zhao1, Ethan Tucker2
1Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
Abstract:
Flavonols are subclasses of flavonoids, with hundreds of structures identified in plants. This chemical diversity primarily arises from glycosylation, where sugars are selectively added to the flavonol backbone. While flavonol profiles vary across species and organs, the evolutionary forces shaping this chemodiversity and the physiological significance of specific glycosides remain a mystery. Here, we reveal that finely tuned transcriptional regulation and the sugar selectivity of glycosyltransferases drive the formation of distinct organ specific flavonol profiles and a specific flavonol is necessary for male fertility. In Solanaceae pollen, two flavonol glycosides, K2 (kaempferol 3-O-glucosyl(1 → 2)galactoside) and Q2 (quercetin 3-O-glucosyl(1 → 2)galactoside), are exclusively accumulated. K2 is evolutionarily conserved, while Q2 was lost over time. Consistently, K2 is essential for male fertility, whereas Q2 and aglycones fail to rescue fertility defects. These findings suggest that individual flavonol glycosides have distinct physiological roles, either actively maintained or discarded through evolutionary selection.
Related Concept Videos
Plant Hormones
Tonicity in Plants
Tonicity
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water depending on the solute...
Lipid-derived Compounds in the Human Body
Fat-soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K, are required in minimal quantities, but their deficiencies can lead to severely abnormal physiological conditions. For example, vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, dry skin,...
Phloem and Sugar Transport
Cell Signaling in Plants
Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:

