The plant pyruvate hub
Sonia E Evans1, Anya Hu2, Michael A Phillips3
1Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough, Scarborough, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.
Abstract:
Pyruvate serves as a central node in plant metabolism. Together with its high-energy form, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), it links core carbon pathways to the biosynthesis of terpenoids, phenolics, and fatty acids. Specialized cell types in vascular, endosperm, and photosynthetic tissues utilize these precursors to favor the formation of lignin, fatty acids, and terpenoid pigments, respectively. Pyruvate contributes to both terpenoid precursor pathways and forms a metabolic loop that both depends on and supports photosynthesis. The numerous sources and fates of pyruvate underscore its role as one of the most centralized metabolites in plant biology. We review the regulation of pyruvate synthesis, consumption, and trafficking via translocator expression and allosteric enzyme control, including opportunities to engineer terpenoid biosynthesis by manipulating precursor supply.
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