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Fakhri S, Moradi SZ, Faraji F, Kooshki L, Webber K, Bishayee A. Modulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling pathways in cancer angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis by natural compounds: a comprehensive and critical review. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2024; 43:501-574. [PMID: 37792223 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-023-10136-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Tumor cells employ multiple signaling mediators to escape the hypoxic condition and trigger angiogenesis and metastasis. As a critical orchestrate of tumorigenic conditions, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is responsible for stimulating several target genes and dysregulated pathways in tumor invasion and migration. Therefore, targeting HIF-1 pathway and cross-talked mediators seems to be a novel strategy in cancer prevention and treatment. In recent decades, tremendous efforts have been made to develop multi-targeted therapies to modulate several dysregulated pathways in cancer angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. In this line, natural compounds have shown a bright future in combating angiogenic and metastatic conditions. Among the natural secondary metabolites, we have evaluated the critical potential of phenolic compounds, terpenes/terpenoids, alkaloids, sulfur compounds, marine- and microbe-derived agents in the attenuation of HIF-1, and interconnected pathways in fighting tumor-associated angiogenesis and invasion. This is the first comprehensive review on natural constituents as potential regulators of HIF-1 and interconnected pathways against cancer angiogenesis and metastasis. This review aims to reshape the previous strategies in cancer prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajad Fakhri
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, 6734667149, Iran
| | - Seyed Zachariah Moradi
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, 6734667149, Iran
- Medical Biology Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, 6734667149, Iran
| | - Farahnaz Faraji
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Leila Kooshki
- Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, 6714415153, Iran
| | - Kassidy Webber
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, 5000 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, Bradenton, FL, 34211, USA
| | - Anupam Bishayee
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, 5000 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, Bradenton, FL, 34211, USA.
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Kaspari M, Welti EAR. Electrolytes on the prairie: How urine-like additions of Na and K shape the dynamics of a grassland food web. Ecology 2023; 104:e3856. [PMID: 36053835 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The electrolytes Na and K both function to maintain water balance and membrane potential. However, these elements work differently in plants-where K is the primary electrolyte-than in animals-where ATPases require a balanced supply of Na and K. Here, we use monthly factorial additions of Na and K to simulate bovine urine inputs and explore how these electrolytes ramify through a prairie food web. Against a seasonal trend of increasing grass biomass and decreasing water and elemental tissue concentrations, +K and +Na plots boosted water content and, when added together, plant biomass. Compared to control plots, +Na and +K plots increased element concentrations in above-ground plant tissue early in summer and decreased them in September. Simultaneously, invertebrate abundance on Na and K additions were sequentially higher and lower than control plots from June to September and were most suppressed when grass was most nutrient rich. K was the more effective plant electrolyte, but Na frequently promoted similar changes in grass ionomes. The soluble/leachable ions of Na and K showed significant ability to shape plant growth, water content, and the 15-element ionome, with consequences for higher trophic levels. Grasslands with high inputs of Na and K-via large mammal grazers or coastal aerosol deposition-likely enhance the ability of plants to adjust their above-ground ionomes, with dramatic consequences for the distribution of invertebrate consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kaspari
- Geographical Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Ellen A R Welti
- Geographical Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA.,Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany
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Genome-wide analysis of sulfur-encoding biosynthetic genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.) with Arabidopsis as the sulfur-dependent model plant. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13829. [PMID: 35970910 PMCID: PMC9378745 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18068-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Sulfur is an essential element required for plant growth and development, physiological processes and stress responses. Sulfur-encoding biosynthetic genes are involved in the primary sulfur assimilation pathway, regulating various mechanisms at the gene, cellular and system levels, and in the biosynthesis of sulfur-containing compounds (SCCs). In this study, the SCC-encoding biosynthetic genes in rice were identified using a sulfur-dependent model plant, the Arabidopsis. A total of 139 AtSCC from Arabidopsis were used as reference sequences in search of putative rice SCCs. At similarity index > 30%, the similarity search against Arabidopsis SCC query sequences identified 665 putative OsSCC genes in rice. The gene synteny analysis showed a total of 477 syntenic gene pairs comprised of 89 AtSCC and 265 OsSCC biosynthetic genes in Arabidopsis and rice, respectively. Phylogenetic tree of the collated (AtSCCs and OsSCCs) SCC-encoding biosynthetic genes were divided into 11 different clades of various sizes comprised of branches of subclades. In clade 1, nearing equal representation of OsSCC and AtSCC biosynthetic genes imply the most ancestral lineage. A total of 25 candidate Arabidopsis SCC homologs were identified in rice. The gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that the rice-Arabidopsis SCC homologs were significantly enriched in the following terms at false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05: (i) biological process; sulfur compound metabolic process and organic acid metabolic processes, (ii) molecular function; oxidoreductase activity, acting on paired donors with incorporation or reduction of molecular oxygen and (iii) KEGG pathway; metabolic pathways and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. At less than five duplicated blocks of separation, no tandem duplications were observed among the SCC biosynthetic genes distributed in rice chromosomes. The comprehensive rice SCC gene description entailing syntenic events with Arabidopsis, motif distribution and chromosomal mapping of the present findings offer a foundation for rice SCC gene functional studies and advanced strategic rice breeding.
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Yu J, Tu X, Huang AC. Functions and biosynthesis of plant signaling metabolites mediating plant-microbe interactions. Nat Prod Rep 2022; 39:1393-1422. [PMID: 35766105 DOI: 10.1039/d2np00010e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Covering: 2015-2022Plants and microbes have coevolved since their appearance, and their interactions, to some extent, define plant health. A reasonable fraction of small molecules plants produced are involved in mediating plant-microbe interactions, yet their functions and biosynthesis remain fragmented. The identification of these compounds and their biosynthetic genes will open up avenues for plant fitness improvement by manipulating metabolite-mediated plant-microbe interactions. Herein, we integrate the current knowledge on their chemical structures, bioactivities, and biosynthesis with the view of providing a high-level overview on their biosynthetic origins and evolutionary trajectory, and pinpointing the yet unknown and key enzymatic steps in diverse biosynthetic pathways. We further discuss the theoretical basis and prospects for directing plant signaling metabolite biosynthesis for microbe-aided plant health improvement in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, SUSTech-PKU Institute of Plant and Food Science, Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China.
| | - Xingzhao Tu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, SUSTech-PKU Institute of Plant and Food Science, Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China.
| | - Ancheng C Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, SUSTech-PKU Institute of Plant and Food Science, Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China.
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Francioso A, Baseggio Conrado A, Mosca L, Fontana M. Chemistry and Biochemistry of Sulfur Natural Compounds: Key Intermediates of Metabolism and Redox Biology. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2020; 2020:8294158. [PMID: 33062147 PMCID: PMC7545470 DOI: 10.1155/2020/8294158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Sulfur contributes significantly to nature chemical diversity and thanks to its particular features allows fundamental biological reactions that no other element allows. Sulfur natural compounds are utilized by all living beings and depending on the function are distributed in the different kingdoms. It is no coincidence that marine organisms are one of the most important sources of sulfur natural products since most of the inorganic sulfur is metabolized in ocean environments where this element is abundant. Terrestrial organisms such as plants and microorganisms are also able to incorporate sulfur in organic molecules to produce primary metabolites (e.g., methionine, cysteine) and more complex unique chemical structures with diverse biological roles. Animals are not able to fix inorganic sulfur into biomolecules and are completely dependent on preformed organic sulfurous compounds to satisfy their sulfur needs. However, some higher species such as humans are able to build new sulfur-containing chemical entities starting especially from plants' organosulfur precursors. Sulfur metabolism in humans is very complicated and plays a central role in redox biochemistry. The chemical properties, the large number of oxidation states, and the versatile reactivity of the oxygen family chalcogens make sulfur ideal for redox biological reactions and electron transfer processes. This review will explore sulfur metabolism related to redox biochemistry and will describe the various classes of sulfur-containing compounds spread all over the natural kingdoms. We will describe the chemistry and the biochemistry of well-known metabolites and also of the unknown and poorly studied sulfur natural products which are still in search for a biological role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Francioso
- Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, 38296 Tenerife, Spain
| | - Alessia Baseggio Conrado
- Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Luciana Mosca
- Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Fontana
- Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Harun S, Abdullah-Zawawi MR, A-Rahman MRA, Muhammad NAN, Mohamed-Hussein ZA. SuCComBase: a manually curated repository of plant sulfur-containing compounds. DATABASE-THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DATABASES AND CURATION 2019; 2019:5353919. [PMID: 30793170 PMCID: PMC6384505 DOI: 10.1093/database/baz021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Plants produce a wide range of secondary metabolites that play important roles in plant defense and immunity, their interaction with the environment and symbiotic associations. Sulfur-containing compounds (SCCs) are a group of important secondary metabolites produced in members of the Brassicales order. SCCs constitute various groups of phytochemicals, but not much is known about them. Findings from previous studies on SCCs were scattered in published literatures, hence SuCComBase was developed to store all molecular information related to the biosynthesis of SCCs. Information that includes genes, proteins and compounds that are involved in the SCC biosynthetic pathway was manually identified from databases and published scientific literatures. Sets of co-expression data was analyzed to search for other possible (previously unknown) genes that might be involved in the biosynthesis of SCC. These genes were named as potential SCC-related encoding genes. A total of 147 known and 92 putative Arabidopsis thaliana SCC-related genes from literatures were used to identify other potential SCC-related encoding genes. We identified 778 potential SCC-related encoding genes, 4026 homologs to the SCC-related encoding genes and 116 SCCs as shown on SuCComBase homepage. Data entries are searchable from the Main page, Search, Browse and Datasets tabs. Users can easily download all data stored in SuCComBase. All publications related to SCCs are also indexed in SuCComBase, which is currently the first and only database dedicated to plant SCCs. SuCComBase aims to become a manually curated and au fait knowledge-based repository for plant SCCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarahani Harun
- Centre for Bioinformatics Research, Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Muhammad-Redha Abdullah-Zawawi
- Centre for Bioinformatics Research, Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Rusman Arief A-Rahman
- Centre for Bioinformatics Research, Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nor Azlan Nor Muhammad
- Centre for Bioinformatics Research, Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Zeti-Azura Mohamed-Hussein
- Centre for Bioinformatics Research, Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.,Centre for Frontier Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
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Guerra PC, Keil CB, Stevenson PC, Mina D, Samaniego S, Peralta E, Mazon N, Chancellor TCB. Larval Performance and Adult Attraction of Delia platura (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in a Native and an Introduced Crop. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 110:186-191. [PMID: 28011683 DOI: 10.1093/jee/tow237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Delia platura Meigen is an important pest in crops around the world. Its host range includes almost 50 species, and it can develop in soil organic matter. In Ecuador, D. platura is a serious problem for the crop, Lupinus mutabilis Sweet (Chocho), and it also attacks broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.). After broccoli is harvested, crop residue is mixed with soil or collected and stored close to Chocho fields. The objectives of this study were to determine the adaptive responses of larvae reared on different hosts and whether D. platura females are preferentially attracted to germinating L. mutabilis seeds or broccoli residue. Accordingly, larval performance and attraction of female D. platura reared on broccoli residue and L. mutabilis seeds were evaluated. The number of larvae, pupae, and adults were higher when reared on broccoli. Conversely, pupal weight was higher and time from larva to pupa, pupa to adult, and total life cycle were longer in flies reared on L. mutabilis. Although D. platura developed more quickly on broccoli, L. mutabilis was also a good host since pupae were heavier compared with flies reared on broccoli. Delia platura females reared on broccoli preferred broccoli residue to L. mutabilis in an olfactometer. Volatiles from broccoli residue in soil may attract D. platura females and stimulate oviposition on L. mutabilis seeds. Environmentally benign production of L. mutabilis crops with minimal insecticide applications may require the elimination of fresh broccoli residue as fertilizer in soils where L. mutabilis is cultivated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia C Guerra
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Greenwich, United Kingdom
| | - Clifford B Keil
- Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, School of Biological Sciences, Museum of Invertebrates, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Philip C Stevenson
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Greenwich, United Kingdom
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Diego Mina
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Programa Nacional de Leguminosas y Granos Andinos, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Servio Samaniego
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Programa Nacional de Leguminosas y Granos Andinos, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Eduardo Peralta
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Programa Nacional de Leguminosas y Granos Andinos, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Nelson Mazon
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Programa Nacional de Leguminosas y Granos Andinos, Quito, Ecuador
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Becker TM, Jeffery EH, Juvik JA. Proposed Method for Estimating Health-Promoting Glucosinolates and Hydrolysis Products in Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) Using Relative Transcript Abundance. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2017; 65:301-308. [PMID: 27992213 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6b04668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Due to the importance of glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products in human nutrition and plant defense, optimizing the content of these compounds is a frequent breeding objective for Brassica crops. Toward this goal, we investigated the feasibility of using models built from relative transcript abundance data for the prediction of glucosinolate and hydrolysis product concentrations in broccoli. We report that predictive models explaining at least 50% of the variation for a number of glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products can be built for prediction within the same season, but prediction accuracy decreased when using models built from one season's data for prediction of an opposing season. This method of phytochemical profile prediction could potentially allow for lower phytochemical phenotyping costs and larger breeding populations. This, in turn, could improve selection efficiency for phase II induction potential, a type of chemopreventive bioactivity, by allowing for the quick and relatively cheap content estimation of phytochemicals known to influence the trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talon M Becker
- Department of Crop Sciences and ‡Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, Illinois 61801-3838, United States
| | - Elizabeth H Jeffery
- Department of Crop Sciences and ‡Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, Illinois 61801-3838, United States
| | - John A Juvik
- Department of Crop Sciences and ‡Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, Illinois 61801-3838, United States
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Klug K, Hogekamp C, Specht A, Myint SS, Blöink D, Küster H, Horst WJ. Spatial gene expression analysis in tomato hypocotyls suggests cysteine as key precursor of vascular sulfur accumulation implicated in Verticillium dahliae defense. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2015; 153:253-268. [PMID: 24930426 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Revised: 05/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Verticillium dahliae is a prominent generator of plant vascular wilting disease and sulfur (S)-enhanced defense (SED) mechanisms contribute to its in-planta elimination. The accumulation of S-containing defense compounds (SDCs) including elemental S (S(0) ) has been described based on the comparison of two near-isogenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) lines differing in fungal susceptibility. To better understand the effect of S nutrition on V. dahliae resistance both lines were supplied with low, optimal or supraoptimal sulfate-S. An absolute quantification demonstrated a most effective fungal elimination due to luxury plant S nutrition. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed a strong regulation of Cys levels and an S-responsive GSH pool rise in the bulk hypocotyl. High-frequency S peak accumulations were detected in vascular bundles of resistant tomato plants after fungal colonization by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Global transcriptomic analysis suggested that early steps of the primary S metabolism did not promote the SDCs synthesis in the whole hypocotyl as gene expression was downregulated after infection. Enhanced S fertilization mostly alleviated the repressive fungal effect but did not reverse it. Upregulation of glutathione (GSH)-associated genes in bulk hypocotyls but not in vascular bundles indicated a global antioxidative role of GSH. To finally assign the contribution of S metabolism-associated genes to high S(0) accumulations exclusively found in the resistant tomato line, a spatial gene expression approach was applied. Laser microdissection of infected vascular bundles revealed a switch toward transcription of genes connected with cysteine (Cys) synthesis. The upregulation of LeOASTLp1 suggests a role for Cys as key precursor for local S accumulations (possibly S(0) ) in the vascular bundles of the V. dahliae-resistant tomato line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Klug
- Institute of Plant Nutrition, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuserstraße 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany
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Bednarek P. Sulfur-containing secondary metabolites from Arabidopsis thaliana and other Brassicaceae with function in plant immunity. Chembiochem 2012; 13:1846-59. [PMID: 22807086 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201200086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Biosynthesis of antimicrobial secondary metabolites in response to microbial infection is one of the features of the plant immune system. Particular classes of plant secondary metabolites involved in plant defence are often produced only by species belonging to certain phylogenetic clades. Brassicaceae plants have evolved the ability to synthesise a wide range of sulfur-containing secondary metabolites, including glucosinolates and indole-type phytoalexins. A subset of these compounds is produced by the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetic tools available for this species enabled verification of immune functions of glucosinolates and camalexin (A. thaliana phytoalexin), as well as characterisation of their respective biosynthetic pathways. Current knowledge of the biosynthesis of Brassicaceae sulfur-containing metabolites suggests that the key event in the evolution of these compounds is the acquisition of biochemical mechanisms originating from detoxification pathways into secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Moreover, it is likely that glucosinolates and Brassicaceae phytoalexins, traditionally considered as separate groups of compounds, have a common evolutionary origin and are interconnected on the biosynthetic level. This suggests that the diversity of Brassicaceae sulfur-containing phytochemicals reflect phylogenetic clade-specific branches of an ancient biosynthetic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Bednarek
- Laboratory of Proteomics and Metabolomics, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, Poznań, Poland.
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Abstract
The multiplicity of chemical structures of sulfur containing compounds, influenced in part by the element's several oxidation states, directly results in diverse modes of action for sulfur-containing natural products synthesized as secondary metabolites in plants. Sulfur-containing natural products constitute a formidable wall of defence against a wide range of pathogens and pests. Steady progress in the development of new technologies have advanced research in this area, helping to uncover the role of such important plant defence molecules like endogenously-released elemental sulphur, but also deepening current understanding of other better-studied compounds like the glucosinolates. As studies continue in this area, it is becoming increasingly evident that sulfur and sulfur compounds play far more important roles in plant defence than perhaps previously suspected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifeanyi D. Nwachukwu
- Department of Plant Physiology (Bio III) RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Alan J. Slusarenko
- Department of Plant Physiology (Bio III) RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Martin C. H. Gruhlke
- Department of Plant Physiology (Bio III) RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany
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