The Study of Plant Natural Product Biosynthesis in the Pre-genomics and Genomics Eras

• Author(s): Cheek, L; Chen, Fang; kaufman, P; Kirakosyam, A; Lin, Hong; Yuan, J.S.;
• Abstract: Plants elaborate a vast array of natural products, many of which have evolved to confer selective advantages to the host plant in ecological interactions. These natural products are synthesized through a diverse array of biochemical pathways, most of which belong to secondary metabolism. The elucidation of these biochemical pathways has been a challenging undertaking. It requires the use of advanced tools from the disciplines of analytical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and plant physiology. Before the advent of genomics, biochemical and genetic approaches were the two approaches employed in the study of plant natural product biosynthesis. In the genomics era, various genomic approaches, including transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, have become available. As in general plant biology, the study of plant natural products in the genomics age is undergoing a paradigm shift from reductionist analysis to global analysis. The biosynthesis of plant natural products in several plant species, such as A. thaliana, rice, and Medicago truncatula, which is a close relative of alfalfa, is currently being investigated at the global level in a high-throughput mode. In addition to facilitating the investigation of natural products biosynthesis, the employment of various genomic approaches to the study will lead to the generation of large data sets, which can serve as a basis for using systems biology to understand the biological function of plant natural products. The elucidation of plant natural product biosynthesis will provide novel information for understanding the biology, ecology and evolution of plants, and also, provide tools for predictive metabolic engineering to improve plant traits that are determined by natural products.
• Publication Date: Jan 2006
• Journal: Natural Products From Plants, Second Edition