About this Research Topic
Plants produce in excess of 200,000 bioactive small molecule natural products, many of which are invaluable nutrients, commodity products, and therapeutics. Although researchers have obtained knowledge of the function and structure of this enormous chemical diversity, there are still large gaps in our understanding of biosynthetic pathways that lead to specialized phytochemicals. Despite their immense benefits, a large number of these structures are impossible or prohibitively expensive to obtain via chemical synthesis while their biosynthesis remains elusive.
Investigating plant biosynthetic pathways has always been highly challenging. The genes involved are, in many cases, not physically clustered in the genome, making discovery of the pathways a tedious and time-consuming process. Nonetheless, increasingly available omics data have allowed breakthroughs in recent years leading to elucidation and the heterologous production of various compounds in different heterologous hosts, as seen in the artemisinin, morphine, noscapine, etoposide and vinblastine pathways, to name a few.
The new decade has brought about new opportunities and challenges to plant metabolic research to help tackle multiple problems in the fast-changing world. It is high time that we share the latest achievements as well as perspectives for future developments in the field with innovative, multidisciplinary and/or unconventional approaches. This Research Topic invites contributions from leading experts in plant specialized metabolism discovery and chemistry, plant and microorganism engineering, data science, and bioinformatics. While all types of articles are welcome, we encourage the submission of original research reports, reviews, minireviews and perspectives focusing on the following specific topics:
• Contemporary approaches and new technologies such as machine learning and data science for prediction, elucidation and engineering of plant metabolic pathways.
• Cutting-edge technologies for engineering of plant metabolic pathways;
• New bio-production systems for the production and engineering of plant-derived metabolites;
• Discovery of new specialized metabolites that help tackle current problems, and advances in understanding under-studied phytochemicals that may potentially solve future problems in the world;
• Functional and structural characterization of novel enzymes involved in plant metabolic pathways.
Image credit: Don Nguyen.
Investigating plant biosynthetic pathways has always been highly challenging. The genes involved are, in many cases, not physically clustered in the genome, making discovery of the pathways a tedious and time-consuming process. Nonetheless, increasingly available omics data have allowed breakthroughs in recent years leading to elucidation and the heterologous production of various compounds in different heterologous hosts, as seen in the artemisinin, morphine, noscapine, etoposide and vinblastine pathways, to name a few.
The new decade has brought about new opportunities and challenges to plant metabolic research to help tackle multiple problems in the fast-changing world. It is high time that we share the latest achievements as well as perspectives for future developments in the field with innovative, multidisciplinary and/or unconventional approaches. This Research Topic invites contributions from leading experts in plant specialized metabolism discovery and chemistry, plant and microorganism engineering, data science, and bioinformatics. While all types of articles are welcome, we encourage the submission of original research reports, reviews, minireviews and perspectives focusing on the following specific topics:
• Contemporary approaches and new technologies such as machine learning and data science for prediction, elucidation and engineering of plant metabolic pathways.
• Cutting-edge technologies for engineering of plant metabolic pathways;
• New bio-production systems for the production and engineering of plant-derived metabolites;
• Discovery of new specialized metabolites that help tackle current problems, and advances in understanding under-studied phytochemicals that may potentially solve future problems in the world;
• Functional and structural characterization of novel enzymes involved in plant metabolic pathways.
Image credit: Don Nguyen.
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