Plant Terpenoids: Biosynthesis and Ecological Functions

Abstract

Among plant secondary metabolites terpenoids are a structurally most diverse group; they function as phytoalexins in plant direct defense, or as signals in indirect defense responses which involves herbivores and their natural enemies. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the investigation of the ecological role of plant terpenoids. The biosynthesis pathways of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes include the synthesis of C5 precursor isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and its allylic isomer dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), the synthesis of the immediate diphosphate precursors, and the formation of the diverse terpenoids. Terpene synthases (TPSs) play a key role in volatile terpene synthesis. By expression of the TPS genes, significant achievements have been made on metabolic engineering to increase terpenoid production. This review mainly summarizes the recent research progress in elucidating the ecological role of terpenoids and characterization of the enzymes involved in the terpenoid biosynthesis. Spatial and temporal regulations of terpenoids metabolism are also discussed.

Effect of pretreatments and modified atmosphere packaging on the shelf life and quality of fresh- cut green bell pepper

“…Sesquiterpenes are biogenetically derived from farensyl pyrophosphate and they constitute a very large group of secondary metabolites, and their synthesis is induced by stress factors such as disease, and other tissue injuries etc. Cheng et al (2007). During the non MA packed storage, sesquiterpenes accumulation was high; indicating the elevated metabolic stress in produce as a result of injury by cutting in aerobic environments.…”

Ecological variability of the phenolic compounds of Olea europaea L. leaves from natural habitats and cultivated conditions

“…The factors that may influence the content, quality and quantity of these active substances mainly rest upon the type of plant habitat, the predominance of certain abiotic factors in the habitat, the season of the year as well as upon the presence or absence of unfavourable conditions in which the plant grows [6][7][8][9]. All plant organs contain flavonoids; however, their quantity varies depending on the plant species or ecological and genetic factors [10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Comparative Study of the Volatiles’ Composition of Healthy and Larvae-Infested Artemisia ordosica

“…Many herbivore-induced volatiles are terpenoids, the largest class of natural products (Dicke et al, 1990;Turlings et al, 1990;Dicke, 1994;Takabayashi et al, 1994). They function as phytoalexins in direct plant defence or as signals in indirect defence responses that involve herbivores and predators (Gershenzon and Dudareva, 2007;Cheng et al, 2007). Volatiles such as ocimene, D-limonene, and (E,E)-α-farnesene, which have been determined in our experiments, are very important compounds that attract herbivore enemies (van-DenBoom et al, 2004;Pinto et al, 2007;Shimoda et al, 2012).…”