Methyl jasmonate elicits the production of methyl ( E )‐2‐hexenoate from ( Z )‐2‐hexenol via ( Z )‐2‐hexenal in Achyranthes bidentata plant

The medicinal herbal plant Achyranthes bidentata ( A. bidentata ) produces the sweet‐odor ester – methyl ( E )‐2‐hexenoate (1) as the major volatile in response to methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Here, we investigated the biosynthetic pathway of methyl ( E )‐2‐hexenoate (1). The common plant precursor ( Z )‐3‐hexenal was only slightly metabolized into methyl ( E )‐2‐hexenoate (1), and its application scarcely enhanced the production of this ester. By contrast, a structurally related alcohol, ( Z )‐2‐hexenol, as well as a deuteride derivative thereof could be efficiently metabolized into methyl ( E )‐2‐hexenoate (1). Thus, we hypothesize that A. bidentata possess a specific pathway for the production of methyl ( E )‐2‐hexenoate (1) from ( Z )‐2‐hexenol in response to MeJA.