Open AccessGenetic background of sesquiterpene lactones biosynthesis in Asteraceae. A review
Author(s) -
Magdalena Sozoniuk
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
agronomy science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2544-798X
pISSN - 2544-4476
DOI - 10.24326/as.2021.3.4
Subject(s) - asteraceae , sesquiterpene , biosynthesis , biology , gene , metabolic pathway , computational biology , transcription (linguistics) , transcription factor , metabolic engineering , heterologous , genetics , botany , linguistics , philosophy
Asteraceae family is a rich source of many sesquiterpene lactones (STLs). These secondary metabolites exhibit multidirectional activity including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial, just to name a few. Promising approach of metabolic engineering offers a way of increasing the production of STLs by reconstruction of their biosynthetic pathway in a heterologous system. Moreover, their production in host plants might be increased through overexpression of biosynthetic genes and/or transcription factors (TFs) positively regulating the pathway. Either of the strategies requires extensive knowledge on the genetic background of STLs biosynthesis pathway. This review summarizes molecular investigations concerning biosynthesis of these medicinally essential metabolites.