Expression of secondary metabolism

Luckner, M. Nover, L. Expression of secondary metabolism. In Secondary Metabolism and Cell Differentiation Luckner, M. Nover, M. L. Bohm H. Eds. Springer-Verlag Berlin. 1977 pp 1. 

Nover, M. Luckner, Expression of secondary metabolism as part of the differentiation processes during the idiophase development of Penicillium cyclopium Westling, Biochem. Phvsiol. Pflanzen 166, 293 - 305 (l974). 

Luckner, M. The expression of secondary metabolism - an aspect of cell specialization. In Cell Differentiation (L. Nover, M. Luckner, B. Parthier, eds.), pp. 408-425. Fischer/Springer, Jena/Berlin-Heidelberg-New York 1982... 

A 4.1 Expression of Secondary Metabolism as a Feature of Cell Specialization... 

The phase dependency of the expression of secondary metabolism has been shown to be due to the phase-dependent formation of the enzymes synthesizing secondary compounds. This demonstrates that expression of secondary metabolism is the result of a differentiation process. 

The phase-dependent expression of secondary metabolism designated in A 4.1 as one of the most important features in the control of secondary product formation is caused by the integration of secondary metabolism in the programs of differentiation and development. These programs, which are characteristic of all living cells... 

Table 10. Signals influencing the expression of secondary metabolism...

The experimental difficulties of biochemical experiments On higher plants and animals can be reduced by use of cell cultures. Cell cultures can be fed like cultures of microorganisms, so incorporation rates can be much higher than for whole plants or animals or isolated organs. They are, however, not universally applicable for investigations of secondary metabolism. Cultured plant cells are in many cases in a meristematic, unspecialized state and since expression of secondary metabolism is a feature of cell specialization (A 4.1), thus do not synthesize considerable amounts of secondary products. However, in those cell cultures, where secondary compounds are formed, tracer experiments and investigations with isolated enzymes have been performed with great success. 

The rate of secondary product formation may be influenced by many different mutations. In most cases they act indirectly, e.g., by influencing the flow of precursors, cosubstrate biosynthesis, or differentiation programs. Mutations in the genetic material directly controlling the expression of secondary metabolism are rare (A 2.1). The genetic regulation of secondary product formation in most organisms is therefore still unknown. 

Komatsu M, Uchiyama T, Omura S, Cane DE, Ikeda H (2010) Genome-minimized streptomyces host for the heterologous expression of secondary metabolism. Proc Natl Acad Sd USA... 

Research interests include genetic expression of secondary metabolism in plant tissue cultures NAPRALERT database plant taxonomy and morphogenesis ethnobotany. 

Figure 1 Expression of secondary metabolism in fiuits of Myristicaceae species.

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