Phenylpropanoids function

Walker, K., Fujisaki, S., Long, R. and Croteau, R. (2002) Molecular cloning and heterologous expression of the C-13 phenylpropanoid side chain-CoA acyltransferase that functions in Taxol biosynthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 99, 12715-12720. 

FRICK, S., KUTCHAN, T.M., Molecular cloning and functional expression of O-methyltransferases common to isoquinoline alkaloid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, Plant J., 1999,17, 329-339. 

The functions of phenylpropanoid derivatives are as diverse as their structural variations. Phenylpropanoids serve as phytoalexins, UV protectants, insect repellents, flower pigments, and signal molecules for plant-microbe interactions. They also function as polymeric constituents of support and surface structures such as lignins and suberins [1]. Therefore, biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids has received much interest in relation to these functions. In addition, the biosynthesis of these compounds has been intensively studied because they are often chiral, and naturally occurring samples of these compounds are usually optically active. Elucidation of these enantioselective mechanisms may contribute to the development of novel biomimetic systems for enantioselective organic synthesis. 

Results of Wulf et al (7) show that carrot roots obtained from a supermarket contain myristicin Imperator variety carrots contain an average of 15 parts per million (ppm). Recently harvested, unprocessed carrots only rarely contain myristicin (8). The presence of myristicin in supermarket carrots and its absence in recently harvested ones indicate that its increased concentration may have been induced by some elicitor following harvest. Solar radiation after harvest, or fluorescent lighting during display, may function as such an elicitor. Light is known to produce ethylene and is an activator of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, one of the regulatory enzymes responsible for phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in plants (9). 

The observations that flavonols are not involved in the fertilization process in certain species, and that this function can be completed using other compounds, suggest that flavonols only affect fertility indirectly. There are various examples of cross-talk between branch pathways of phenylpropanoid metabolism, or the shikimate pathway. The absence of flavonols in maize and Petunia could affect the accumulation of other compounds that are more specifically required for male fertility. Thus, differences between species in terms of flavonoid... 

Fiber Dietary fiber is defined as the nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin (a complex polymer of phenylpropanoid subunits) pres ent in plants. Several different terms are used to described this complex group of compounds. For example, functional fiber is the... 

Costa MA, Collins RE, Anterola AM, Cochrane FC, Davin LB. 2003. An in silico assessment of gene function and organization of the phenylpropanoid pathway metabolic networks in Arabidopsis thaliana and limitations thereof. Phytochemistry 64 1097-112... 

Ferrer J-L, Austin MB, Stewart C, Noel JP. 2008. Structure and function of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids. Plant Physiol Biochem 46 356-370. 

Phenylpropanoid Metabolism in Plants Biochemistry, Functional Biology, and Metabolic Engineering... 

Phenylpropanoids Structural and Signaling Functions in Plant Reproductive Biology 511... 

Functional Role of Phenylpropanoids in Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses 515... 

BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF PHENYLPROPANOIDS IN PLANT GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND INTERACTIONS WITH THE ENVIRONMENT... 

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