Probing allelochemical biosynthesis in sorghum root hairs.
Allelopathic interaction between plants is thought to involve the release of phytotoxic allelochemicals by one species, thus inhibiting the growth of neighboring species in competition for limited resources. Sorgoleone represents one of the more potent allelochemicals characterized to date, and its prolific production in root hair cells of Sorghum spp. has made the investigation of its biosynthetic pathway ideally-suited for functional genomics investigations. Through the use of a recently-released EST data set generated from isolated Sorghum bicolor root hair cells, significant inroads have been made toward the identification of genes and the corresponding enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of this compound in root hairs. Here we provide additional information concerning our recent report on the identification of a 5-n-alk(en) ylresorcinol utilizing O-methyltransferase, as well as other key enzymes likely to participate in the biosynthesis of this important allelochemical.
Baerson
Scott R
SR
Natural Products Utilization Research Unit; United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service; University, Mississippi USA.
Rimando
Agnes M
AM
Pan
Zhiqiang
Z
J Biol Chem. 2008 Feb 8;283(6):3231-3247
17998204
J Chem Ecol. 1992 Jan;18(1):1-11
24254628
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Mar 3;95(5):2005-10
9482825
Trends Biotechnol. 2003 May;21(5):192-5
12727378
J Nat Prod. 1998 Jul;61(7):927-30
9677276
Genome Biol. 2006;7(3):311
16569265
J Biol Chem. 2007 Feb 16;282(7):4326-4335
17178719
J Biol Chem. 2003 Aug 1;278(31):28607-11
12771136
Trends Plant Sci. 2004 Jan;9(1):26-32
14729216