title: 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in plants: more than just the precursor of ethylene!
abstract: Ethylene is a simple two carbon atom molecule with profound effects on plants. There are quite a few review papers covering all aspects of ethylene biology in plants, including its biosynthesis, signaling and physiology. This is merely a logical consequence of the fascinating and pleiotropic nature of this gaseous plant hormone. Its biochemical precursor, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) is also a fairly simple molecule, but perhaps its role in plant biology is seriously underestimated. This triangularly shaped amino acid has many more features than just being the precursor of the lead-role player ethylene. For example, ACC can be conjugated to three different derivatives, but their biological role remains vague. ACC can also be metabolized by bacteria using ACC-deaminase, favoring plant growth and lowering stress susceptibility. ACC is also subjected to a sophisticated transport mechanism to ensure local and long-distance ethylene responses. Last but not least, there are now a few exciting studies where ACC has been reported to function as a signal itself, independently from ethylene. This review puts ACC in the spotlight, not to give it the lead-role, but to create a picture of the stunning co-production of the hormone and its precursor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park MD, USA ; Laboratory of Functional Plant Biology, Department of Physiology, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van de Poel
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Functional Plant Biology, Department of Physiology, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Van Der Straeten
keywords: 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC); conjugation; deaminase; ethylene; signaling; transport