title: Flavonoid transport mechanisms: how to go, and with whom.
abstract: Subcellular flavonoid transport and its underlying regulatory mechanisms are still poorly understood, but are fascinating research frontiers in plant science. Recent studies support and further extend previous hypotheses indicating that vacuolar sequestration of flavonoids involves vesicle trafficking, membrane transporters, and glutathione S-transferase (GST). However, the question remains to be addressed of how three distinct but nonexclusive mechanisms are functionally integrated into diverse but redundant transport routes for vacuolar sequestration or extracellular secretion of flavonoids. In this review, I highlight recent progress in understanding flavonoid-transporting vesicle behavior and properties, GST and membrane transporter functions and mechanisms, and flavonoid transport substrate specificity and preference.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China. Electronic address: jianzhao@mail.hzau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D005982:Glutathione Transferase
keywords: flavonoid transport; glutathione S-transferase; membrane transporter; vacuolar sequestration; vesicle trafficking