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Suresh
Kumar, page 52
Plants utilize very specific enzymes to synthesize a multitude of compounds. These enzymes
catalyze reactions in a well-defined sequence of steps. The biochemical sequence of the reactions
involved in the synthesis of one compound is called a metabolic pathway. A few enzymes may
be the components of a metabolic pathway, an example being the synthesis of starch from
adenosine diphosphate. The three enzymes that take part in this bioconversion are adenosine
and Smith, 1995). On the other hand, several enzymes can be present in a metabolic pathway, as
exemplified by the synthesis of gibberellins from mevalonic acid (Yamaguchi, 2008). Enzymes
are also found to catalyze reactions underlying the degradation and storage of the compound in
question. The content of a given compound in a plant is regulated by the enzymes involved in the
Plants, microorganisms, and animals have many unique metabolic pathways. However, the
pathways common to these three forms of living organisms are the pentose phosphate pathway,
glycolysis, and Krebs cycle. Plants synthesize all of the secondary metabolites using sugars,
acetyl coenzyme A (CoA), and amino acids, which are the basic components of the primary
metabolism.
The biosynthetic pathway of monoterpene olefins and abietic acid explains how plants synthesize
complex molecules from simple precursors. The starting material in this case is acetyl CoA,
which is converted to geranyl pyrophosphate via mevalonic acid, isopentyl pyrophosphate, and
Alternatively, geranyl phosphate is transformed into farnesyl pyrophosphate and geranyl geranyl
abietic acid. These four enzymatic steps involve one cyclase, two hydroxylases, and a
From Handbook of Herbs and Spices, Volume 3 - edited by K. V. Peter, page 195
Mevalonic acid is a chemical intermediate containing six carbons that is formed in the plant by
the combination of three molecules of acetate, which have, in turn, been derived from acetyl
coenzyme A. This is a universal process in all higher plants and produces compounds vital to the
life processes. The biosynthesis of mono- and sesquiterpenes from mevalonic acid involves three
steps: (i) conversion of mevalonic acid to isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and 3,3-dimethyl
allyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP), (ii) combination of IPP and DMAPP to give geranyl
pyrophosphate (GPP) and (iii) combination of GPP with IPP to give farnesyl pyrophosphate
(FPP). IPP is the initial product formed from mevalonic acid and it is then converted into
DMAPP by the enzyme isopentenyl pyrophosphate isomerase (Gershenzon and Croteau 1990,
Waterman 1993).
One molecule of IPP and one molecule of DMAPP combine under the influence of geranyl
monoterpene. This process is then continued by the addition of another IPP to GPP through the
mediation of a further synthase enzyme, resulting in the production of the first 15-carbon unit,
Isoprenoids and terpenoids are terms used to refer to the same class of molecules. These
substances are without question one of the largest groups of plant secondary metabolites. In
accordance with this ranking, they are also the basis of many plant-derived nutraceuticals. Under
this large umbrella are many popular nutraceutical families such as carotenoids, tocopherols,
tocotrienols, and saponins. This group is also referred to as isoprenoid derivatives because the
principal building block molecule is isoprene (Figure 1.2). Isoprene itself is synthesized from
acetyl coenzyme A (CoA), in the well- researched mevalonic acid pathway (Figure 1.3), and the
metabolic pathway.
FIGURE 1.3. The mevalonic acid pathway.
In both pathways the end product is isopentenyl phosphate (IPP), and IPP is often regarded
as the pivotal molecule in the formation of larger isoprenoid structures. Once IPP is formed, it
Both of these five-carbon structures are then used to form geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP), which
can give rise to monoterpenes. Among the monoterpenes are limonene and perillyl alcohol.
From Tropical and Subtropical Fruits Flavors, Color, and Health Benefits -
The biosynthesis of IPP occurs through two separate pathways in compartments of endoplasmic
a MVA intermediate. During this condensation, three ATPs and two NADPH molecules are
utilized for phosphorylation. However, in plastids, IPP is a produced only after a series of
reactions starting with pyruvate. In C.unshiu, the fruits expressed high levels of terpene synthase
in peels at the early stages of the fruit development. Spatio-temporal data mining studies of
volatile compounds suggest that these compounds are highly regulated at the stage of
transcription.
Furthermore, it was also observed that heat and light stress would increase and strongly induce
the biosynthesis of volatile terpenoids. Several terpene synthase genes are identified and
The biosynthesis of volatiles is mainly dependent on the activity of the key enzymes as well as
the availability of their substrates. Identification and sequencing the genes responsible for the
production of these enzymes and the information related to their expression levels at various fruit
developmental stages are critical for engineering these genes for efficient production using
alternate hosts such as microbes. Several terpene synthases were found to have homologous
origin in various fruits and vegetables. Previous studies in lemon showed the sequenced genes
for different monoterpene synthases such as -terpinene synthase (ClTS), limonene synthases
(Cl(+)LIMS1 and Cl(+)LIMS2 ), and -pinene synthase (Cl(-)PINS) which catalyzed the