Editorial: Phenylpropanoid Systems Biology and Biotechnology

Journal Article · 02 March 2022 · Frontiers in Plant Science

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.866164 · OSTI ID:1868510

Cesarino, Igor ^[1]; Eudes, Aymerick ^[2]; Urbanowicz, Breeanna ^[3]; Xie, Meng  ^[4]

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1. Univ. of Sao Paulo (Brazil); Synthetic and Systems Biology Center, São Paulo (Brazil)
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
3. Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)
4. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Phenylpropanoids are specialized metabolites involved in several aspects of plant growth and development and in the responses of plants to environmental stimuli. These compounds are synthesized from key intermediates of the shikimate pathway, which are structurally modified by the combined activities of lyases, transferases, ligases, reductases and oxygenases, resulting in the organ- and developmental-specific synthesis and accumulation of diverse metabolites (Vogt, 2010). The phenylpropanoid pathway provides the building blocks for lignin, suberin, and condensed tannins that play a role in structural support and mechanical strength. Lignin is a major contributor to feedstock recalcitrance and negatively affects the conversion of plant biomass into downstream products in biorefineries (Liu et al., 2021). Further, this pathway is key for the production of anthocyanins for organ pigmentation, flavonols and flavones for UV protection, various flavonoids and isoflavonoids for plant-microbe interactions, and antimicrobial phytoalexins for protection against pathogens (Deng and Lu, 2017). In addition to their biological functions in planta, phenylpropanoids are economically important metabolites. They constitute important components in the human diet, acting as nutraceutical compounds with antioxidant, chemopreventive, antimitotic, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities. Several phenylpropanoids are considered high-value biochemicals employed in the production of fragrances, pharmaceuticals and biopolymers (Lin and Eudes, 2020).

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq); São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0012704
• OSTI ID: 1868510
• Report Number(s): BNL-222973-2022-JAAM
• Journal Information: Frontiers in Plant Science, Journal Name: Frontiers in Plant Science Vol. 13; ISSN 1664-462X
• Publisher: Frontiers Research FoundationCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English