Phytochemistry in the Genomics and Post-Genomics Eras

About this book

This monograph series is commissioned by the Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA). The volumes in this series contain articles on developing topics of interest to scientists, students and individuals interested in recent developments in the biochemistry, chemistry and molecular biology of plants. Volume 36 centers on the role of phytochemistry in the rapid developments in biology brought about by the application of large-scale genomics approaches.

Genomics has fundamentally altered the way in which we view plant biology, by providing the possibility of taking a global view of cellular processes. Sequencing programs are rapidly documenting the expressed genes of many species, but the big question is what do these genes do? This volume investigates the different approaches to analysing plant gene function.

Several functional genomic approaches discussed in this volume, address plant gene function on a large scale. Plants are combinatorial chemists par excellence, and understanding the principles that relate enzyme structure to function will open up unlimited possibilities for the rational design of new enzymes to generate novel biologically active natural products. Knowledge of the molecular genetics of plant natural product pathways will also facilitate the engineering of these pathways for plant improvement and human benefit. Phytochemistry truly has a great future in the genomics and post-genomics eras.

Contents

Bioinformatics and computational biology for plant functional genomics (P. Mendes et al.). A genomics approach to plant one-carbon metabolism (S. Roje, A.D. Hanson). Metabolomics: A developing and integral component in functional genomic studies of medicago truncatula (L.W. Sumner et al.). Metabolite profiling: from metabolic engineering to functional genomics (R.N. Trethewey). Triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in plants (A.E. Osbourn, K. Haralampidis). A mutational approach to dissection of flavonoid biosynthesis in Arabidopsis (B. Winkel-Shirley). Biopanning by activation tagging (Yiji Xia et al.). Functional genomics of cytochromes P450 in plants (K.A. Feldmann et al.). Functional genomics approaches to unravel essential oil biosynthesis (B. Markus Lange, R.E.B. Ketchum). Sequence-based approaches to alkaloid biosynthesis gene identification (T.M. Kutchan). An integrated approach to medicago functional genomics (G.D. May). Structurally guided alteration of biosynthesis in plant type III polyketide synthases (J.P. Noel et al.). The role of cytochromes P450 in biosynthesis and evolution of glucosinolates (B.A. Halkier et al.). Index.

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