Evolution of Metabolic Pathways

The past decade has seen major advances in the cloning of genes encoding enzymes of plant secondary metabolism. This has been further enhanced by the recent project on the sequencing of the Arabidopsis genome. These developments provide the molecular genetic basis to address the question of the Evolution of Metabolic Pathways. This volume provides in-depth reviews of our current knowledge on the evolutionary origin of plant secondary metabolites and the enzymes involved in their biosynthesis. The chapters cover five major topics: 1. Role of secondary metabolites in evolution; 2. Evolutionary origins of polyketides and terpenes; 3. Roles of oxidative reactions in the evolution of secondary metabolism; 4. Evolutionary origin of substitution reactions: acylation, glycosylation and methylation; and 5. Biochemistry and molecular biology of brassinosteroids.

The role of natural products in evolution (B.B. Jarvis). The evolution of phenolics in plants (H.A. Stafford). The family of chalcone synthase-related proteins: functional diversity and evolution (J. Schröder). Macrolide and polyether polyketides: biosynthesis and molecular diversity (Y.S. Tsantrizos, X.-S. Yang). Biochemical, molecular genetic, and evolutionary aspects of defense-related terpenoid metabolism in conifers (J. Bohlmann et al.). Function and evolution of plant cytochrome P450 (R.A. Kahn, F. Durst). The biosynthesis, degradation, transport and possible function of cyanogenic glucosides (P.R. Jones et al.). Two-oxoacid-dependent dioxygenases: inefficient enzymes or evolutionary driving force? (A.G. Prescott). Evolution of acyltransferase genes: origin and diversification of the BAHD superfamily of acyltransferases involved in secondary metabolism (B. St-Pierre, V. De Luca). Glycosyltransferases involved in plant secondary metabolism (T. Vogt). The methyltransferase gene superfamily: a tree with multiple branches (R.K. Ibrahim, I. Muzac). Brassinosteroids - structures, analysis and synthesis (J. Schmidt et al.). Recent advances in molecular genetic studies of the functions of brassinolide, a steroid hormone in plants (Z.-Y. Wang, J. Chory). Plant soluble sulfotransferases: structural and functional similarity with mammalian enzymes (F. Marsolais et al.).