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Metabolites
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Advances in Plant Metabolic Engineering
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Advances in Plant Metabolic Engineering

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 8630

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Filippos Ververidis

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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Sciences, and University Research Center, Institute of Agri-Food and Life Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Interests: metabolic engineering, plant biochemistry, microbial biotechnology, antioxidants; plant natural products
Prof. Dr. Emmanouil Trantas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Sciences, and University Research Center, Institute of Agri-Food and Life Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Interests: metabolic engineering; plant molecular biology; microbial biotechnology; microbial genomics; plant natural products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metabolic engineering has been used for less than three decades in relation to plants, despite its first appearance as a tool with direct applications to life sciences being much earlier. In particular, plant metabolic engineering (PME) has been more drastically connected as a scientific methodology to what is referred to as science “beyond natural evolution”. However, highlighting the progress in PME is vital, since novel editing tools at the genome scale and systems biology approaches facilitate the need for defining novel emerging phenotypes and focus on comprehending plant network functions in particular. PME advanced the development of innovative reconstructions aimed at the rational design of complex biological systems through the static or dynamic control of metabolic flow. Modern developments, research trends and ideas in PME appear to constitute a dynamic methodological tool bridging molecular breeding and synthetic biology for ready-to-eat food and green energy derived from plants. However, what else can we ask from plants? PME research invests in food security needs for an overpopulated planet, by addressing how to further enhance plant fitness, boost productivity, increase resistance to pests and herbicides, and adapt to climatic or environmental extremities. PME methodologies have been used to avoid any technical issues associated with the growth of plants themselves, or even plant cell cultures, without avoiding societal acceptance, economic considerations, environmental impact, and long-term sustainability, which are also of critical importance for their successful implementation.

The aim of this Special Issue is to attract review papers and original research-oriented publications on all aspects of plant metabolic engineering. Contributions focused on advances in the optimization of cellular processes, concerning a specific plant species, by the redirection of one or more enzymatic reactions to produce new compounds, preferably by cheaper and simpler processes, or producing valuable metabolites in plants on industrial scales are invited for this Special Issue. Original research data or coherent and updated reviews are both welcome, including advances in plant metabolic engineering involving different databases, libraries of components, and conditions to generate the maximum production rate of a desired chemical compound, avoiding inhibitors and conditions that affect the growth rate and other vital functions in the specific plant, thus achieving these goals through the successful manipulation of metabolic flux. Alternative suggestions by potential authors are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Filippos Ververidis
Prof. Dr. Emmanouil Trantas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  •  plant metabolic engineering
  •  primary and secondary metabolism
  •  plant synthetic biology
  •  natural products
  •  molecular farming
  •  molecular breeding

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 5159 KiB  
Article
Phylogenetic and Expression Analysis of the Sucrose Synthase and Sucrose Phosphate Synthase Gene Family in Potatoes
by Jun Hu, Yanfeng Duan, Jinxue Hu, Shuqing Zhang and Guangcun Li
Metabolites 2024, 14(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14010070 - 20 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1337
Abstract
Sucrose synthase (SUS) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) are essential in plant sucrose metabolism. The potato is an important crop worldwide, but systematic analyses of the StSUS and StSPS gene families in potatoes are still lacking. Ten sucrose metabolism-related genes were identified in [...] Read more.
Sucrose synthase (SUS) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) are essential in plant sucrose metabolism. The potato is an important crop worldwide, but systematic analyses of the StSUS and StSPS gene families in potatoes are still lacking. Ten sucrose metabolism-related genes were identified in this study. The SUSs and SPSs could each be split into three subgroups through phylogenetic analysis. StSUSIc was the most highly expressed gene in different developmental tissues. Ka/Ks analysis showed that StSUSIb and StSUSIc were subjected to more-significant homozygous selection pressure. Our cis-acting element analysis of the StSUS and StSPS promoter sequences showed four elements: defense- and stress-responsive, hormone-responsive, light-responsive, and transcription factor elements. The expression of StSUS and StSPS genes was found to be regulated by circadian rhythm. In the treatments of 1% to 5% sucrose, glucose, and fructose, the expression of StSUS and StSPS family genes was enhanced by sucrose, but inhibited at high-glucose and fructose concentrations. This study identified six StSUS and four StSPS genes and analyzed their gene structure, conserved motifs, chromosome position, promoter elements, phylogenetic tree, and tissue-specific expression patterns. Our results will motivate more research into the biological process underlying the genes of sucrose metabolism in potatoes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Metabolic Engineering)
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10 pages, 1135 KiB  
Article
An Engineered Plant Metabolic Pathway Results in High Yields of Hydroxytyrosol Due to a Modified Whole-Cell Biocatalysis in Bioreactor
by Glykeria Mermigka, Aikaterini I. Vavouraki, Chrysoula Nikolaou, Ioanna Cheiladaki, Michail Vourexakis, Dimitrios Goumas, Filippos Ververidis and Emmanouil Trantas
Metabolites 2023, 13(11), 1126; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13111126 - 3 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1673
Abstract
Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is a phenolic substance primarily present in olive leaves and olive oil. Numerous studies have shown its advantages for human health, making HT a potentially active natural component with significant added value. Determining strategies for its low-cost manufacturing by metabolic engineering [...] Read more.
Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is a phenolic substance primarily present in olive leaves and olive oil. Numerous studies have shown its advantages for human health, making HT a potentially active natural component with significant added value. Determining strategies for its low-cost manufacturing by metabolic engineering in microbial factories is hence still of interest. The objective of our study was to assess and improve HT production in a one-liter bioreactor utilizing genetically modified Escherichia coli strains that had previously undergone fed-batch testing. Firstly, we compared the induction temperatures in small-scale whole-cell biocatalysis studies and then examined the optimal temperature in a large volume bioreactor. By lowering the induction temperature, we were able to double the yield of HT produced thereby, reaching 82% when utilizing tyrosine or L-DOPA as substrates. Hence, without the need to further modify our original strains, we were able to increase the HT yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Metabolic Engineering)
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Review

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26 pages, 2092 KiB  
Review
Flavonoid Production: Current Trends in Plant Metabolic Engineering and De Novo Microbial Production
by Hasnat Tariq, Saaim Asif, Anisa Andleeb, Christophe Hano and Bilal Haider Abbasi
Metabolites 2023, 13(1), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13010124 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4346
Abstract
Flavonoids are secondary metabolites that represent a heterogeneous family of plant polyphenolic compounds. Recent research has determined that the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, as well as the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants, are based on the presence of various bioactive natural [...] Read more.
Flavonoids are secondary metabolites that represent a heterogeneous family of plant polyphenolic compounds. Recent research has determined that the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, as well as the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants, are based on the presence of various bioactive natural products, including a high proportion of flavonoids. With current trends in plant metabolite research, flavonoids have become the center of attention due to their significant bioactivity associated with anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial activities. However, the use of traditional approaches, widely associated with the production of flavonoids, including plant extraction and chemical synthesis, has not been able to establish a scalable route for large-scale production on an industrial level. The renovation of biosynthetic pathways in plants and industrially significant microbes using advanced genetic engineering tools offers substantial promise for the exploration and scalable production of flavonoids. Recently, the co-culture engineering approach has emerged to prevail over the constraints and limitations of the conventional monoculture approach by harnessing the power of two or more strains of engineered microbes to reconstruct the target biosynthetic pathway. In this review, current perspectives on the biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of flavonoids in plants have been summarized. Special emphasis is placed on the most recent developments in the microbial production of major classes of flavonoids. Finally, we describe the recent achievements in genetic engineering for the combinatorial biosynthesis of flavonoids by reconstructing synthesis pathways in microorganisms via a co-culture strategy to obtain high amounts of specific bioactive compounds Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Metabolic Engineering)
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