Secondary transport as an efficient membrane transport mechanism for plant secondary metabolites

• DOI: 10.1007/s11101-007-9079-8
• Publication Date: 2007-11-23T14:31:53Z
• Authors: Kazufumi Yazaki; Akifumi Sugiyama; Masahiko Morita; Nobukazu Shitan
• Keywords: Secondary metabolism; Secondary metabolite; Metabolic Engineering

Plants produce a large number of secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds. Secondary metabolites have various functions including protection against pathogens UV light in plants, been used natural medicines for humans utilizing their diverse biological activities. Many these compounds are accumulated particular compartment vacuoles, some even translocated from source cells to sink organs via long distance transport. Both primary transporters involved compartmentation translocation, many transporter genes, especially genes belonging the multidrug toxin extrusion type family, which consists 56 members Arabidopsis, identified responsible membrane transport metabolites. Better understandings well biosynthetic will be important metabolic engineering aiming increase production commercially valuable plant cells.