Improving Crop Stress Tolerance via Specialized Metabolites

In a variety of important crops such as maize and rice, defense mechanisms are mediated through terpene biosynthesis. Terpenes are a very large and diverse class of organic compounds which can be found in almost all plants and numerous animals. Many of those terpenes serve as flavors, fragrances, and medicine in our everyday lives.

Since the prediction of terpenoid gene functions are hindered by large gene families with a high sequence identity, genetic and biochemical functional verification is often required. This leads to the development of modular tools and strategies for reducing the pool of candidate genes and enzymes targeted for biochemical studies. Biochemical characterization of selected diTPS via multi-gene combinatorial expression assays in E. coli and Nicotiana benthamiana revealed diverse functions in the biosynthesis of gibberellin phytohormones and an array of specialized diterpenoids with probable roles in the defense against biotic and abiotic stressors.