Secondary Metabolism in Amaranthus spp. — A Genomic Approach to Understand Its Diversity and Responsiveness to Stress in Marginally Studied Crops with High Agronomic Potential

• Main Author: Castrillón-Arbeláez, Paula Andrea
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: IntechOpen 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Food Science; Technology & Engineering
• ISBN: 9789535122500; 9535122509
• DOI: 10.5772/61820

Cultivated amaranths are crops with an unrealized agronomical potential despite their high nutritional value and nutraceutic properties of their seeds and/ or leaves. They tolerate growing conditions unsuitable for cereals, and are tolerant to biotic aggressors. Several Amaranthus species are abundant of sources of secondary metabolites, mostly phenylpropanoids, predominantly in seeds and leaves, many of which may confer health benefits associated with their antioxidant properties. They could also act as defensive compounds against predators or pathogens. Recent biochemical and molecular approaches partly defined the mechanisms responsible for grain amaranth´s tolerance against biotic stress. However, the role played by secondary metabolites in (a)biotic stress amelioration in amaranth is practically unknown. Our group has identified several genes coding for enzymes involved in secondary metabolism pathways in A. hypochondriacus, in addition to related regulatory transcription factors. More than 50% of these genes involve the phenylpropanoid pathway. In this chapter, the role played by this pathway in (a)biotic stress amelioration in plants will be briefly reviewed, followed by an examination of its involvement in the conferral of nutraceutic properties to amaranth plants. A description of the progress obtained so far regarding the characterization of phenylpropanoid genes in grain amaranth will close this chapter.