Amino acids metabolism as a source for aroma volatiles biosynthesis

• Published in: Current opinion in plant biology Vol. 67; p. 102221
• Main Authors: Maoz, Itay, Lewinsohn, Efraim, Gonda, Itay
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2022
• Subjects: agricultural products; Aroma volatiles; Aromatic amino acids (AAA); aromatic compounds; biosynthesis; biotechnology; Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA); Flowers fragrance; Fruit flavor; plant biology; reproduction; Fruit flavor; Aroma volatiles; PAAS; BCKA; CMS; Flowers fragrance; Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA); BCAT; AAAT; Aromatic amino acids (AAA); MGL; BCV; PAL; AAAD; BCAA; SAM
• ISSN: 1369-5266; 1879-0356; 1879-0356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102221

Aroma volatiles are essential for plant ecological fitness and reproduction. Plants produce and use volatiles to attract pollinators and seed dispersers, repel herbivores and recruit their natural enemies, and communicate with other plants. Amino acids and their biosynthetic intermediates play key roles as precursors for the biosynthesis of plant volatiles. Different plants utilize different strategies and biosynthetic pathways to meet their specific biological needs. This review focuses on the different biosynthetic pathways that plants utilize to form amino acid-derived aroma volatiles, emphasizing their common and unique aspects and stressing the importance of the limiting enzymes residing in the primary-specialized metabolism interface. We also briefly review how biotechnology has used this interface and point to promising future directions for improving the quality of agricultural produce and the production of key volatiles.