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Engineering the Plant Factory for the Production of Biologics and Small-Molecule Medicines
Plant gene transfer achieved in the early ‘80s paved the way for the exploitation of the potential of gene engineering to add novel agronomic traits and/or to design plants as factories for high added value molecules. For this latter area of research, the term "Molecular Farming" was coined in reference to agricultural applications in that major crops like maize and tobacco were originally used basically for pharma applications. The concept of the “green biofactory” implies different advantages over the typical cell factories based on animal cell or microbial cultures already when considering the investment and managing costs of fermenters. Although yield, stability, and quality of the...
Biological Potential and Medical Use of Secondary Metabolites
Many macro and micro species, from terrestrial and aquatic environments, produce structurally unique compounds and, in many countries, still are the primary sources of medicines. In fact, secondary metabolites are an important source of chemotherapeutic agents but are also lead compounds for synthetic modification and the optimization of biological activity. Therefore, the exploitation of secondary metabolites, or their inspired synthetic compounds, offers excellent opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry. This Medicines Special Issue focuses on the great potential of secondary metabolites for therapeutic application. The Special Issue contains 16 articles reporting relevant experimental results, and an overview of bioactive secondary metabolites, their biological effects, and new methodologies that improve and accelerate the process of obtained lead compounds with regard to new drug development. We would like to thank all 83 authors, from all over the world, for their valuable contributions to this Special Issue.
Metalloids in Plants
Understanding metalloids and the potential impact they can have upon crop success or failure Metalloids have a complex relationship with plant life. Exhibiting a combination of metal and non-metal characteristics, this small group of elements – which includes boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), and tellurium (Te) – may hinder or enhance the growth and survival of crops. The causes underlying the effects that different metalloids may have upon certain plants range from genetic variance to anatomical factors, the complexities of which can pose a challenge to botanists and agriculturalists of all backgrounds. With Metalloids in Plants, a group of leading pl...
Natural Diversity in the New Millennium
Natural diversity has been extensively used to understand plant biology and improve crops. However, studies were commonly based on visual phenotypes or on a few measurable parameters. Nowadays, a large number of parameters can be measured thanks to next generation sequencing, metabolomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics thus providing an unprecedented resolution in the detection of natural diversity. This enhanced resolution offers new possibilities in terms of understanding plant biology. Technology advances also contribute to a better assessment of the biodiversity loss currently taking place. Hence, the topic presents an overview on efforts for maintaining biological diversity in crops, on possibilities offered by recent technologies in the assessment of natural variation, and ends with examples of the diversity found even at the cellular level.
Jasmonic Acid Pathway in Plants
The plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivative, an amino acid conjugate of JA (jasmonoyl isoleucine, JA-Ile), are signaling compounds involved in the regulation of defense and development in plants. The number of articles studying on JA has dramatically increased since the 1990s. JA is recognized as a stress hormone that regulates the plant response to biotic stresses such as herbivore and pathogen attacks, as well as abiotic stresses such as wounding and ultraviolet radiation. Recent studies have remarkably progressed the understanding of the importance of JA in the life cycle of plants. JA is directly involved in many physiological processes, including stamen growth, senescence, a...
Phytotoxicity of Nanoparticles
This book provides relevant findings on nanoparticles’ toxicity, their uptake, translocation and mechanisms of interaction with plants at cellular and sub-cellular level. The small size and large specific surface area of nanoparticles endow them with high chemical reactivity and intrinsic toxicity. Such unique physicochemical properties draw global attention of scientists to study potential risks and adverse effects of nanoparticles in the environment. Their toxicity has pronounced effects and consequences for plants and ultimately the whole ecosystem. Plants growing in nanomaterials-polluted sites may exhibit altered metabolism, growth reduction, and lower biomass production. Nanoparticles can adhere to plant roots and exert physicochemical toxicity and subsequently cell death in plants. On the other hand, plants have developed various defense mechanisms against this induced toxicity. This books discusses recent findings as well as several unresolved issues and challenges regarding the interaction and biological effects of nanoparticles. Only detailed studies of these processes and mechanisms will allow researchers to understand the complex plant-nanomaterial interactions.
Plant Metallomics and Functional Omics
Major portion of the planet earth is covered by seas and oceans representing 96.5% of the planet’s water, playing a detrimental role in sustaining the plant including crop diversity and productivity for human consumption. Water resources contain both soluble and transition metals, which are easily absorbed by plants through roots as a first point of contact and subsequently play important physiological and biological functions in plants. Transition metals such as copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) contribute to the plant productivity by playing key functional roles in the photosynthesis. In addition, to their major role in regulating the plant productivity, they also play...
Role of Silicon in Plants
Silicon (Si) is gaining increased attention in the farming sector because of its beneficial effects observed in several crop species, particularly under stress conditions. The magnitude of benefits is predominantly observed in plant species that can accumulate Si above a certain threshold. Therefore, deciphering the molecular mechanisms and genetic factors conferring a plant ability to take up silicon is necessary. Along these lines, several efforts have been made to identify the specific genes regulating Si uptake and distribution in plant tissues. This information finds its usefulness in identifying Si-competent species, and could eventually lead to improving this ability in low-accumulati...
