'Hidden' terpenoids in plants: Their biosynthesis, localization and ecological roles

Kazufumi Yazaki, Gen Ichiro Arimura, Toshiyuki Ohnishi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

124 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Terpenoids are the largest group of plant specialized (secondary) metabolites. These naturally occurring chemical compounds are highly diverse in chemical structure. Although there have been many excellent studies of terpenoids, most have focused on compounds built solely of isoprene units. Plants, however, also contain many 'atypical' terpenoids, such as glycosylated volatile terpenes and composite-type terpenoids, the latter of which are synthesized by the coupling of isoprene units on aromatic compounds. This mini review describes these 'hidden' terpenoids, providing an overview of their biosynthesis, localization, and biological and ecological activities.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1615-1621
Number of pages7
JournalPlant and Cell Physiology
Volume58
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2017

Keywords

  • Glycosylation
  • Mutualism
  • Prenylated coumarin
  • Prenylated flavonoid
  • Shikonin
  • Terpenoid.editedstatecorrected-proof

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