Phytochemical genomics – From a model plant to medicinal plants

Phytochemical genomics is a recently emerging sector in plant science, which elucidates the genomic basis of the biosynthesis and the function of plant metabolites [1]. Phytochemical genomics has been mostly advanced in Arabidopsis thaliana, a model plant for plant genomics, by means of combination of genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics. Recently, a number of similar investigations in medicinal plants have been carried out to discover the genes and the metabolic networks for the biosynthesis of bioactive plant specialized metabolites [2]. In this presentation, I will discuss a general perspective on phytochemical genomics from A. thaliana to medicinal plants and its biotechnological application.

Keywords: phytochemical genomics, specialized metabolites, Arabidopsis thaliana, medicinal plants.

References:

[1] Saito K. Phytochemical genomics – a new trend. Curr Opin Plant Biol 2013; 16: 373 – 380

[2] Sumner LW, Lei Z, Nikolau BJ, Saito K. Modern plant metabolomics: advanced natural product gene discoveries, improved technologies, and future prospects. Nat Prod Rep 2015; 32: 212 – 229