Plants produce a huge array of natural products (secondary metabolites). These compounds have important ecological functions, providing protection against attack by herbivores and microbes and serving as attractants for pollinators and seed-dispersing agents. They may also contribute to competition and invasiveness by suppressing the growth of neighboring plant species (a phenomenon known as allelopathy). Humans exploit natural products as sources of drugs, flavoring agents, fragrances and for a wide range of other applications. Rapid progress has been made in recent years in understanding natural product synthesis, regulation and function and the evolution of metabolic diversity. It is timely to bring this information together with contemporary advances in chemistry, plant biology, ecology, agronomy and human health to provide a comprehensive guide to plant-derived natural products.
Plant-derived natural products: synthesis, function and application provides an informative and accessible overview of the different facets of the field, ranging from an introduction to the different classes of natural products through developments in natural product chemistry and biology to ecological interactions and the significance of plant-derived natural products for humans. In the final section of the book a series of chapters on new trends covers metabolic engineering, genome-wide approaches, the metabolic consequences of genetic modification, developments in traditional medicines and nutraceuticals, natural products as leads for drug discovery and novel non-food crops.
Table of Content
The chemical composition of plants.- to the Different Classes of Natural Products.- Natural Products from Seaweeds.- Use of Secondary Metabolite Variation in Crop Improvement.- Approaches to the Analysis of Plant-Derived Natural Products.- Opportunities and Challenges for Ethnobotany at the Start of the Twenty-First Century.- Secondary metabolite biosynthesis.- to the Different Classes of Biosynthetic Enzymes.- Methods for Molecular Identification of Biosynthetic Enzymes in Plants.- Regulation of Secondary Metabolism by Jasmonate Hormones.- Metabolite Channeling and Multi-enzyme Complexes.- Glycosylation of Secondary Metabolites and Xenobiotics.- Handling Dangerous Molecules: Transport and Compartmentation of Plant Natural Products.- Participation of Phytochemicals in Plant Development and Growth.- Biological activity.- Biological Activity of Defence-Related Plant Secondary Metabolites.- The Role of Natural Products in Plant-Microbe Interactions.- Role of Natural Products in Nature: Plant-Insect Interactions.- Oligosaccharide Signalling Molecules.- Biological Activity of Allelochemicals.- Health Benefits of Dietary Plant Natural Products.- Floral Scents and Fruit Aromas Inspired by Nature.- New trends.- Bioengineering.- Genome Wide Approaches in Natural Product Research.- Metabolomics and the Detection of Unintended Effects in Genetically Modified Crops.- Recent Advances in Traditional Medicines and Dietary Supplements.- Plant-derived natural products as leads for drug discovery.- Speciality Non-food Crops.About the author
Professor Anne Osbourn is Head of the Department of Metabolic Biology at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK, where she runs a research programme on plant-derived natural products. Her research is focused on the synthesis and function of plant-derived natural products and on mechanisms underpinning metabolic diversification.Professor Virginia Lanzotti is associate professor of organic chemistry at University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy and Meetings Secretary of the Phytochemical Society of Europe (PSE). Her research is focused on the stereostructure of natural products, drug discovery, food chemistry, and soil organic matter phytotoxicity. Winner of the 2003 PSE-Pierre Fabre award for excellence in phytochemistry.
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