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Retrospect and prospects of plant metabolic engineering

  • Manisha Chownk
  • Karnika Thakur
  • Sudesh Kumar Yadav
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Abstract

With the advancement of biotechnological tools and techniques such as next generation sequencing, RNAomics, epigenomics, gene silencing, plant, microbe transformation, proteomics and metabolomics, the understanding of metabolic pathways and their manipulation for the desired characters became feasible. Metabolic engineering has been successful in the production of golden rice, bioprocess for artemisinin production, flavonoids in plant and microbes as well as generated biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in several crop plants. In view of the significance of metabolic engineering, this article includes recent techniques developed and their use in manipulation of glyoxalase metabolism for multiple abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The importance of engineering of flavonoids pathway for high value antioxidants production as well as improving the biotic and abiotic stress tolerance has been documented. Importance and success of metabolic engineering has been realized by its promising hope for sustainable technologies of bioactives production for mankind’s health as well as in the generation of improved crop varieties.

Keywords

Glyoxalase pathway Flavonoid pathway Biotic and abiotic stress Antioxidants 

Abbreviations

RNAi

RNA interference

MEG

Mobile genetic element

CFS

Cell free system

Gly I

Glyoaxalase I

Gly II

Glyoxalase II

MG

Methylglyoxal

GSH

Reduced glutathione

GSSG

Oxidized glutathione

SLG

S-Lactoylglutathione

MDA

Malondialdehyde

EL

Electrolyte leakage

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Notes

Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to the CEO, CIAB for his continuous motivation and guidance. The financial support from Department of Science and Technology (DST), GOI for SERB-NPDF to Manisha and Department of Biotechnology (DBT), GOI for research work in the laboratory is duly acknowledged.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest

The Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Copyright information

© Society for Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  • Manisha Chownk
    • 1
  • Karnika Thakur
    • 1
  • Sudesh Kumar Yadav
    • 1
  1. 1.Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB)MohaliIndia

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