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Linum Lignan and Associated Biochemical Pathways in Human Health and Plant Defense

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Genetics and Genomics of Linum

Part of the book series: Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models ((PGG,volume 23))

Abstract

This contribution primarily addresses formation of the plant-protecting and human health-protecting lignans found in flax seed coat tissue. Yet, the fundamentals of how plants in general biochemically produce their protective seed coats (protecting the embryo until germination) are very poorly understood at the molecular level, in spite of its massive evolutionary importance. Flax is no exception.

Herein, we address the natural product molecular species produced from the “mixed” biochemical pathways to both the flax seed lignans and other metabolite classes associated with same, as well as what is known about their localization in situ and their biosynthesis (proteins and enzymes involved). The biosynthetic pathway known to this point to the plant defense lignans in leaf and stem tissue is also discussed.

Discovery of the biochemical steps leading to flax seed coat lignan biosynthesis is described, with a particular emphasis on the genes, dirigent proteins (DPs), downstream pinoresinol-lariciresinol reductases, and secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase. Advances made thus far from X-ray structural biology investigations, as well as MALDI TOF MS/MS and Ion Mobility metabolite imaging, of these biochemical processes to the lignan components in situ are also summarized.

While the predominant health-protecting flax seed coat lignans are secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) derived, they are essentially not present as such in this tissue. Instead, SDG exists in covalently linked form to other “mixed” biochemical pathway metabolites, of which there are currently eight other distinct natural product entities considered to be involved. The biosynthesis of the other components, such as herbacetin diglucoside and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid, is also briefly mentioned. Moreover, our knowledge of the macromolecular structure(s) of these lignan-containing mixed biochemical pathway metabolites during seed coat maturation is briefly summarized.

Flaxseed, however, also contains other lignans, such as pinoresinol, pinoresinol diglucoside, isolariciresinol, and matairesinol, albeit in tiny amount, which are released on alkali (base) treatment of flax seed or preparations thereof.

The lignan yatein, by comparison, accumulates in flax leaf and stem tissue and appears to be involved in plant defense. What is known about its biochemical pathway and function is summarized.

Interestingly, flax DPs are encoded by a 44-membered multi-gene family, of which only a few are of known biochemical/physiological function. Future research is urgently needed to ascertain the in vivo functions of this DP family, including probing the evolutionary ramifications of same and their relevance to successful evolutionary transition of aquatic plants to terrestrial vascular plant form.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division, DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences (DE-FG-0397ER20259) and the National Science Foundation (MCB-1052557) for support, as well as the Arthur M. and Katie Eisig-Tode Foundation. MALDI MS-based imaging analysis was performed on an instrument acquired through a Major Research Instrumentation grant (DBI-1229749) from the National Science Foundation. A portion of the research was performed using the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a DOE Office of Science User Facility sponsored by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, WA. Use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource is supported by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515. The SSRL Structural Molecular Biology Program is supported by the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research and by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (including P41GM103393).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA

    Syed G. A. Moinuddin, John R. Cort, Laurence B. Davin & Norman G. Lewis

  2. Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA

    John R. Cort

  3. Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA, USA

    Clyde A. Smith

  4. Laboratoire de Biologie des Ligneux et des Grandes Cultures, INRA USC1328, Université d’Orléans, Chartres, France

    Christophe Hano

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  1. Syed G. A. Moinuddin
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Correspondence to Norman G. Lewis .

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  1. Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Christopher A. Cullis

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Moinuddin, S.G.A., Cort, J.R., Smith, C.A., Hano, C., Davin, L.B., Lewis, N.G. (2019). Linum Lignan and Associated Biochemical Pathways in Human Health and Plant Defense. In: Cullis, C. (eds) Genetics and Genomics of Linum. Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models, vol 23. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23964-0_11

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