Special Issue "Molecular Research in Plant Secondary Metabolism"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Marcello Iriti
Plant Biology and Pathology Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Milan State University, Via Celoria 2, Milan 20133, Italy
Website: http://www.unimi.it/chiedove/schedaPersonaXML.jsp?matricola=16744
E-Mail: marcello.iriti@unimi.it

Dear Colleagues,

In plants, the ecological and functional roles of secondary metabolites range from adaptation to harsh environments, to chemical communication and pollination. In their environment, these sessile organisms have to cope with a plethora of external (potentially) stressful conditions. Pathogen challenge, adverse climate and environmental pollution are detrimental factors that plants have to overcome to survive. Therefore, on the other side of the barricade, plants mount a complex array of defence reactions to tolerate all these biotic and abiotic stresses, including the biosynthesis of antimicrobial and antioxidant phytoalexins. Similarly, plants produce and release semiochemicals and allelochemicals for intra- and interpescific communication, in order to defend themselves from phytophagy and other predators. In addition, flower colours (pigments) and scents (volatile compounds) are pivotal in attracting pollinators, the vectors of pollen grains and key player in reproduction of angiosperms. Plants spent a considerable amount of their metabolic reserves to defend themselves, balancing their available resources between primary (growth and reproduction) and secondary (defence) metabolism. These metabolic costs arise from the complex defence machinery mounted by plants at level of genes, proteins and secondary metabolites. In other terms, defence responses may have an impact on the plant fitness, thus resulting limiting for the species. In the last decades, emphasis has been paid to bioactive secondary metabolites in medicinal and food plants, possibly because of their healthy potential for humans. A huge number of in vitro and in vivo studies documented antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antitumoral, cardio- and neuroprotective activities of different phytochemicals, including phenylpropanoids, isoprenoids, alkaloids, glucosinolates, betalains and others. In this view, priming plants for improving secondary metabolite biosynthesis may represent a reliable strategy to meet plant defence and human nutrition, with a number of elicitors available in agricultural practice and able to stimulate accumulation of bioactives in plant tissues and products. We invite investigators to submit both original research and review articles that explore all the aspects of plant secondary metabolism and its regulation, at gene, protein and metabolic levels. We are also interested in contributions in the field of chemical ecology, nutraceutical and medicinal plant research. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Plant resistance mechanisms against pathogens
• Plant tolerance strategies against abiotic stresses
• Global climate change
• Water, air and soil pollution
• Fitness costs
• Chemical ecology
• Nutraceuticals
• Medicinal plants
• Essential oils

Professor Marcello Iriti
Guest Editor

Submission

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• plant stress physiology and biology
• bioactive phytochemicals
• natural products
• healthy plant foods
• ethnopharmacology