Plant Secondary Metabolism and Its Applications in Horticulture

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Developmental Physiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 704

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: secondary metabolism; plant genetics and breeding; natural products; plant biotechnology

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Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401331, China
Interests: phytoremediation; secondary metabolism; resistance to heavy metal pollution

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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Interests: plant environmental adaptation; plant metabolism

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Guest Editor
Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: plant natural product biosynthesis; synthetic biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled "Plant Secondary Metabolism and Its Applications in Horticulture", aims to explore the significant role and potential applications of plant secondary metabolism in horticultural science. Plant secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, phenolics, and terpenoids, are not only crucial for plant adaptation and stress resistance but also hold immense value in enhancing the quality of horticultural crops, improving pest and disease resistance, post-harvest preservation, and the development of functional compounds. This Special Issue will compile research on the biosynthesis, regulatory mechanisms, and practical applications of plant secondary metabolites in horticulture, covering cutting-edge topics such as metabolic engineering, plant–environment interactions, and sustainable horticultural technologies. We warmly invite researchers in related fields to submit original research articles, reviews, and perspectives to collectively advance the innovation and application of plant secondary metabolism in horticulture.

Dr. Tengfei Zhao
Prof. Dr. Wanhong Liu
Prof. Dr. Xin Zhang
Dr. Fei Qiu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant secondary metabolites
  • metabolic engineering
  • stress responses
  • bioactive compounds
  • phenolic compounds
  • terpenoids alkaloids
  • post-harvest quality
  • regulatory mechanisms

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 5881 KiB  
Article
Biochemical Characterization of Ornithine Decarboxylases from Solanaceae Plants Producing Tropane Alkaloids
by Lingjiang Zeng, Tengfei Zhao, Mengxue Wang, Yifan Sun, Chengcun Liu, Xiaozhong Lan, Peng Song and Zhihua Liao
Horticulturae 2025, 11(7), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11070748 - 30 Jun 2025
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Abstract
Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines and plant alkaloids, including medicinal tropane alkaloids (TAs). Due to its key role, ODC has been utilized as an effective molecular tool in metabolic engineering. However, to date, only a limited [...] Read more.
Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines and plant alkaloids, including medicinal tropane alkaloids (TAs). Due to its key role, ODC has been utilized as an effective molecular tool in metabolic engineering. However, to date, only a limited number of plant ODCs have been characterized. Among the reported ODCs, Erythroxylum coca ODC (EcODC) exclusively has ODC activity, while Nicotiana glutinosa ODC (NgODC) exhibits dual ODC and lysine decarboxylase (LDC) activities. The potential LDC activity of ODCs from TA-producing plants remains unknown. Here, we characterized AlODC and DsODC from Anisodus luridus and Datura stramonium, along with two previously reported ODCs from Atropa belladonna (AbODC) and Hyoscyamus niger (HnODC), in Escherichia coli to investigate their enzyme kinetics and substrate specificity. Enzymatic assays revealed that both AlODC and DsODC catalyzed the conversion of ornithine to putrescine, confirming their ODC activity, with AlODC exhibiting a higher catalytic efficiency, comparable to established ODCs. Furthermore, all four ODCs also displayed LDC activity, albeit at significantly lower efficiency (<1% of ODC activity). This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the enzyme kinetics of ODCs from TA-producing plants, identifying promising candidate genes for metabolic engineering for the biomanufacturing of putrescine-derived alkaloids. Moreover, this is the first report of LDC activity in ODCs from Solanaceae TA-producing plants, shedding light on the evolutionary relationship between ODC and LDC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Secondary Metabolism and Its Applications in Horticulture)
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