Cellular Function of Phytotoxins

Dear Colleagues,

Natural phytotoxins are compounds of various origins (e.g., plant or microorganisms) that, when present at a low concentration, influence plant growth and development. Furthermore, plant-produced toxins may be harmful to humans or animals when eaten. Phytotoxins belong to various chemical groups and range from low molecular weight compounds, such as aromatic derivatives, amino acids, terpenes, chromanones, butenolides, and pyrones, to high molecular weight molecules, such as proteins.

Plant-produced toxic compounds are secondary metabolites that serve as anti-herbivore agents or participate in plant–plant interactions including allelopathy (the impact on neighboring plants’ growth and development via released or emitted biochemicals). Not all identified phytotoxins that are active in vitro are effective in nature. For many compounds there is little or no strong proof of allelochemical activity. Nevertheless, phytotoxins play important roles in plant biodiversity, agriculture, pharmacology, medicine, and veterinary science. These bioactive compounds are used as herbicides or components of natural herbicides and insecticides. Although a constant progression in the analysis of phytotoxins has been observed, little is known about their mode of action.

In contrast, some plant species are included in the Toxic Plants-PhytoToxins (TPPT) database, which contains information about the biological and chemical properties of described compounds. This indicates the growing interest in this topic.

The forthcoming Special Issue of Plants on the “Cellular Function of Phytotoxins” aims to bring together a collection of the latest original research articles, short communications, and reviews concerning the biosynthesis, structural study, and bioactivity study of plant phytotoxins. It will provide a snapshot of current knowledge about the biology of toxic compounds and their potential practical applications in different fields. Additionally, this Special Issue will include studies concerning the development of methods for specific analysis of phytotoxins.

Dr. Urszula Krasuska
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• phytotoxins
• natural toxin bioactivity
• allelochemicals