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Plant 1,4-naphthoquinones encompass a class of specialized metabolites known to mediate numerous plant–biotic interactions. This class of compounds also presents a remarkable case of convergent evolution. The 1,4-naphthoquinones are synthesized by species belonging to nearly 20 disparate orders spread throughout vascular plants, and their production occurs via one of four known biochemically distinct pathways. Recent developments from large-scale biology and genetic studies corroborate the existence of multiple pathways to synthesize plant 1,4-naphthoquinones and indicate that extraordinary events of metabolic innovation and links to respiratory and photosynthetic quinone metabolism probably contributed to their independent evolution. Moreover, because many 1,4-naphthoquinones are excreted into the rhizosphere and they are highly reactive in biological systems, plants that synthesize these compounds also needed to independently evolve strategies to deploy them and to resist their effects. In this review, we highlight new progress made in understanding specialized 1,4-naphthoquinone biosynthesis and trafficking with a focus on how these discoveries have shed light on the convergent evolution and diversification of this class of compounds in plants. We also discuss how emerging themes in metabolism-based herbicide resistance may provide clues to mechanisms plants employ to tolerate allelopathic 1,4-naphthoquinones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is not known how plants make the benzenoid ring of ubiquinone, a vital respiratory cofactor. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana uses for that purpose two separate biosynthetic branches stemming from phenylalanine and tyrosine. Gene network modeling and characterization of T-DNA mutants indicated that acyl-activating enzyme encoded by At4g19010 contributes to the biosynthesis of ubiquinone specifically from phenylalanine. CoA ligase assays verified that At4g19010 prefers para -coumarate, ferulate, and caffeate as substrates. Feeding experiments demonstrated that the at4g19010 knockout cannot use para -coumarate for ubiquinone biosynthesis and that the supply of 4-hydroxybenzoate, the side-chain shortened version of para -coumarate, can bypass this blockage. Furthermore, a trans -cinnamate 4-hydroxylase mutant, which is impaired in the conversion of trans -cinnamate into para -coumarate, displayed similar defects in ubiquinone biosynthesis to that of the at4g19010 knockout. Green fluorescent protein fusion experiments demonstrated that At4g19010 occurs in peroxisomes, resulting in an elaborate biosynthetic architecture where phenylpropanoid intermediates have to be transported from the cytosol to peroxisomes and then to mitochondria where ubiquinone is assembled. Collectively, these results demonstrate that At4g19010 activates the propyl side chain of para -coumarate for its subsequent β-oxidative shortening. Evidence is shown that the peroxisomal ABCD transporter (PXA1) plays a critical role in this branch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of benzoic acid (BA) as a precursor for a wide array of primary and secondary metabolites, its biosynthesis in plants has not been fully elucidated. BA formation from phenylalanine requires shortening of the C3 side chain by two carbon units, which can occur by a non-ß-oxidative route and/or a ß-oxidative pathway analogous to the catabolism of fatty acids. Enzymes responsible for the first and last reactions of the core BA ß-oxidative pathway (cinnamic acid -> cinnamoyl-CoA -* 3-hydroxy-3-phenyl-propanoyl-CoA -> 3-oxo-3-phenylpropanoyl-CoA -» BA-CoA) have previously been characterized in petunia, a plant with flowers rich in phenylpropanoid/benzenoid volatile compounds. Using a functional genomics approach, we have identified a petunia gene encoding cinnamoyl-CoA hydratase-dehydrogenase {PhCHD), a bi-functional peroxisomal enzyme responsible for two consecutively occurring unexplored intermediate steps in the core BA ß-oxidative pathway. PhCHD spatially, developmental/, and temporally »expresses with known genes in the BA ß-oxidative pathway, and correlates with emission of benzenoid volatiles. Kinetic analysis of recombinant PhCHD revealed it most efficiently converts cinna-moyl-CoA to 3-oxo-3-phenylpropanoyl-CoA, thus forming the substrate for the final step in the pathway. Down-regulation of PhCHD expression in petunia flowers resulted in reduced CHD enzyme activity, as well as decreased formation of BA-CoA, BA and their derived volatiles. Moreover, transgenic lines accumulated the PhCHD substrate cinnamoyl-CoA and the upstream pathway intermediate cinnamic acid. Discovery of PhCHD completes the elucidation of the core BA ß-oxidative route in plants, and together with the previously characterized CoA-ligase and thiolase enzymes, provides evidence that the whole pathway occurs in peroxisomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]