Volume 3, Issue 1

 

Metabolic Pathways Engineering:  an emerging approach in abiotic stress tolerance in plants

 

Author(s): Geeta Prakash, Suresh Kumar, Khaling Mikawlrawng

Abstract: Abiotic stress factors, such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes (high and low) and submergence are major limitations to crop yield. Different approaches have been proposed for the management of different kind of stresses. Biotechnology has emerged as an important tool for molecular understanding of plant response to various abiotic stresses. Currently, numerous stress-responsive genes have been identified and functionally analyzed in transgenic plants. However, very inadequate success has been achieved in developing abiotic stress-tolerant cultivars. Therefore, there are immense needs to identify stress responsive genes/pathways for effectively overcoming several abiotic stresses in plants. Recently, metabolic pathways involved in abiotic stress responses have developed wide attention of researchers, a better understanding of which can help achieve this target. Metabolic engineering in plants can be used to increase the plenty of specific valuable metabolites, but single-gene introduction or single interventions generally do not improve the yields of target metabolites and sometimes it also causes the increase in undesirable metabolic products. Targeting multiple genes in a pathway by regulating the expression of key elements, such as a transcription factors is another means, but this approach is only possible if such core regulators are worked out exist and identified. A more potential approach is the simultane­ous expression of various multiple genes in the pathway, if possible representing every critical step of enzymatic reactions, therefore removing all hindrances and surely completely unobstructed metabolic flux. This approach needs to the transformation of multiple enzyme-encoding genes to the recipient plant, which is attained most efficiently if at the same time all genes are transferred. The present review discusses the recent findings on the significance of metabolic pathways or metabolic engineering during abiotic stresses in plants.

 

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