Jahan Tanzim, Huda Md Nurul, Zhang Kaixuan, He Yuqi, Lai Dili, Dhami Namraj, Quinet Muriel, Ali Md Arfan, Kreft Ivan, Woo Sun-Hee, Georgiev Milen I, Fernie Alisdair R, Zhou Meiliang
State Key Laboratory for Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/Key Laboratory for Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P.R. China, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
School of Health and Allied Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pokhara University, Dhungepatan, Pokhara-30, Kaski, Nepal.
Biotechnol Adv. 2025 Mar-Apr;79:108520. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108520. Epub 2025 Jan 22.
Sustainable agriculture practices are indispensable for achieving a hunger-free world, especially as the global population continues to expand. Biotic stresses, such as pathogens, insects, and pests, severely threaten global food security and crop productivity. Traditional chemical pesticides, while effective, can lead to environmental degradation and increase pest resistance over time. Plant-derived natural products such as secondary metabolites like alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics, and phytoalexins offer promising alternatives due to their ability to enhance plant immunity and inhibit pest activity. Recent advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have improved our understanding of how these natural compounds function at the cellular level, activating specific plant defense through complex biochemical pathways regulated by various transcription factors (TFs) such as MYB, WRKY, bHLH, bZIP, NAC, and AP2/ERF. Advancements in multi-omics approaches, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, have significantly improved the understanding of the regulatory networks that govern PSM synthesis. These integrative approaches have led to the discovery of novel insights into plant responses to biotic stresses, identifying key regulatory genes and pathways involved in plant defense. Advanced technologies like CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing allow precise manipulation of PSM pathways, further enhancing plant resistance. Understanding the complex interaction between PSMs, TFs, and biotic stress responses not only advances our knowledge of plant biology but also provides feasible strategies for developing crops with improved resistance to pests and diseases, contributing to sustainable agriculture and food security. This review emphasizes the crucial role of PSMs, their biosynthetic pathways, the regulatory influence of TFs, and their potential applications in enhancing plant defense and sustainability. It also highlights the astounding potential of multi-omics approaches to discover gene functions and the metabolic engineering of genes associated with secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Taken together, this review provides new insights into research opportunities for enhancing biotic stress tolerance in crops through utilizing plant secondary metabolites.
可持续农业实践对于实现无饥饿世界不可或缺，尤其是在全球人口持续增长的情况下。生物胁迫，如病原体、昆虫和害虫，严重威胁着全球粮食安全和作物生产力。传统化学农药虽然有效，但随着时间的推移会导致环境退化并增加害虫抗性。植物衍生的天然产物，如生物碱、萜类化合物、酚类化合物和植保素等次生代谢物，因其能够增强植物免疫力和抑制害虫活动而提供了有前景的替代方案。分子生物学和生物技术的最新进展增进了我们对这些天然化合物在细胞水平上如何发挥作用的理解，它们通过由MYB、WRKY、bHLH、bZIP、NAC和AP2/ERF等各种转录因子调控的复杂生化途径激活特定的植物防御。包括基因组学、转录组学、蛋白质组学和代谢组学在内的多组学方法的进步，显著增进了对调控植物次生代谢物合成的调控网络的理解。这些综合方法带来了对植物对生物胁迫反应的新见解，确定了参与植物防御的关键调控基因和途径。CRISPR/Cas9介导的基因编辑等先进技术允许对植物次生代谢物途径进行精确操纵，进一步增强植物抗性。了解植物次生代谢物、转录因子和生物胁迫反应之间的复杂相互作用，不仅推进了我们对植物生物学的认识，还为培育具有更强病虫害抗性的作物提供了可行策略，有助于可持续农业和粮食安全。本综述强调了植物次生代谢物及其生物合成途径的关键作用、转录因子的调控影响以及它们在增强植物防御和可持续性方面的潜在应用。它还突出了多组学方法在发现基因功能和与次生代谢物生物合成相关基因的代谢工程方面的惊人潜力。综上所述，本综述为利用植物次生代谢物增强作物对生物胁迫的耐受性的研究机会提供了新见解。
