Operons are clusters of unrelated genes with related functions that are a feature of prokaryotic genomes. Here, we report on an operon-like gene cluster in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana that is… (More)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
2005
Glomalean fungi induce and colonize symbiotic tissue called arbuscular mycorrhiza on the roots of most land plants. Other fungi also colonize plants but cause disease not symbiosis.… (More)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
1999
Saponins are glycosylated plant secondary metabolites found in many major food crops [Price, K. R., Johnson, I. T. & Fenwick, G. R. (1987) CRC Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 26, 27-133]. Because many… (More)
Microbes and plants produce a huge array of secondary metabolites that have important ecological functions. These molecules have long been exploited in medicine as antibiotics, anticancer and… (More)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
2004
The evolution of the ability to synthesize specialized metabolites is likely to have been key for survival and diversification of different plant species. Oats (Avena spp.) produce antimicrobial… (More)
Many different plant species synthesise triterpenoid saponins as part of their normal programme of growth and development. Examples include plants that are exploited as sources of drugs, such as… (More)
Pathogens have evolved different strategies to overcome the various barriers that they encounter during infection of their hosts. The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea causes one of the most… (More)
Living organisms produce a range of secondary metabolites with exotic chemical structures and diverse metabolic origins. Many of these secondary metabolites find use as natural products in medicine,… (More)
The triterpenes are one of the most numerous and diverse groups of plant natural products. They are complex molecules that are, for the most part, beyond the reach of chemical synthesis. Simple… (More)