2006/01/31 by Barbara Ann Halkier, Jonathan Gershenzon · 9 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Genomics, phytochemicals, and oxidative stress #Moringa oleifera research and applications #Nitrogen and Sulfur Effects on Brassica
paper · doi:10.1146/annurev.arplant.57.032905.105228
openalex publication_date 2006/01/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Glucosinolates are sulfur-rich, anionic natural products that upon hydrolysis by endogenous thioglucosidases called myrosinases produce several different products (e.g., isothiocyanates, thiocyanates, and nitriles). The hydrolysis products have many different biological activities, e.g., as defense compounds and attractants. For humans these compounds function as cancer-preventing agents, biopesticides, and flavor compounds. Since the completion of the Arabidopsis genome, glucosinolate research has made significant progress, resulting in near-complete elucidation of the core biosynthetic pathway, identification of the first regulators of the pathway, metabolic engineering of specific glucosinolate profiles to study function, as well as identification of evolutionary links to related pathways. Although much has been learned in recent years, much more awaits discovery before we fully understand how and why plants synthesize glucosinolates. This may enable us to more fully exploit the potential of these compounds in agriculture and medicine.