Indole glucosinolates, derived from the amino acid Trp, are plant secondary metabolites that mediate numerous biological interactions between cruciferous plants and their natural enemies, such as herbivorous insects, pathogens, and other pests. While the genes and enzymes involved in the Arabidopsis thaliana core biosynthetic pathway, leading to indol-3-yl-methyl glucosinolate (I3M), have been ...

Glucosinolates are the biochemical compounds that provide defense to plants against pathogens and herbivores. In this study, the relative expression level of 48 glucosinolate biosynthesis genes was explored in four morphologically-different cabbage inbred lines by qPCR analysis. The content of aliphatic and indolic glucosinolate molecules present in those cabbage lines was also estimated by HPL...

Blackleg, a fungal disease caused by Leptosphaeria maculans, is one of the most devastating diseases of Brassica crops worldwide. Despite notable progress elucidating the roles of glucosinolates in pathogen defense, the complex interaction between B. oleracea (cabbage) and L. maculans infection that leads to the selective induction of genes involved in glucosinolate production and subsequent mo...

The putative anticarcinogenic activity of Brassica vegetables has been associated with the presence of certain glucosinolates. 4-Methylsulphinylbutyl isothiocyanate (sulphoraphane), derived from the corresponding glucosinolate found in broccoli, has previously been identified as a potent inducer of the anticarcinogenic marker enzyme quinone reductase [NADP(H):quinone-acceptor oxidoreductase] in...

Naturally variable regulatory networks control different biological processes including reproduction and defense. This variation within regulatory networks enables plants to optimize defense and reproduction in different environments. In this study we investigate the ability of two enzyme-encoding genes in the glucosinolate pathway, AOP2 and AOP3, to affect glucosinolate accumulation and flower...

The "mustard oil bomb" is a major defense mechanism in the Brassicaceae, which includes crops such as canola and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. These plants produce and store blends of amino acid-derived secondary metabolites called glucosinolates. Upon tissue rupture by natural enemies, the myrosinase enzyme hydrolyses glucosinolates, releasing defense molecules. Brassicaceae display ex...

Glucosinolate profiles differ among Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes, caused by the composition of alleles at several glucosinolate biosynthetic loci. One of these, GS-Elong, harbors a family of methylthioalkylmalate synthase (MAM) genes that determine the side chain length of aliphatic glucosinolate structures. Fine mapping reveals that GS-Elong constitutes an insect resistance quantitative trait...

The genus Barbarea has emerged as a model for evolution and ecology of plant defense compounds, due to its unusual glucosinolate profile and production of saponins, unique to the Brassicaceae. One species, B. vulgaris, includes two 'types', G-type and P-type that differ in trichome density, and their glucosinolate and saponin profiles. A key difference is the stereochemistry of hydroxylation of...

Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard, Brassicaceae) contains the glucosinolate sinigrin as well as alliarinoside, a γ-hydroxynitrile glucoside structurally related to cyanogenic glucosides. Sinigrin may defend this plant against a broad range of enemies, while alliarinoside confers resistance to specialized (glucosinolate-adapted) herbivores. Hydroxynitrile glucosides and glucosinolates are two c...

Glucosinolates are a class of secondary metabolites with important roles in plant defense and human nutrition. Here, we characterize a putative UDP-glucose:thiohydroximate S-glucosyltransferase, UGT74B1, to determine its role in the Arabidopsis glucosinolate pathway. Biochemical analyses demonstrate that recombinant UGT74B1 specifically glucosylates the thiohydroximate functional group. Low Km ...