Glycosylation Is a Major Regulator of Phenylpropanoid Availability and Biological Activity in Plants
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REVIEW published: 26 May 2016 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00735 Glycosylation Is a Major Regulator of Phenylpropanoid Availability and Biological Activity in Plants Julien Le Roy, Brigitte Huss, Anne Creach, Simon Hawkins and Godfrey Neutelings * Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 8576-Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Université de Lille, Lille, France The phenylpropanoid pathway in plants is responsible for the biosynthesis of a huge amount of secondary metabolites derived from phenylalanine and tyrosine. Both flavonoids and lignins are synthesized at the end of this very diverse metabolic pathway, as well as many intermediate molecules whose precise biological functions remain largely unknown. The diversity of these molecules can be further increased under the action of UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) leading to the production of glycosylated hydroxycinnamates and related aldehydes, alcohols and esters. Glycosylation can change phenylpropanoid solubility, stability and toxic potential, as well as influencing Edited by: compartmentalization and biological activity. (De)-glycosylation therefore represents an Jacqueline Grima-Pettenati, extremely important regulation point in phenylpropanoid homeostasis. In this article Centre National de la Recherche we review recent knowledge on the enzymes involved in regulating phenylpropanoid Scientifique, France glycosylation status and availability in different subcellular compartments. We also Reviewed by: Thomas Vogt, examine the potential link between monolignol glycosylation and lignification by exploring Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, co-expression of lignin biosynthesis genes and phenolic (de)glycosylation genes. Of the Germany Yves Barrière, different biological roles linked with their particular chemical properties, phenylpropanoids Institut National de la Recherche are often correlated with the plant’s stress management strategies that are also regulated Agronomique, France by glycosylation. UGTs can for instance influence the resistance of plants during infection *Correspondence: by microorganisms and be involved in the mechanisms related to environmental changes. Godfrey Neutelings [email protected] The impact of flavonoid glycosylation on the color of flowers, leaves, seeds and fruits will also be discussed. Altogether this paper underlies the fact that glycosylation and Specialty section: deglycosylation are powerful mechanisms allowing plants to regulate phenylpropanoid This article was submitted to Plant Metabolism and Chemodiversity, localisation, availability and biological activity. a section of the journal Frontiers in Plant Science Keywords: phenylpropanoids, glycosylation, UDP-glycosyltransferase, beta-glucosidase, lignin, flavonoids, compartmentalization Received: 03 April 2016 Accepted: 12 May 2016 Published: 26 May 2016 INTRODUCTION Citation: Le Roy J, Huss B, Creach A, Terrestrialization was probably one of the most important evolutionary steps in the history of Hawkins S and Neutelings G (2016) life. After the transition from water to land, a part of the green lineage was anchored in the Glycosylation Is a Major Regulator of Phenylpropanoid Availability and soil and became sessile. Unable to move, plants are continuously subjected to UV radiations, Biological Activity in Plants. large temperature variations and other extreme growing conditions currently accentuated by Front. Plant Sci. 7:735. climate change such as drought, waterlogging and cold stresses as well as increased ozone doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00735 levels and other industrial pollutants. Furthermore, plants are attacked by a wide range of Frontiers in Plant Science | www.frontiersin.org 1 May 2016 | Volume 7 | Article 735 Le Roy et al. Glycosylation Regulates Phenylpropanoid Activities in Plants pathogens including viruses, fungi, nematodes and bacteria, in ligno-polysaccharide cross-links (Tobimatsu et al., 2012). The and are also targeted by herbivores that use plants for subsequent production of p-coumaroyl CoA by 4-coumaroyl food. Finally, since the development of agriculture, plants CoA-ligase (4CL) constitutes an important branch point (Ehlting must increasingly deal with different types of pesticides. et al., 1999) leading to the biosynthesis of the different subfamilies Both biotic and abiotic stresses represent unfavorable growth of phenylpropanoid-derived molecules (Vogt, 2010), the most conditions negatively affecting plant growth and survival important being undoubtedly lignin, the second most abundant and leading to dramatic crop losses. On the other hand, plant polymer on the Earth’s surface. plants also depend on abiotic and biotic agents for pollen Lignin heteropolymers are derived mainly from three different and seed dispersal, on symbiotic microorganisms such as monolignols: p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, and sinapyl mycorrhizal fungi for water and mineral absorption, as well alcohol, synthesized in the cytoplasm through at least 10 as rhizobia nitrogen-fixing bacteria in leguminous species. different enzymatic reactions and are oxidized by laccases and/or To manage both negative and positive interactions with the peroxidases prior to polymerization into the lignin polymer environment and other forms of life, individual plant species (Freudenberg, 1968; Sterjiades et al., 1992; Boerjan et al., 2003). continually synthesize a complex and changing mixture of Instead of being exported to the apoplast, monolignols can different secondary metabolites including phenylpropanoids, also be stored as glycosylated conjugates in the vacuole (Dima phenylpropanoid-derived compounds, terpenoids and alkaloids et al., 2015). Lignins play a crucial role during the plant’s life to respond to specific environmental situations (Timell, 1986; by providing cell integrity, mechanical support, water transport, Cheynier et al., 2013; Mierziak et al., 2014; Pusztahelyi et al., assimilation through the vascular system and are also involved in 2015; Holbein et al., 2016; Ishihara et al., 2016). Although, a defense mechanisms. (Neo)lignans are found in a wide range of recent estimate put the number of secondary metabolites at species and represent a large group of diverse phenolics derived more than 100,000 (Gachon et al., 2005) across plant species, from the oxidative dimerization of two monolignols. Lignans are it is likely that the real number is far higher. The increasing dimerizedontheirC3sidechainsinatailtotailstructurewhereas interest for metabolomics during the past decade has accelerated neolignans result from a head to tail dimerization (Cheynier et al., improvements in the sensitivity and specificity of spectrometric- 2013). Flaxseed lignans have gained particular interest since some and chromatographic-based technics as well as nuclear magnetic of them (e.g. SDG: secoisolariciresinol diglucoside) have potential resonance (NMR) approaches. antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxydant, antimicrobial Phenylpropanoids are a large group of secondary metabolites and antiobesity effects (Imran et al., 2015). containing a phenyl group linked to a 3-C propane side Flavonoids are ubiquitously present across the plant kingdom. chain. Both the position of the propenyl double bond and the They are synthesized from the condensation of p-coumaroyl- substituents on the benzene ring result in different compounds CoA with three malonyl-CoA molecules by a chalcone synthase with diverse biological activities (Koeduka et al., 2014). In many (CHS), which in turn produces a flavanone containing a different species, the genes involved in the phenylpropanoid 2-phenylchroman backbone. The same 2-phenylchroman pathway belong to multigenic families (Ehlting et al., 1999) backbone also gives rise to flavanols, isoflavonoids, flavonols, and are mainly regulated by MYB and NAC transcription flavones and anthocyanidins. These compounds do not have a factors (Sablowski et al., 1994; Zhong et al., 2006). The typical phenylpropanoid structure and are therefore considered first enzymatic step is catalyzed by phenylalanine ammonia as phenylpropanoid-derived compounds (Stafford, 1991). The lyase (PAL), which converts phenylalanine issued from the different carbons of the flavonoid skeleton show numerous shikimate pathway into cinnamic acid (Figure 1), which in turn substitutions catalyzed by isomerases, reductases, hydroxylases, is transformed to p-coumaric acid by cinnamate 4-hydrolase methylases, and glycosyltransferases leading to high structural (C4H). Hydroxycinnamates (HCAs) derived from p-coumaric diversity (Harborne and Williams, 2001; Ferrer et al., 2008). acid, CoA esters or hydroxycinnamaldehydes constitute the Coumarins play roles in plant defense against fungi and simplest phenylpropanoids (Strack, 2001). They can accumulate possess both antioxidative and antimicrobial activities (Kai as ester- or amide-conjugates with monosaccharides, organic et al., 2006) as they can scavenge reactive oxygen intermediates acids, lipids and amines and, when activated with CoenzymeA produced during the hypersensitive response (Chong et al., (CoA) or glucose, become acyl donors for modifications of 2002). The core structure derives from cinnamates via ortho- secondary metabolites. HCAs are involved in the plant’s response hydroxylation of the aromatic ring, trans/cis isomerization and to pathogens and interactions with symbionts (Babst et al., 2014). lactonization. They are widely distributed in the plant kingdom Grass cell walls are characterized by large amounts of HCAs and are classified into several