Plant Metabolites Flashcards
Secondary (specialized) metabolites
Secondary metabolites (also known as specialized metabolites) aid in growth and development but are not required for the organism to survive. In many cases these are specific to organs, or to a specific group or individual organisms.
Primary metabolites
considered essential in different organisms (normal growth, development, and reproduction)
מטבוליטים שניוניים
לא דרושים להשלמת מחזור החיים בצמח אם הצמח גדל בתנאים מיטביים
What are metabolites
Small organic molecules (between 50-1500Da) that are the substrates and products of metabolism
מה קורה אם נותנים יותר מידי סוכר לצמח?
אורך השורשים קטן ויעילות הפוטוסינטזה כנפגע
List 4 types of primary metabolites
Carbohydrates
Organic acids (many of which are TCA cycle intermediates, or C4 metabolism)
Amino acids
Lipids
למה עוד משמשים חומצות אמינו חוץ מליצירת חלבון?
- Protect plants from stress, for example too much salt
* Substrate for energy production (in the mitochondria)
GABA
Non-protein amino acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) rapidly accumulates in plant tissues in response to biotic and abiotic stress, and regulates plant growth.
- Contributes to C:N metabolism
- Regulated pH
- Protection against Oxidative stress
- Defense against insects
What do specialized metabolites do?
- Signalling
- Defense against predators
- Defense against abiotic stress
- Reproduction
- Competition with other plants
What are specialized metabolites used for by people?
- Flavor
- Scent
- Medicines
Alkaloids
אַלְקָלוֹאִידים (באנגלית ביחיד: Alkaloid) הם קבוצה של תרכובות אורגניות המכילות בסיס חנקני.
What are alkaloids derived from?
Amino acids and polyamines (A polyamine is an organic compound having more than two amino groups)
Morphine
Alkaloid used for pain relief and cough suppression
Examples of secondary metabolites
- Morphine
- Caffeine
- Nicotine
- Atropine (cardiac stimulant and pupil dilator)
What is Nicotine used for in plants
Protection against animals that eat plants
Terpenoids
The largest class of secondary metabolites (over 22,000 described)
(Rubber is the Largest Known Terpenoid)
Crotenoids are also tetraterpenes
Essential oils - what do plants use them for?
- Herbivore deterrents
- Protection against fungi and bacteria
- Attract pollinator
- Allelopathy (the chemical inhibition of one plant (or other organism) by another, due to the release into the environment of substances acting as germination or growth inhibitors.)
Allelopathy
The chemical inhibition of one plant (or other organism) by another, due to the release into the environment of substances acting as germination or growth inhibitors.
Non-volatile chemical
the termnonvolatilerefers to a substance that does not readily evaporate into gas under existing conditions. In other words, anonvolatilematerial exerts a low vapor pressure and has a slow rate of evaporation
What type of metabolite is the crotenoids?
Secondary: Terpenoids: Crotenoids
Shikimic Acid Pathway
מסלול החומצה השיקמית הוא מסלול מפתח ליצור של ח.א. ארומטיות.
אם פוגעים במסלול הזה בצמחים, הצמח ימות (כי זה PRIMARY MATABOLISM).
לכן חומר שיפגע במסלול הזה לא יהיה רעיל לבנ”א.
חומצה השיקמית
המקור ל3 חומצות אמינו ארומטיות
איפה נמצא מסלול החומצה השיקמית?
plants, fungi and bacteria
Herbicide
a substance that is toxic to plants, used to destroy unwanted vegetation.
Roundup
Roundup (Glyphosate) is a broad- spectrum systemic herbicide (a substance that is toxic to plants, used to destroy unwanted vegetation.) used to kill weeds that targets the Shikmic acid pathway
Roundup ready are transgenic plants that are roundup resistant
