Abstract
Plants heavily rely on chemical defense systems against a variety of stressors. The glucosinolates in the Brassicaceae and some allies are the core molecules of one of the most researched such pathways. These natural products are enzymatically converted into isothiocyanates (ITCs) and occasionally other defensive volatile organic constituents (VOCs) upon fungal challenge or tissue disruption to protect the host against the stressor. The current review provides a comprehensive insight on the effects of the isothiocyanates on fungi, including, but not limited to mycorrhizal fungi and pathogens of Brassicaceae. In the review, our current knowledge on the following topics are summarized: direct antifungal activity and the proposed mechanisms of antifungal action, QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationships), synergistic activity of ITCs with other agents, effects of ITCs on soil microbial composition and allelopathic activity. A detailed insight into the possible applications is also provided: the literature of biofumigation studies, inhibition of post-harvest pathogenesis and protection of various products including grains and fruits is also reviewed herein.
Highlights
Plants are sessile organisms, that lack motile immune system elements
To study mechanisms on how fungi cope with oxidative stress and other dysfunctions caused by ITCs, the transcriptional response of Alternaria brassicicola to allyl ITC was examined in a study by [128]
A widely used, generic solution is the usage of various fungal glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) that likely play an important role in detoxification of ITCs if no other pathway is available
Summary
That lack motile immune system elements. to cope with abiotic and biotic stresses, they rapidly adapt their metabolism and deploy various so-called specialized metabolites to help them defend against various stressors [1]. In contrast to many other specialized metabolites such as phenolic compounds, these natural products are not bioactive themselves, but rely on an activating enzyme that produces the actual bioactive agents from them upon demand [4]. In philosophy, this is similar to the case of cyanogenic glycosides [1]. Deglucosylation is done by myrosinase (betathioglucoside glucohydrolase, TGG in A. thaliana) during plant tissue damage, or alternative (“non-typical”) myrosinases in intact tissues The latter include PEN2 and likely other, currently unknown enzymes as well. Additional information about the search queries and bibliography processing are provided in Supplementary File S1 and Table S1
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
