Abstract
Some of the most potent phytotoxins are synthesized by microbes. A few of these share molecular target sites with some synthetic herbicides, but many microbial toxins have unique target sites with potential for exploitation by the herbicide industry. Compounds from both non-pathogenic and pathogenic microbes are discussed. Microbial phytotoxins with modes of action the same as those of commercial herbicides and those with novel modes of action of action are covered. Examples of the compounds discussed are tentoxin, AAL-toxin, auscaulitoxin aglycone, hydantocidin, thaxtomin, and tabtoxin.
Highlights
IntroductionThe evolutionary pressure for phytotoxin production is obvious with microbial plant pathogens, but many non-pathogenic soil microbes produce potent phytotoxins, and the role of these compounds in chemical ecology is less clear
Microbes are a lucrative source of phytotoxins, e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]
It inhibits 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase of plants and animals [170,171]. This enzyme is required for synthesis of certain terpenoids of the mevalonic acid pathway in plants and cholesterol in animals. This brief coverage should provide an appreciation for the amazing breadth of microbial phytotoxin structures and modes of action
Summary
The evolutionary pressure for phytotoxin production is obvious with microbial plant pathogens, but many non-pathogenic soil microbes produce potent phytotoxins, and the role of these compounds in chemical ecology is less clear. An example of the latter case is the production of bialaphos by several Streptomyces species [10,11]. Most of the previous reviews of microbially-produced phytotoxins have focused on aspects of the compounds other than their modes of action. Any review that focuses on mode of action leaves out many microbial phytotoxins for which we have little or no information on their molecular target site. We approach the topic from the standpoint of effects on general plant functions, with details about specific molecular target sites when they are available
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