Recent Understanding of Functional Genomics for Horticultural Plant Secondary Metabolites Biosynthesis under Climate Change

Horticultural plants synthesize secondary metabolites which are crucial for environmental adaptability, pollination, development regulation, and defense against diseases and herbivores.Plants respond to environmental stress through complex mechanisms, including gene expression and secondary metabolite synthesis.Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind plant secondary metabolite generation is essential for sustainable agriculture and for protecting natural ecosystems as well.Climate change threatens plants in areas with significant biodiversity, and recent advancements in metabolite detection and identification have made it easier to study plant metabolism engineering.Genetic engineering can modify anthocyanin and flavonoid pathways to enhance pharmaceutical production.Functional genomics methods, such as metabolomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, can be utilized to gain knowledge of biological systems.Stress reactions are influenced by post-transcriptional regulation, with the WRKY transcription factor family regulating defense-related secondary metabolite biosynthesis through inducible expression patterns.BHLH transcription factors govern the production of chemicals that inhibit stress.Examples include anthocyanins, alkaloids, glucosinolates, diterpenoid phytoalexins, and saponins.Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind plant secondary metabolite generation is crucial for protecting natural ecosystems and promoting sustainable agriculture.