Unlocking plant metabolic diversity: A (pan)- genomic view

Plants produce a remarkable diversity of structurally and functionally diverse natural chemicals that serve as adaptive compounds throughout their life cycles. However, unlocking this metabolic diversity is significantly impeded by the size, complexity, and abundant repetitive elements of typical plant genomes. As genome sequencing becomes routine, we anticipate that links between metabolic diversity and genetic variation will be strengthened. In addition, an ever-increasing number of plant genomes have revealed that biosynthetic gene clusters are not only a hallmark of microbes and fungi; gene clusters for various classes of compounds have also been found in plants, and many are associated with important agronomic traits. We present recent examples of plant metabolic diversification that have been discovered through the exploration and exploitation of various genomic and pan-genomic data. We also draw attention to the fundamental genomic and pan-genomic basis of plant chemodiversity and discuss challenges and future perspectives for investigating metabolic diversity in the coming pan-genomics era.

Automated summary

Plants produce diverse natural chemicals that play adaptive roles throughout their life cycles. However, the complexity and size of plant genomes hinder the exploration of metabolic diversity. Advances in genome sequencing and pan-genomic data analysis have revealed gene clusters associated with important agronomic traits in plants, leading to the discovery of plant metabolic diversification. The future of investigating metabolic diversity in plants lies in the pan-genomics era.