Hydroxycinnamate Amides: Intriguing Conjugates of Plant Protective Metabolites

Dylan R Zeiss; Lizelle A Piater; Ian A Dubery

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2020.09.011

Hydroxycinnamate Amides: Intriguing Conjugates of Plant Protective Metabolites

Trends Plant Sci. 2021 Feb;26(2):184-195. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.09.011. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Authors

Dylan R Zeiss¹, Lizelle A Piater¹, Ian A Dubery²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Research Centre for Plant Metabolomics, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² Department of Biochemistry, Research Centre for Plant Metabolomics, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: idubery@uj.ac.za.

PMID: 33036915
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.09.011

Abstract

The syntheses of aromatic monoamines and aliphatic polyamines (PAs) are responsive to environmental stresses, with some modulating aspects of plant defense. Conjugation of amines to hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) generates HCA amides (HCAAs), with the conjugates possessing properties from both compounds. Conjugation may reduce the polarity of the resulting metabolite and assist in translocation, stability, and compartmentalization. Recent metabolomic insights identified HCAAs as biomarkers during plant-pathogen interactions, supporting a functional role in defense. The conjugates may contribute to regulation of the dynamic metabolic pool of hydroxycinnamates. This review highlights the occurrence of aromatic amines (AAs) and PAs in stress metabolism, conjugation to HCAs, and the roles of HCAAs during host defense, adding emphasis on their involvement in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production and cell-wall strengthening.

Keywords: aromatic amines; defense; hydroxycinnamic acids; phenylamides; polyamines; stress.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Amides*
Coumaric Acids
Hydrogen Peroxide*
Metabolomics
Plants

Substances

Amides
Coumaric Acids
Hydrogen Peroxide