plant-chemistry
Plant chemistry encompasses the study of the diverse array of chemical compounds synthesized by plants, including primary metabolites essential for growth and secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, terpenes, and phenolics. Understanding these biochemical pathways is fundamental to plant science, as these compounds mediate plant responses to environmental stresses, herbivory, and pathogens, while also driving ecological interactions like pollination and seed dispersal. Research in this field informs advances in crop improvement, natural product discovery, and our broader understanding of plant adaptation and evolution.
PubMed · 2026-04-08
Scientists have released a major upgrade to plantiSMASH, a computer tool that scans plant genomes to find clusters of genes responsible for producing beneficial natural compounds. Version 2.0 can now detect 12 types of gene clusters across 430 plant genomes, dramatically expanding our ability to discover new medicines, pesticides, and nutrients hidden in plant DNA.
plantiSMASH 2.0 now detects 12 distinct types of biosynthetic gene clusters, up from the original framework's smaller set.
The updated database catalogs 30,423 putative biosynthetic gene clusters across 430 plant genomes.
New features include substrate prediction for enzyme families and regulatory analysis via transcription factor binding site detection.