Transport of secondary metabolites in plants: Mechanistic insights and transporter engineering for crop improvement.

ABSTRACT: Secondary metabolites (SMs) are essential for plant survival and adaptation, playing multiple roles in ecological interactions such as defense and stress tolerance. Specialized transporters relocate SMs from their synthesis sites to defense tissues or storage organs. The spatiotemporal distribution of defense-related SMs is a key determinant of plant fitness. However, the accumulation of anti-nutritional SMs in crop seeds or fruits can pose health risks to humans and livestock. Recent advances have revealed the critical role of SM transporters in optimizing metabolite allocation. This review examines the transport mechanisms of both defense and anti-nutritional SMs, with a particular focus on long-distance transporters that regulate source-sink dynamics and their potential applications in

SUBMITTER: Xiao C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12744758 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature