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Mapping a plant's chemical vocabulary

Nature Genetics volume 38, pages 737–738 (2006)Cite this article

Plants generate an amazing variety of small molecules and are arguably nature's finest chemists. A new study identifies over 2,000 small molecule mass peaks in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and defines both the genetic diversity and genetic architecture controlling the production of these compounds.

Various colors, smells and tastes drive plant-animal coevolution through a biochemical courtship played daily and seasonally for millennia. These chemical ballads take on new verses, becoming new vocabularies and ultimately new dialects and languages. On page 842 of this issue1, the 'vocal trace' of the wild mustard Arabidopsis thaliana's chemical song reveals incredible intraspecies variation controlled by simple and complex genetic determinants. Thus, the source of the wild mustard potpourri is revealed.

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Figure 1: Wild Arabidopsis thaliana accessions show dramatic genetic variation in their metabolite profiles.

Kim Caesar

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, 47907, Indiana, USA

    Ivan R Baxter

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60637, USA

    Justin O Borevitz

Authors
  1. Ivan R Baxter
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  2. Justin O Borevitz
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Baxter, I., Borevitz, J. Mapping a plant's chemical vocabulary. Nat Genet 38, 737–738 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0706-737

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0706-737

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