Deregulating Aromatic Amino Acid Biosynthesis in Plants (2021-09-10 and 2021-09-24)

Abstract

Aromatics having unusual stability provide high value chemicals and promising carbon storage. Vascular plants can convert atmospheric CO2 into diverse and abundant aromatic compounds; however, it is unknown how plants control the shikimate pathway that connects the photosynthetic carbon fixation and biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids, the major precursors of aromatic phytochemicals. This study identified the suppressor of tyra2 (sota) mutations that deregulate the first step of the plant shikimate pathway by alleviating multiple effector-mediated feedback regulation. The sota mutant plants showed hyper accumulation of aromatic amino acids, which was also accompanied by up to 30% increase in net CO2 assimilation. The identified mutations can be used to enhance sustainable conversion of atmospheric CO2 to high-energy and value aromatic compounds using plants.