About the Cover
On the Cover: Recent research highlights the myriad roles of volatile compounds in the internal physiology of plants as well as in the interaction of plants with their biotic and abiotic environment. Progress in this area has been accelerated by the availability of sensitive analytical methods for collecting and identifying volatiles and new studies on the genetics and biochemistry of volatile biosynthesis. In this issue, the genesis and function of various types of volatile compounds in all parts of plants are examined in an assortment of reports. Many flowers emit a combination of terpenoid and benzenoid compounds to attract pollinators such as moths. Pott et al. (pp. 1946-1955) examine the biosynthesis of moth-attracting methylesters such as methylbenzoate and methylsalicylate by the enzyme benzoic/salicylic acid carboxyl methyl transferase, whose structure has recently been solved. Boatright et al. (pp. 1993-2011) have looked at the metabolic flux leading to benzenoid compounds in flowers. Leaves also emit various volatile compounds, such as the terpenoids linalool and α-pinene, and the fatty acid-derived 3-cis-hexenyl acetate when injured by herbivorous caterpillars. Martin et al. (pp. 1908-1927) report the isolation of nine different terpene synthases from Norway spruce trees and their evolutionary relatedness. Chen et al. (pp. 1956-1966) report the identification and characterization of a root-specific monoterpene synthase gene that catalyzes the formation of 1,8-cineole, a compound recently found to be emitted from Arabidopsis root tissue. Cover image is a composite contributed to by Robert Raguso, Jörg Bohlmann, Feng Chen, and Joseph P. Noel.
[Table of Contents]
Copyright © 2007 by the American Society of Plant Biologists
