Cooperative Regulation of Flavonoid and Lignin Biosynthesis in Plants

Abstract

Flavonoids and lignin are valuable phytochemicals derived from plant secondary metabolism and play important roles in regulating multiple plant developmental processes and signaling networks. The biosynthetic pathways leading to flavonoids and lignin are known to be originated from the general phenylpropanoid pathway. Key regulators controlling the pathway structural genes have been isolated from many species. However, cooperative regulations of flavonoid and lignin biosynthesis and the resulting effects on the carbon flow in the general phenylpropanoid pathway have not systematically summarized and discussed. New discoveries have begun to reveal that the biosynthesis of flavonoids and lignin are linked through transcription regulatory networks sharing certain specific regulators, such as transcription factors, mediators and microRNAs. This review article summarizes recent progress on function and mechanism of these regulators and assesses how they co-modulate the biosynthesis of flavonoids and lignin. A simplified discussion for the different co-regulation networks involved with flavonoid and lignin biosynthesis is proposed.

Keywords:

• Cooperative regulation
• transcription factor
• flavonoid
• lignin
• phenylpropanoid pathway

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors are grateful for the financial supported by State Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China [31930076], National Natural Science Foundation of China [31770619], the 111 Project (B20088), and Heilongjiang Touyan Innovation Team Program (Tree Genetics and Breeding Innovation Team).