Essential oil biosynthesis and regulation in the genus Cymbopogon.

Essential oils distilled from Cymbopogon species are of immense commercial value as flavors and fragrances in the perfumery, cosmetics, soaps, and detergents and in pharmaceutical industries. Two major constituents of the essential oil, geraniol and citral, due to their specific rose and lemon like aromas are widely used as flavors, fragrances and cosmetics. Citral is also used for the synthesis of vitamin A and ionones (for example, beta-ionone, methyl ionone).

Geranyl acetate esterase controls and regulates the level of geraniol in lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus Nees ex Steud.) mutant cv. GRL-1 leaves.

Essential oil isolated from lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) mutant cv. GRL-1 leaves is mainly composed of geraniol (G) and geranyl acetate (GA). The proportion of G and GA markedly fluctuates during leaf development.

An account of cloned genes of Methyl-erythritol-4-phosphate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis in plants.

Isoprenoids, also known as terpenoids, are biosynthesized by the condensation of the two C5 unit isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and isomer dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). Generally, plants use two separate pathways plastidial Methyl-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) and cytosolic acetate-mevalonate (MVA) pathways for formation of IPP. The genes, enzymes and intermediates of the MEP pathway have been unravelled in plants over the past few years.

An overview of the non-mevalonate pathway for terpenoid biosynthesis in plants.

Terpenoids are known to have many important biological and physiological functions. Some of them are also known for their pharmaceutical significance. In the late nineties after the discovery of a novel non-mevalonate (non-MVA) pathway, the whole concept of terpenoid biosynthesis has changed.

Sucrose mobilization in relation to essential oil biogenesis during palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii Roxb. Wats. var. motia) inflorescence development.

Palmarosa inflorescence with partially opened spikelets is biogenetically active to incorporate [U-14C]sucrose into essential oil. The percent distribution of 14C-radioactivity incorporated into geranyl acetate was relatively higher as compared to that in geraniol, the major essential oil constituent of palmarosa. At the partially opened spikelet stage, more of the geraniol synthesized was acetylated to form geranyl acetate, suggesting that majority of the newly synthesized geraniol undergoes acetylation, thus producing more geranyl acetate.

An esterase is involved in geraniol production during palmarosa inflorescence development.

Total incorporation of exogenously administered [2-14C]acetate into essential oil of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii) was found to be relatively higher than that of either [U-14C]sucrose or [U-14C]glucose during inflorescence development. Among the major essential oil constituents, biogenesis of geranyl acetate was much higher than that of geraniol. Alkaline hydrolysis of [14C]labeled geranyl acetate revealed that the majority of the label incorporated into geranyl acetate was present in the geraniol moiety, indicating that only newly synthesized geraniol gets acetylated to form geranyl acetate.