The utility of metabolomics as a tool to inform maize biology

David B Medeiros; Yariv Brotman; Alisdair R Fernie

doi:10.1016/j.xplc.2021.100187

The utility of metabolomics as a tool to inform maize biology

Plant Commun. 2021 Apr 21;2(4):100187. doi: 10.1016/j.xplc.2021.100187. eCollection 2021 Jul 12.

Authors

David B Medeiros¹, Yariv Brotman², Alisdair R Fernie¹

Affiliations

¹ Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam, Germany.
² Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel.

Abstract

With the rise of high-throughput omics tools and the importance of maize and its products as food and bioethanol, maize metabolism has been extensively explored. Modern maize is still rich in genetic and phenotypic variation, yielding a wide range of structurally and functionally diverse metabolites. The maize metabolome is also incredibly dynamic in terms of topology and subcellular compartmentalization. In this review, we examine a broad range of studies that cover recent developments in maize metabolism. Particular attention is given to current methodologies and to the use of metabolomics as a tool to define biosynthetic pathways and address biological questions. We also touch upon the use of metabolomics to understand maize natural variation and evolution, with a special focus on research that has used metabolite-based genome-wide association studies (mGWASs).

Keywords: GWAS; Zea mays; metabolism; metabolite profiling; primary metabolites; secondary metabolites.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Biosynthetic Pathways
Genome-Wide Association Study*
Metabolome*
Metabolomics*
Zea mays / genetics*
Zea mays / metabolism