Endophytic Bacteria as Modulators of Fragrance Biosynthesis in Plants: Mechanisms and Prospects
4 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Biosciences, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Lucknow-Deva Road, Barabanki 225003, Uttar Pradesh, India
- 2Faculty of Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Lucknow-Deva Road, Barabanki 225003, Uttar Pradesh, India
- 3Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida 201313, Uttar Pradesh, India
- 4College of Life and Health Sciences, Truett McConnell University, Cleveland, GA 30528, USA
Abstract
Plant fragrance is the blend of volatile terpenoids, phenylpropanoids/benzenoids, fatty acid derivatives, and nitrogen- or sulfur-containing compounds released from flowers, leaves, and fruit. It drives pollination and defence and accounts for much of the economic value of aromatic, medicinal, and ornamental crops. However, it shifts with genotype, developmental stage, tissue type, and stress, and a large share of it still comes from wild-harvested plants. Endophytic bacteria are the microorganisms that colonize internal plant tissues without causing apparent disease symptoms, may modulate these specialized metabolic pathways. Only a limited number of studies have directly investigated these interactions. In contrast, a substantially larger body of research has demonstrated the roles of endophytic bacteria in promoting plant growth and enhancing plant tolerance to environmental stresses. However, direct evidence establishing links between bacterial endophytes, specific genes within volatile-biosynthetic pathways, and the volatile compounds actually released by plants remains limited. The current review summarizes the current evidence on the regulation of major plant volatile biosynthetic routes by endophytic bacteria, including the MVA and MEP pathways for terpenoids, the shikimate-derived phenylpropanoid/benzenoid pathway, as well as the lipoxygenase pathway leading to green-leaf volatile production. The suggested mechanisms are generally grouped into several inter-related categories, such as microbial elicitation and pattern recognition, phytohormonal reprogramming, nutrient and precursor acquisition, modulation of carbon flux through the MVA/MEP and phenylpropanoid pathways, redox regulation and stress priming, and bacterial volatile-mediated signalling. More speculative mechanisms are discussed separately, such as microbial biotransformation, direct microbial biosynthesis of plant volatiles, and horizontal gene transfer. Evidence from culinary and essential oil herbs, medicinal plants, ornamental flowers, and fruit crops is evaluated using an evidence hierarchy that distinguishes phenotypic associations from experimentally validated causal mechanisms. Establishing a robust gene-to-metabolite causal framework will require targeted approaches, including gnotobiotic inoculation, volatilomic profiling, and stable-isotope tracing.
Related
- Natural polysaccharides as modulators of mitochondrial homeostasis: structural determinants, pharmacological mechanisms, and translational challenges
- Natural Compounds and Their Microbiota-Derived Metabolites as Modulators of the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis in Alzheimer Disease: Biochemical Mechanisms and Drug Discovery Insights—A Narrative Review
- Extracellular Vesicles in Molecular Crosstalk and Disease Pathogenesis: A Comprehensive Review on Mechanisms and Therapeutic Prospects
- Cuproptosis: New Mechanisms Linking Endothelial Dysfunction to Neurodegenerative Diseases and Therapeutic Prospects
- Migrasomes in kidney diseases: emerging molecular mechanisms, diagnostic value, and therapeutic prospects.
BibTeX
@article{srivastava2026endophytic,
title = {{Endophytic Bacteria as Modulators of Fragrance Biosynthesis in Plants: Mechanisms and Prospects}},
author = {Priyanshi Srivastava and Sunil Kumar Verma and Juveriya Israr and Sankalp Misra and Manish Kumar and Diby Paul},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219950},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9950},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Endophytic Bacteria as Modulators of Fragrance Biosynthesis in Plants: Mechanisms and Prospects
AU - Priyanshi Srivastava
AU - Sunil Kumar Verma
AU - Juveriya Israr
AU - Sankalp Misra
AU - Manish Kumar
AU - Diby Paul
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219950
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9950
AB - Plant fragrance is the blend of volatile terpenoids, phenylpropanoids/benzenoids, fatty acid derivatives, and nitrogen- or sulfur-containing compounds released from flowers, leaves, and fruit. It drives pollination and defence and accounts for much of the economic value of aromatic, medicinal, and ornamental crops. However, it shifts with genotype, developmental stage, tissue type, and stress, and a large share of it still comes from wild-harvested plants. Endophytic bacteria are the microorganisms that colonize internal plant tissues without causing apparent disease symptoms, may modulate these specialized metabolic pathways. Only a limited number of studies have directly investigated these interactions. In contrast, a substantially larger body of research has demonstrated the roles of endophytic bacteria in promoting plant growth and enhancing plant tolerance to environmental stresses. However, direct evidence establishing links between bacterial endophytes, specific genes within volatile-biosynthetic pathways, and the volatile compounds actually released by plants remains limited. The current review summarizes the current evidence on the regulation of major plant volatile biosynthetic routes by endophytic bacteria, including the MVA and MEP pathways for terpenoids, the shikimate-derived phenylpropanoid/benzenoid pathway, as well as the lipoxygenase pathway leading to green-leaf volatile production. The suggested mechanisms are generally grouped into several inter-related categories, such as microbial elicitation and pattern recognition, phytohormonal reprogramming, nutrient and precursor acquisition, modulation of carbon flux through the MVA/MEP and phenylpropanoid pathways, redox regulation and stress priming, and bacterial volatile-mediated signalling. More speculative mechanisms are discussed separately, such as microbial biotransformation, direct microbial biosynthesis of plant volatiles, and horizontal gene transfer. Evidence from culinary and essential oil herbs, medicinal plants, ornamental flowers, and fruit crops is evaluated using an evidence hierarchy that distinguishes phenotypic associations from experimentally validated causal mechanisms. Establishing a robust gene-to-metabolite causal framework will require targeted approaches, including gnotobiotic inoculation, volatilomic profiling, and stable-isotope tracing.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -