Thiamine Biosynthesis Pathways in Plant Systems

Plants carry out de novo synthesis of thiamine (vitamin B1) in plastids through two parallel branches: one yields the pyrimidine moiety via the action of THIC, and the other produces the thiazole moiety through THI1. These intermediates combine to form thiamine monophosphate, which is exported to the cytosol and phosphorylated to thiamine diphosphate (ThDP), the bioactive cofactor. ThDP is indispensable for enzymes in glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Biosynthetic gene expression is finely tuned by a TPP‐sensing riboswitch mechanism and by hormonal cues under stress. Beyond its classical coenzyme roles, thiamine and TPP participate in abiotic stress responses, guard cell signalling and developmental processes. Recent investigations have delineated tissue‐specific division of labour in biosynthetic capacity and uncovered mechanisms of long‐distance transport, linking source and sink organs in the maintenance of thiamine homeostasis and informing strategies for crop biofortification.

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Thiamine Biosynthesis Pathways in Plant Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in thiamine biosynthesis pathways in plant systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Thiamine diphosphate (ThDP): The active, phosphorylated form of thiamine that serves as a cofactor for key metabolic enzymes.

Riboswitch: An RNA element in precursor mRNA that binds TPP to regulate expression of thiamine biosynthetic genes.

Plastid: A plant organelle where de novo thiamine synthesis occurs, encompassing chloroplasts and related compartments.

Phloem transport: The process by which solutes, including thiamine, move through sieve elements from source to sink tissues.

Salvage pathway: A route for recycling thiamine precursors and intermediates within cells and between organs.

References

1. The importance of thiamine (vitamin B1) in plant health: From crop yield to biofortification. Journal of Biological Chemistry (2020).
2. Overexpression of Thiamin Biosynthesis Genes in Rice Increases Leaf and Unpolished Grain Thiamin Content But Not Resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Frontiers in Plant Science (2016).
3. Long-Distance Transport of Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Is Concomitant with That of Polyamines. Plant Physiology (2016).
4. Divisions of labor in the thiamin biosynthetic pathway among organs of maize. Frontiers in Plant Science (2014).
5. THI1, a Thiamine Thiazole Synthase, Interacts with Ca2+-Dependent Protein Kinase CPK33 and Modulates the S-Type Anion Channels and Stomatal Closure in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology (2015).
6. Thiamin Confers Enhanced Tolerance to Oxidative Stress in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology (2009).
7. The upregulation of thiamine (vitamin B1) biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings under salt and osmotic stress conditions is mediated by abscisic acid at the early stages of this stress response. BMC Plant Biology (2012).