Horizontal Natural Product Transfer:
A Novel Attribution in Allelopathy
18
Dirk Selmar, Sara Abouzeid, Alzahraa Radwan, Tahani Hijazin,
Mahdi Yahyazadeh, Laura Lewerenz, Melanie Nowak, and
Maik Kleinwächter
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
2 The Horizontal Natural Product Transfer: A Quite General Phenomenon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
3 Expanding the Concept of Horizontal Natural Product Transfer: Co-cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
4 Modification of Imported Substances in the Acceptor Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Abstract
Whereas the translocation of allelochemicals between plants is well established
for many years, a corresponding transfer of common, typical natural products
was unknown until recently. This phenomenon was unveiled when the potential
sources of contaminations of plant-derived commodities by nicotine and
pyrrolizidine alkaloids were analyzed thoroughly. According to this so-called
“horizontal natural product transfer”, alkaloids, which are leached out from
decomposing alkaloid containing plant parts (donor plants), are taken up by the
roots of acceptor plants. Meanwhile, it becomes evident that not only alkaloids
are taken up by acceptor plants but also phenolic compounds such as coumarins
or stilbenes.
In analogy to the widespread uptake of xenobiotics, the uptake of natural
products is also generally due to a simple diffusion of the substances across
the biomembranes and does not require a transporter. The uptake of certain
substances only depends on their physicochemical properties.
D. Selmar (*) · S. Abouzeid · A. Radwan · T. Hijazin · M. Yahyazadeh · L. Lewerenz · M. Nowak ·
M. Kleinwächter
Institute for Plant Biology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
e-mail: d.selmar@tu-bs.de; s.abouzeid@tu-braunschweig.de; alzahraa_radwan@yahoo.com;
thijazeen@yahoo.com; mahyahya@tu-braunschweig.de; l.lewerenz@tu-braunschweig.de;
m.nowak@tu-braunschweig.de; m.kleinwaechter@tu-braunschweig.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J.-M. Mérillon, K. G. Ramawat (eds.), Co-Evolution of Secondary Metabolites,
Reference Series in Phytochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96397-6_10
429
A Novel Attribution in Allelopathy
18
Dirk Selmar, Sara Abouzeid, Alzahraa Radwan, Tahani Hijazin,
Mahdi Yahyazadeh, Laura Lewerenz, Melanie Nowak, and
Maik Kleinwächter
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
2 The Horizontal Natural Product Transfer: A Quite General Phenomenon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
3 Expanding the Concept of Horizontal Natural Product Transfer: Co-cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
4 Modification of Imported Substances in the Acceptor Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Abstract
Whereas the translocation of allelochemicals between plants is well established
for many years, a corresponding transfer of common, typical natural products
was unknown until recently. This phenomenon was unveiled when the potential
sources of contaminations of plant-derived commodities by nicotine and
pyrrolizidine alkaloids were analyzed thoroughly. According to this so-called
“horizontal natural product transfer”, alkaloids, which are leached out from
decomposing alkaloid containing plant parts (donor plants), are taken up by the
roots of acceptor plants. Meanwhile, it becomes evident that not only alkaloids
are taken up by acceptor plants but also phenolic compounds such as coumarins
or stilbenes.
In analogy to the widespread uptake of xenobiotics, the uptake of natural
products is also generally due to a simple diffusion of the substances across
the biomembranes and does not require a transporter. The uptake of certain
substances only depends on their physicochemical properties.
D. Selmar (*) · S. Abouzeid · A. Radwan · T. Hijazin · M. Yahyazadeh · L. Lewerenz · M. Nowak ·
M. Kleinwächter
Institute for Plant Biology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
e-mail: d.selmar@tu-bs.de; s.abouzeid@tu-braunschweig.de; alzahraa_radwan@yahoo.com;
thijazeen@yahoo.com; mahyahya@tu-braunschweig.de; l.lewerenz@tu-braunschweig.de;
m.nowak@tu-braunschweig.de; m.kleinwaechter@tu-braunschweig.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J.-M. Mérillon, K. G. Ramawat (eds.), Co-Evolution of Secondary Metabolites,
Reference Series in Phytochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96397-6_10
429