Plant Terpenoid Metabolism and Recent Advance in Tobacco

Abstract: Terpenoid is a class of isoprenoids isolated from plants, of which volatile terpenoids are directly involved in aroma formation in plants. In this article, an up-to-date review on the terpenoid biosynthesis and its metabolic regulation in tobacco were given. The genes encoding the key enzymes in the metabolic pathway, and subsequently which genes in the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway could be manipulated genetically, aiming at higher production levels of terpenes in tobacco, was discussed. It is clear that improvement of tobacco flavor quality through genetic engineering will become available and meaningful.