Role of Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase in crop improvement

Enhancing agricultural produce to meet the increasing global population has recently given rise to several approaches. The potential of different members of a structurally diverse and functionally versatile protein superfamily in plants, Cytochrome P450 (CyP450) monooxygenase, in enhancing crop production has been reportedly explorable. Interestingly, the role and functional mechanisms of plant CyP450s in different metabolic pathways have been relatively unique. CyP450 monooxygenase exhibits innumerable potential for crop improvement associated with stress response, herbicide tolerance, and crop protectants, among others. Gibberellins (GAs) and auxins, which are an important class of plant growth regulators, are synthesized during a complex pathway by CyP450 monooxygenase, which catalyzes several oxidation steps at the mid-pathway. Several plant P450 genes unanimously regulate the crosstalk between plant and environmental stresses. Several natural products, such as isoflavones and glucosinolates encoded by CyP450 genes in plants, serve as crop protectants. CyP450, as a metabolic enzyme like Interferons (IFNs) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, is involved in the direct activation and initiation of inflammatory cytokines and sensory neurons of plants for growth improvement. Furthermore, CyP450s mediate the inhibition of several heavy metals and herbicides that threaten crop improvements and food safety, through mechanistic detoxification. Therefore, metabolic modification of CyP450 is promising in improving defense against insects and pathogens, response to environmental stresses, and growth improvement in crops. This chapter overviews the roles and functional mechanisms of CyP450 monooxygenase with its prospects in crop improvement.