Faculty Profile

Fields of Study

Plant Biochemistry and Evolution

Areas of Focus

Biochemistry
Plant Molecular Biology

Research Interest

Biochemistry and evolution of plant volatile metabolites.

About Eran Pichersky

Dr. Pichersky is interested in the mechanisms of origin of new biochemical functions in plants. Enzymes and genes responsible for the synthesis of specialized (i.e., "secondary") compounds involved in the interactions of the plant with its biotic and abiotic environments are investigated, and their mode of evolution over time is determined.
Dr. Pichersky received his Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Davis in 1984. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University from 1984 to 1987.

Publications

Ibdah M and E Pichersky (2009). "Arabidopsis Chy1 null mutants are deficient in benzoic acid-containing glucosinolates in the seeds." Plant Biology 11:574-581.

Koeduka T, I Orlova, TJ Baiga, JP Noel, N Dudareva, E Pichersky (2009). "The lack of floral synthesis and emission of isoeugenol in Petunia axillaris subsp. parodii is due to a mutation in the isoeugenol synthase gene." Plant J 58:961-969.

Ibdah M, Y-T Chen, CG Wilkerson, E Pichersky (2009). "An aldehyde oxidase in developing seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana converts benzaldehyde to benzoic acid." Plant Physiology 150:416-423.

Koeduka T, TJ Baiga, JP Noel, E Pichersky (2009). " Biosynthesis of t-anethole in anise (Pimpinella anisum): characterization of t-anol/isoeugenol synthase and a O-methyltransferase specific for the C7-C8 propenyl side chain." Plant Physiol 149: 384-394.

Schilmiller AL, I Schauvinhold, M Larson, R Xu, AL Charbonneau, A Schmidt, C Wilkerson, RA Last, E Pichersky (2009). "Monoterpenes in the glandular trichomes of tomato are synthesized via a neryl diphosphate intermediate rather than geranyl diphosphate." Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106:10865-10870.

Van Moerkercke A, I Schauvinhold, E Pichersky, MA Haring RC Schuurink (2009). "A plant thiolase involved in benzoic acid biosynthesis and volatile benzenoid production." Plant J 60:292-302.

Ben-Israel I, G Yu, MB Austin, N Bhuiyan, M Auldridge, T Nguyen, I Schauvinhold, JP Noel, E Pichersky, E Fridman (2009). "Multiple biochemical and morphological factors underlie the production of methylketones in tomato trichomes." Plant Physiology In press.

Davidovich-Rikanati R, E Lewinsohn, E Bar, Y Iijima, E Pichersky, Y Sitrit (2008). "Overexpression of the lemon basil α-zingiberene synthase gene (ZIS) increases both mono- and sesquiterpene content in tomato fruit." Plant J 56: 228-238.

Phillips MA, JC D’Auria, J Gershenzon, E Pichersky (2008). "The Arabidopsis thaliana Type I isopentenyl diphosphate isomerases, IDI1 and IDI2, are targeted to different subcellular compartments and have overlapping functions in isoprenoid biosynthesis." Plant Cell 20: 677-696.

Falara V, V Fotopoulos, T Margaritis, T Anastasaki, I Pateraki, AM Bosabalidis, D Kafetzopoulos, C Demetzos, E Pichersky, AK Kanellis (2008). "Transcriptome analysis approaches for the isolation of trichome-specific genes from the medicinal plant Cistus creticus subsp. Creticus." Plant Mol Biol 68:633-651.

Pichersky, E (2008). "Raging hormones in plants." Nature Chem. Biol. 4: 584-586.

Vlot AC., RK Cameron, Y Yang, S-W Park, D Kumar, F Zhou, C Gustafsson, T Paddukavidana, E Pichersky, DF Klessig (2008). "Identification of orthologs of tobacco salicylic-acid binding protein 2 and their role in systemic acquired resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana." Plant J 56: 445-456.

Yang Y, R Xu, CJ Ma, AC Vlot, DF Klessig, E Pichersky (2008). "Inactive methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester can be hydrrolyzed and activated by several esterases belonging to the AtMES esterase family of Arabidopsis thaliana." Plant Physiol 147: 1034-1045.

Dudareva N, E Pichersky (2008). "Metabolic engineering of plant volatiles." Curr Op Biotech 19: 181-189. Read Publication.

Schilmiller AL, RL Last, E Pichersky (2008). "Harnessing plant trichome biochemistry for the production of useful compounds." Plant J 54: 702-711.

Koeduka T, GV Louie, I Orlova, CM Kish, CG Wilkerson, ME Bowman, TJ Baiga, JP Noel, N Dudareva, E Pichersky (2008). "The multiple phenylpropene synthases in both Clarkia breweri and Petunia hybrida represent two distinct protein lineages." Plant J 54: 362-374. Read Publication.

Zhao N, JL Ferrer, J Ross, J Guan, Y Yang, E Pichersky, JP Noel, F Chen (2008). "Structural, biochemical and phylogenetic analyses suggest that indole-3-acetic acid methyltransferase is an evolutionarily ancient member of the SABATH family." Plant Physiol 146: 455-467 . Read Publication.

Davidovich-Rikanati R, Y Sitrit, Y Tadmor, Y Iijima, N Bilenko, E Bar, B Carmona, E Fallik, N Dudai, JE Simon, E Pichersky, E Lewinsohn. (2007). " Enrichment of tomato flavor by diversion of the early plastidial terpenoid pathway." Nature Biotech. 25:899-901. Read Publication.

Forouhar F, A Kuzin, J Seetharaman, I Lee, W Zhou, M Abashidze, K Cunningham, R Xiao, TB Acton, E Pichersky, DF Klessig, CW Porter, GT Montelione, L Tong (2007). " Functional insights from structural genomics." J Struct Funct Genomics 8:37-44. Read Publication.

Wang G, E Pichersky (2007). "Nicotinamidase participates in the salvage pathway of NAD biosynthesis in Arabidopsis." Plant J 49:1020-1029. Read Publication.

Varbanova M, S. Yamaguchi, Y Yang, K McKelvey, A Hanada, R Borochov, F Yu, Y Jikumaru, J Ross, D Cortes, CJ Ma, JP Noel, L Mander, V Shulaev, Y Kamiya, S Rodermel, D Weiss, E Pichersky. (2007). " Methylation of gibberellins by Arabidopsis GAMT1 and GAMT2." Plant Cell 19:32-45. Read Publication.

Tholl D, F Chen, Y Iijima1, E Fridman1, DR Gang, E Lewinsohn, E Pichersky. (2007). " Identifying substrates and products of enzymes of plant volatiles with the help of metabolic profiling." Concepts in Plant Metabolomics (BJ Niklau and E Syrkin Wurtele, eds), Springer, pp. 169-182. Read Publication.

D'Auria JC, E Pichersky, A Schaub, A. Hansel, J Gershenzon (2007). "Characterization of a BAHD acyltransferase responsible for producing the green leaf volatile (Z)-3-hexen-1-yl acetate in A. thaliana.." Plant J 49:194-207.

Dexter R, A Qualley, A Marshall, CJ Ma, T Koeduka, B Wood, N Dudareva, E Pichersky, D Clark. (2007). "Characterization of a petunia acetyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of the floral volatile isoeugenol." Plant J 49: 265-275. Read Publication.

Pichersky E, N. Dudareva. (2007). "Scent engineering: Toward the goal of controlling how flowers smell." Trends Biotech 25:105-110. Read Publication.

Louie, GV, TJ Baiga, ME Bowman, T Koeduka, JH Taylor, SM Spassova, E Pichersky, JP Noel (2007). "Structure and reaction mechanism of basil eugenol synthase." PloS One 2: e993. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000993 Read Publication.

Guterman I, Masci T, Chen F, Negre F, Pichersky E, Dudareva N, Weiss D, Vainstein A (2006). "Generation of phenylpropanoid pathway-derived volatiles in transgenic plants: rose alcohol acetyltransferase produces phenylethyl acetate and benzyl acetate in petunia flowers." Plant Mol Biol 60:555-563. Read Publication.

Yang Y, Yuan JS, Ross J, Noel JP, Pichersky E, Chen F. (2006). "An Arabidopsis thaliana methyltransferase capable of methylating farnesoic acid." Arch Biochem Biophys 448:123-132. Read Publication.

Iijima Y, Wang G, Fridman E , Pichersky E (2006). "Analysis of the enzymatic formation of citral in the glands of sweet basil." Arch Biochem Biophys 448:141-149. Read Publication.

Dudareva N, Pichersky E. (2006). " Floral scent metabolic pathways: Their regulation and evolution. In Biology of Floral Scent (N Dudareva and E Pichersky, eds)." CRC Press 55-78.

Tholl D, Pichersky E (2006). "Biosynthesis of volatile terpenes in the flowers of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In Biology of Floral Scent (N Dudareva and E Pichersky, eds)." CRC Press 79-90.

Pichersky E, Noel JP, Dudareva N (2006). " Biosynthesis of Plant Volatiles: Nature's diversity and Ingenuity." Science, 311 808 - 811. Read Publication.

Koeduka T, E Fridman, DR Gang, DG Vassão, BL Jackson, CM Kish, I Orlova, SM Spassova, NG Lewis, JP Noel, TJ Baiga, N Dudareva, E Pichersky (2006). "Eugenol and isoeugenol, charecteristic aromatic constituents of spices, are biosynthesized via reduction of a coniferyl alcohol ester." Proc Natl Acad Sci (USA) 103:10128-10133.

Kaminaga Y, J. Schnepp, G Peel, CM Kish, G Ben-Nissan, D Weiss, I Orlova, O Lavie, D Rhodes, K Wood, D. Marshall Porterfield, AJL Cooper, JV Schloss, E Pichersky, A Vainstein, N Dudareva (2006). "Phenylacetaldehyde synthase from Petunia hybrida is a biofunctional enzyme that catalyzes the efficient coupling of phenylalanine decarboxylation to phenylalanine oxidation." J Biol Chem 281: 23357-233666.

Dafny-Yelin M, Guterman I, Menda N, Ovadis M, Shalit M, Pichersky E, Zamir D, Lewinsohn E, Adam Z, Weiss D and Vainstein A (2005). "Flower proteome: changes in protein spectrum during the advanced stages of rose petal development." Planta 222:37-46. Read Publication.

Qin G, Gu H, Zhao Y, Ma Z, Shi G, Yang Y, Pichersky E, Chen F, Liu M, Chen Z, Qu L-J (2005). "Regulation of auxin homeostasis and plant development by an indole-3-acetic acid carboxyl methyltransferase in Arabidopsis  ." Plant Cell 17:2693-2704. Read Publication.

Forouhar F, Yang Y, Kumar D, Chen Y, Fridman E, Park SW, Chiang Y, Acton TB, Montelione GT, Pichersky E, Klessig DF, Tong L (2005). "Structural and biochemical studies identify     tobacco SABP2 as a methyl salicylate esterase and implicate it in plant innate immunity." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:1773-1778. Read Publication.

Fridman E, Wang J, Iijima Y, Froehlich JE, Gang DR, Ohlrogge J, Pichersky E. (2005). "Metabolic, genomic, and biochemical analyses of glandular trichomes from the wild tomato species Lycopersicon hirsutum identify a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of methylketones." Plant Cell 17:1252-1267. Read Publication.

Fridman E, Pichersky E. (2005). "Metabolomics, genomics, proteomics, and the identification of enzymes and their substrates and products  ." Curr Op in Plant Biol 8:242-248. Read Publication.

Tholl D, Chen F, Petri J, Gershenzon J, Pichersky E (2005). "Two sesquiterpene synthases are responsible for the complex mixture of sesquiterpenes emitted from Arabidopsis flowers." Plant J 42:757-771. Read Publication.

Iijima Y, DR Gang, R Fridman, E Lewinsohn, E Pichersky (2004). " Characterization of geraniol synthase from the peltate glands of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum)." Plant Physiol 134:370-379 . Read Publication.

Hendricks CL, JR Ross, E Pichersky, JP Noel, ZS Zhou (2004). "An enzyme-coupled colorimetric assay for S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferases." Anal Biochem 326: 100-105. Read Publication.

Tholl D, Kish CM, Orlova I, Sherman D, Gershenzon J, Pichersky E, Dudareva N (2004). "Formation of monoterpenes in Antirrhinum majus and Clarkia breweri flowers involves heterodimeric geranyl diphosphate synthases." Plant Cell 16:977-992. Read Publication.

Li L, Y Zhao, B Wingerd, J Wang, M Whalon, E Pichersky, GA Howe (2004). "The tomato homolog of CORONATINE-INSENSITIVE1 is required for the maternal control of seed maturation, jasmonate-signaled defense responses, and glandular trichome development ." Plant Cell 16:126-143. Read Publication.

Dudareva N, Pichersky E, Gershenzon J (2004). "Biochemistry of plant volatiles." Plant Physiol 135:1893-1902. Read Publication.

Pott MB, Hippauf F, Saschenbrecker S, Chen F, Ross J, Kiefer I, Slusarenko A, Noel JP, Pichersky E, Effmert U, Piechulla B (2004). "Biochemical and structural characterization of benzenoid carboxyl methyltransferases involved in floral scent production in Stephanotis floribunda and Nicotiana suaveolens." Plant Physiol 135:1946-1955. Read Publication.

Chen F, Ro DK, Petri J, Gershenzon J, Bohlmann J, Pichersky E, Tholl D (2004). "Characterization of a root-specific Arabidopsis terpene synthase responsible for the formation of the volatile monoterpene 1,8-cineole." Plant Physiol 135:1956-1966. Read Publication.

Pichersky E (2004). "Plant scents." American Scientist 92: 514-521 . Read Publication.

Chen F, JC D'Auria, D Tholl, JR Ross, J Gershenzon, JP Noel, E Pichersky (2003). "An Arabidopsis thaliana gene for methylsalicylate biosynthesis, identified by a biochemical genomics approach, has a role in defense." Plant J 36:577-588. Read Publication.

Shalit M, Guterman I, H Volpin, E Bar, T Tamari, N Menda, Z Adam, D Zamir, A Vainstein, D Weiss, E Pichersky, E Lewinsohn (2003). "Volatile ester formation in roses: identification of an acetyl-CoA:geraniol acetyltransferase in developing rose petals." Plant Physiol 131:1868-1876. Read Publication.

Zubieta C, P Koscheski, JR Ross, Y Yang, E Pichersky, J Noel (2003). "Structural basis for substrate recognition in the salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase family." Plant Cell 15:1704-1716. Read Publication.

Noel JP, RA Dixon, E Pichersky, C Zubieta, JL Ferrer (2003). "Structural, functional, and evolutionary basis for methylation of plant small molecules." In Recent Advances in Phytochemistry, vol. 37. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd 37-58.

D'Auria JC, F Chen, E Pichersky (2003). "The SABATH family of methyltransferases in Arabidopsis thaliana and other plant species ." In Recent Advances in Phytochemistry, vol. 37. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd 253-283.

Chen F, D Tholl, JC D'Auria, A Farooq, E Pichersky, J Gershenzon (2003). "Biosynthesis and Emission of Terpenoid Volatiles from Arabidopsis Flowers ." Plant Cell 2003 15: 481-494. Read Publication.

Guterman I, M Shalit, N Menda, D Piestun, M Dafny-Yelin, G Shalev, E Bar, O Davydov, M Ovadis, M Emanuel, J Wang, Z Adam, E Pichersky, E Lewinsohn, D Zamir, A Vainstein, D Weiss (2002). "Rose scent: A genomic approach to discover floral fragrance-related genes." Plant Cell 14: 2325-2338. Read Publication.

Gang DR, T Beuerle, P Ullmann, D Werck-Reichhart, E Pichersky (2002). "Differential production of meta hydroxylated phenylpropanoids in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) peltate glandular trichomes and leaves is controlled by the activities of specific acyltransferases and hydroxylases." Plant Physiol 130: 1536-1544. Read Publication.

D'Auria JC, Chen F, E Pichersky (2002). "Characterization of an acyltransferase capable of synthesizing benzylbenzoate and other volatile esters in flowers and damaged leaves of Clarkia breweri." Plant Physiol 130:466-476. Read Publication.

Pott MB, E Pichersky, B Piechulla (2002). "Evening-specific oscillation of scent emission, SAMT enzyme activity, and mRNA in flowers of Stephanotis floribunda." J Plant Physiol 159:925-934. Read Publication.

Lavid N, J Wang, M Shalit, I Gutterman, E Bar, T Beuerle, D Weiss, A Vainstein, E Pichersky, E Lewinsohn (2002). "O-methyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of volatile phenolic derivatives in rose petals." Plant Physiol 129:1899-1907. Read Publication.

Guiamet JJ, E Tyystjarvi, T Tyystjarvi, I John, M Kairavuo, E Pichersky, LD Nooden (2002). "Photoinhibition and loss of Photosysten II reaction center proteins during senescence of soybean leaves. Enhancement of photoinhibition by the "stay-green" mutation cytG." Physiologia Plantarum 115:468-478.

Beuerle T, E Pichersky (2002). "Purification and characterization of benzoate:Coenzyme A ligase from Clarkia breweri." Arch Biochem Biophys 400:258-264. Read Publication.

Pichersky E, J Gershenzon (2002). "The formation and function of plant volatiles: perfumes for pollinator attraction and defense." Curr Op Plant Biol 5:237-243. Read Publication.

Beuerle T, E Pichersky (2002). "Enzymatic Synthesis and Purification of Aromatic Coenzyme A Esters." Anal Biochem 302:305-312. Read Publication.

Gang DR, N Lavid, C Zubieta, F Chen, T Beuerle, E Lewinsohn, JP Noel, E Pichersky (2002). "Characterization of phenylpropene O-methyltransferases from sweet basil: Facile change of substrate specificity and convergent evolution within a plant OMT family." Plant Cell 14:505-519. Read Publication.

Guterman I, M Dafny-Yelin, M Shalit, M Emanuel, N Shaham, D Piestun, A Zuker, M Ovadis, M Lavy, N Lavid, E Lewinsohn, E Pichersky, A Vainstein, D Zamir, Z Adam, D Weiss (2001). "An integrated genomic approach to discover fragrance-related genes in rose petals." Flowering Newsletter 32:31-37.

Zaccai M, E Lewinsohn, E Pichersky (2001). "Modifying Lisianhus traits by genetic engineering." Acta Hort 552:137-142.

Vainstein A, E Lewinsohn, E Pichersky, D Weiss (2001). "Floral fragrance. New inroads into an old commodity." Plant Physiol 127:1383-1389. Read Publication.

Lewinsohn E, F Schalechet, J Wilkinson, Kenji Matsui, Y Tadmor, KH Nam, O Amar, E Lastochkin, O Larkov, U Ravid, W Hiatt, S Gepstein, E Pichersky (2001). "Enhanced levels of the aroma and flavor compound S-linalool by metabolic engineering of the terpenoid pathway in tomato fruits." Plant Physiol 127:1256-1265. Read Publication.

Gang DR, J Wang, N Dudareva, KY Nam, J Simon, E Lewinsohn, E Pichersky (2001). "An investigation of the storage and biosynthesis of phenylpropenes in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)." Plant Physiol 125:539-555. Read Publication.

Dudareva N, E Pichersky (2000). "Biochemical and molecular genetic aspects of floral scent." Plant Physiol 122:627-633. Read Publication.

Pichersky E, D Gang (2000). "Genetics and biochemistry of specialized metabolites in plants: an evolutionary perspective." Trends Plant Sci 5:439-445. Read Publication.

Ross JR, KH Nam, JC D'Auria, E Pichersky (1999). "S-adenosyl-L-methionine:salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase, an enzyme involved in floral scent production and plant defense, represents a new class of plant methyltransferases ." Arch Biochem Biophys 367:9-16. Read Publication.

Dudareva N, JC D'Auria, KH Nam, RA Raguso, E Pichersky (1998). "Acetyl CoA:benzylalcohol acetyltransferase - an enzyme involved in floral scent production in Clarkia breweri." Plant J 14:297-304. Read Publication.

Dudareva N, RA Raguso, J Wang, JR Ross, E Pichersky. (1998). "Floral scent production in Clarkia breweri. III. Enzymatic synthesis and emission of benzenoid esters." Plant Physiol 116:599-604. Read Publication.

Cseke L, N Dudareva, E Pichersky (1998). "Structure and evolution of linalool synthase." Mol Biol Evol 15:1491-1498. Read Publication.

Wang J, N Dudareva, S Bhakta, RA Raguso, E Pichersky (1997). "Floral scent Production in Clarkia breweri (Onagraceae). II. Localization and developmental modulation of the enzyme SAM:(Iso)Eugenol O-methyltransferase and phenylpropanoid emission." Plant Physiol 114:213-221. Read Publication.

Dudareva N, L Cseke, VM Blanc, E Pichersky (1996). "Evolution of floral scent in Clarkia: Novel patterns of S-linalool synthase gene expression in the C. breweri flower." Plant Cell 8: 1137-1148. Read Publication.

Pichersky E, E Lewinsohn, R Croteau (1995). "Purification and characterization of S-linalool synthase, an enzyme involved in the production of floral scent in Clarkia breweri." Arch Biochem Biophys 316:803-807. Read Publication.