A plant communicates within itself and with the outside world by deploying an array of agents that include several attractants by virtue of their color and smell. In this category, the contribution of ‘carotenoids and apocarotenoids’ is very significant. Apocarotenoids, the carotenoid-derived compounds, show wide representation among organisms. Their biosynthesis occurs by oxidative cleavage of carotenoids, a high-value reaction, mediated by carotenoid cleavage oxygenases or carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs)—a family of non-heme iron enzymes. Structurally, this protein family displays wide diversity but is limited in its distribution among plants. Functionally, this protein family has been recognized to offer a role in phytohormones, volatiles and signal production. Further, their wide presence and clade-specific functional disparity demands a comprehensive account. This review focuses on the critical assessment of CCDs of higher plants, describing recent progress in their functional aspects and regulatory mechanisms, domain architecture, classification and localization. The work also highlights the relevant discussion for further exploration of this multi-prospective protein family for the betterment of its functional understanding and improvement of crops.

中文翻译：

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植物类胡萝卜素裂解氧合酶：结构与功能的关系及其在发育和代谢中的作用

植物通过部署一系列因其颜色和气味而包含多种引诱剂的媒介，从而在自身内部与外界进行通信。在这一类别中，“类胡萝卜素和类胡萝卜素”的贡献非常重要。类胡萝卜素衍生的化合物类Apocar​​otenoids在生物体中显示出广泛的代表性。它们的生物合成是通过类胡萝卜素的氧化裂解，这是由类胡萝卜素的裂解加氧酶或类胡萝卜素的裂解双加氧酶（CCD）（一种非血红素铁酶）介导的高价值反应。在结构上，该蛋白质家族显示出广泛的多样性，但在植物之间的分布受到限制。在功能上，该蛋白质家族已被认为在植物激素，挥发物和信号产生中发挥作用。进一步，它们的广泛存在和特定于进化枝的功能差异要求全面的考虑。这篇综述的重点是对高等植物CCD的关键评估，描述其功能方面和调控机制，域结构，分类和本地化方面的最新进展。这项工作还强调了有关的讨论，以进一步探索这个具有多种前景的蛋白质家族，以增进其对功能的了解和对农作物的改良。