Untapped metabolic diversity in legume-characteristic pathways.

New insights are found into the specialized metabolism of legumes and the gene families that play a significant role in defence and stress response. Plant defence is strictly regulated to allocate resources when and where needed, including an arsenal of constitutively expressed first responders and bioactive derivatives (phytoalexins) deployed de novo. From the perception of stress, damage, or infection, an intricate signalling cascade is triggered via phytohormones rendering changes, including cell wall modifications, metabolic shifts, and the biosynthesis of specialized defence compounds.