Engineering Plant Metabolism for Enhancing Carotenoid and Polyphenolic Production: RNAi, Genome Editing, and Multi-Omics

Edited by:

Praveen Awasthi, PhD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
Palak Chaturvedi, PhD, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Jitesh Kumar, PhD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 29 May 2026

This Collection in Plant Methods aims to gather innovative studies that will further our understanding of carotenoid and polyphenolic production through RNA interference, genome editing, and multi-omics. By sharing your findings, you can play a crucial role in advancing the field of plant metabolic engineering and its applications for global health and sustainability.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Praveen Awasthi, PhD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States

Dr. Praveen Awasthi is currently working at the University of Minnesota, where he focuses on soybean genome editing using CRISPR-based tools to enhance seed quality and stress tolerance traits. He holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, India. Prior to his current role, Dr. Awasthi worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Czech Republic, where he gained expertise in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, plant metabolic engineering, and RNA-Seq-based transcriptome analysis. His research has contributed significantly to understanding gene regulation and metabolic pathways in crops such as banana, hop, and legumes. He has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, and his research interests lie in applying advanced genomics, transcriptomics, and gene-editing technologies to improve nutritional and agronomic traits in plants.

Palak Chaturvedi, PhD, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Dr. Palak Chaturvedi is currently a Group Leader at the University of Vienna in Austria. Her research group focuses on the impact of changing climate environments on crops. She specializes in the PANOMICS platform, which integrates multi-omics data for crop improvement. Dr. Chaturvedi completed her PhD at the University of Vienna in 2015, where she was the first to characterize the proteome of developing pollen stages, helping to decode reproductive mechanisms in plants. She has been awarded the Marie Curie fellowship twice, for both her doctoral and post-doctoral research. To date, she has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in high-ranking journals and authored three book chapters. In 2019, she received the Young Investigator Award from the University of Vienna. In addition to her research, Dr. Chaturvedi serves as a guest editor and associate editor for several esteemed journals and is invited to review manuscripts for publications such as Nature Plants, Nature Communications, Molecular Plant, and Plant Biotechnology, among others. She is currently editing a book on the PANOMICS framework for sustainable agriculture. Dr. Chaturvedi is an active member of various organizations, including the International Pearl Millet Genome Sequencing Consortium, the European Potato Improvement Consortium (ADAPT), the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), and the Wheat BNI Consortium, among others.

Jitesh Kumar, PhD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States

Dr. Jitesh Kumar is a Research Scientist in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of Minnesota, USA. He holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, where his research focused on the molecular pathogenesis of Geminiviruses in crop plants and the development of SpCas9-based genome editing tools for plant applications. Dr. Kumar has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals in plant science and biotechnology, including work on genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. He also serves on the editorial boards of Plant Methods, BMC Plant Biology, and BMC Biotechnology. His current research investigates DNA repair mechanisms triggered by CRISPR-induced double-strand breaks in plants, with the goal of enhancing the precision and efficiency of genome editing technologies to improve crop yield and disease resistance.

About the Collection

The field of plant metabolic engineering has witnessed remarkable advancements in recent years, particularly in the enhancement of carotenoid and polyphenolic compound production. These bioactive compounds are not only vital for plant health but also play critical roles in human nutrition, offering a wealth of natural products that can combat various health issues. As our understanding of the genetic and biochemical pathways governing these metabolites expands, so too does the potential for innovative agricultural and nutritional strategies. Recent breakthroughs in RNA interference (RNAi) and genome editing techniques have allowed scientists to fine-tune gene expression, resulting in increased levels of carotenoids and polyphenolic compounds in various plant species. Furthermore, multi-omics approaches, which integrate genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, have provided unprecedented insights into the metabolic pathways involved in the biosynthesis of these pigments. Such innovations not only enhance our comprehension of plant biology but also facilitate the development of crops with improved nutritional profiles and resilience to environmental stressors. Looking ahead, the potential for future advancements in carotenoid and polyphenolic production is vast. We may witness the emergence of engineered plants that can thrive in challenging environments while simultaneously producing higher concentrations of valuable metabolites. Additionally, the ongoing refinement of CRISPR and other gene-editing technologies could lead to more precise modifications in metabolic pathways, resulting in crops that are not only nutritionally superior but also environmentally sustainable. The integration of synthetic biology into plant metabolic engineering holds promise for the creation of entirely novel pathways, enabling the production of unique bioactive compounds that could have significant applications in medicine and industry.

We invite researchers to contribute to this special Collection, which aims to gather innovative studies that will further our understanding of carotenoid and polyphenolic production through RNA interference and multi-omics. By sharing your findings, you can play a crucial role in advancing the field of plant metabolic engineering and its applications for global health and sustainability.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

- Employing RNA interference and genome editing to manipulate carotenoid biosynthesis

- Multi-omics approaches for polyphenolic profiling

- Engineering natural products for enhanced health benefits

- Pigment accumulation in response to environmental stress

- Metabolic pathways of carotenoids and polyphenolic

- Bioactive compounds in plant-derived foods

- Applications of synthetic biology in metabolic engineering

- Innovations in crop biofortification strategies

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of reviews and research articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal.

Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. Please select the appropriate Collection title “Engineering Plant Metabolism for Enhancing Carotenoid and Polyphenolic Production: RNAi, Genome Editing, and Multi-Omics" under the “Details” tab during the submission stage.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer-review process. The peer-review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.