Evolutionary flexibility in final steps of salicylic acid biosynthesis.

Distinct enzyme modules and subcellular organization complete the post-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (post-PAL) salicylic acid pathway across plant lineages, producing the same intermediate despite divergent architecture.

• Why it matters: A long-standing gap in the post-PAL salicylic acid route limited understanding of how the pathway finishes and how conserved function can persist amid evolutionary change.
• What they did: The work identified benzyl alcohol biosynthetic enzymes and used pathway completion to map how different modules and cellular localization generate the same intermediate across plant lineages.
• The result: The findings show metabolic flexibility and substantial evolutionary plasticity, implying conserved salicylic acid pathway function can coexist with divergent biochemical design.

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