The emergence and loss of cyclic peptides in illuminate dynamics and mechanisms of plant metabolic evolution.

Specialized metabolism plays a central role in how plants cope with both biotic and abiotic stresses in order to survive and reproduce within dynamic and challenging environments. One recently described class of plant-specific, ribosomally synthesized, and posttranslationally modified peptides are the burpitides, which are characterized by the installation of distinct sidechain macrocycles by enzymes known as burpitide cyclases. While they are found across many plant families and exhibit diverse bioactivities, little is known about their evolution or how new variants arise.