The biosynthesis of plant specialized metabolites is strictly regulated in time and space. We have identified a robust transcriptional network, composed of multiple redundant transcriptional activators, co-activators and repressors, which steers cell-specific and jasmonate-inducible triterpene biosynthesis in the outer tissues of the root tips of the model plant Arabidopsis. This network is a beautiful example of the robustness of the regulatory networks that not only determine the establishment and proper employment of the arsenal of bioactive plant metabolites essential for plant survival but also protect the producing plants from their own chemical weapons.
