Editorial: Amino acids of the glutamate family: Functions beyond primary metabolism

Amino acids in the plant body serve multiple purposes beyond being building blocks of proteins: They are major nitrogen carriers in the plants' long distance transport systems, precursors to important metabolites, nitrogen storage molecules, stress response molecules, and signaling molecules. This Research Topic presents some new studies on physiology and biochemistry of the Gln/Glu family of amino acids, as well as summarizes our current knowledge of their roles beyond protein synthesis.