Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hui-Liang Li, Dong Guo, Ying Wang, Jia-Hong Zhu, Long Qu, Shi-Qing Peng
Summary: The study demonstrated efficient gene silencing in rubber tree using VIGS, marking the first report of this method in rubber tree. This method could potentially advance the functional gene research and application in rubber tree.
BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhaojun Wang, Lin Zhang, Chen Dong, Jinggong Guo, Lifeng Jin, Pan Wei, Feng Li, Xiaoquan Zhang, Ran Wang
Summary: Our study identified three groups of PSY genes in four Nicotiana species, named as PSY1, PSY2, and PSY3. The expression levels of PSY1 and PSY2 were highest in leaves and could be influenced by light and phytohormones. Gene silencing experiments showed that PSY1 and PSY2 knockdown resulted in severe bleaching of newly emerged leaves and decreased carotenoid and chlorophyll content. Additionally, the downstream genes in carotenoid biosynthesis pathways were upregulated, suggesting that PSY not only controls the first biosynthesis step but also affects the expression of downstream genes.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Mariana Rius, Joshua S. Rest, Gina Filloramo, Anna M. G. Novak Vanclova, John M. Archibald, Jackie L. Collier
Summary: In this study, the essential role of the crtIBY gene in carotenoid biosynthesis in the marine protist Aurantiochytrium limacinum ATCC MYA-1381 was demonstrated. The related protein domains were found in other heterotrophic protists, suggesting a horizontal gene transfer event. This reveals a novel origin of eukaryotic (apo)carotenogenesis through parallel evolution in divergent protist lineages.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Guo He, Xuhong Zhao, Yan Xu, Yu Wang, Zhihai Zhang, Liang Xiao, Matthew Hudson, Ruibo Hu, Shengjun Li
Summary: In this study, a highly efficient and stable virus-induced gene silencing system was established in Miscanthus, a bioenergy crop. The system was optimized by investigating various factors and resulted in the highest gene silencing efficiency. The established system can be applied to different Miscanthus varieties and facilitate functional genomic studies.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mingxiong Zhang, Yuhui Rao, Xiaofeng Chen, Yunrui Shi, Chonglong Wei, Xianfeng Wang, Lu Wang, Chengjin Xie, Chenglang Pan, Jianming Chen
Summary: In this study, a virus-induced gene silencing system (VIGS) was established in K. obovata, using tobacco rattle virus (TRV) as the vector and the phytoene desaturase gene KoPDS as the target gene. The system was successfully used to verify the role of a Chlorophyll a/b binding protein (Cab) gene KoCAB in leaf carbon sequestration of K. obovata. The TRV-mediated VIGS system established in this study is the first genetic analysis tool for mangroves, which may greatly advance functional genomics studies in mangrove plants.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Namraj Dhami
Summary: Carotenoids in plants are synthesized and accumulated in plastids in a tissue-specific manner, with storage tissues having higher levels of carotenoids. By transiently expressing bacterial phytoene synthase gene in leaves, chloroplasts can transition into chromoplasts, leading to increased carotenoid production. The transformation of chloroplasts into chromoplasts offers new opportunities for carotenoid biofortification in leafy foods, but may impact photosynthetic efficiency and plant growth.
PLANT CELL REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wei Yang, Xianya Chen, Jiahao Chen, Peng Zheng, Shaoqun Liu, Xindong Tan, Binmei Sun
Summary: The recent availability of tea plant genomes has led to interest in using reverse genetics to study gene function in tea. However, the absence of an efficient transformation system has been a challenge. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) could be a suitable choice for validating gene function in tea. This study used phytoene desaturase (PDS) as a reporter gene to evaluate the VIGS system and found that petiole injection was the most effective method.
Article
Mycology
Erpei Wang, Chongmei Dong, Peng Zhang, Thomas H. Roberts, Robert F. Park
Summary: The study identified and elucidated the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in rust fungi, revealing that only two genes play a key role in the process. This provides valuable insights into the physiological role of carotenoid pigments in rust fungi and the evolution within the Pucciniales.
Article
Cell Biology
Ming-Hua Liang, Shan-Rong Xie, Hao-Hong Chen, Jian-Guo Jiang
Summary: In this study, a nucleus-localized MADS transcription factor (DbMADS) was found to negatively regulate carotenoid biosynthesis in algae by repressing the transcriptional activity of phytoene synthase (DbPSY) and lycopene beta-cyclase (DbLcyB). This study provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of carotenoid metabolism in algae.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ramaraj Sathasivam, Sun Ju Bong, Chang Ha Park, Ji Hyun Kim, Jae Kwang Kim, Sang Un Park
Summary: Watercress, an important aquatic herb with medicinal properties, was analyzed for carotenoid biosynthesis pathway genes, revealing tissue-specific gene expression and carotenoid composition. Findings provide valuable insights for future genetic and functional studies in this species and related plants.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ramaraj Sathasivam, Sun Ju Bong, Chang Ha Park, Ji Hyun Kim, Jae Kwang Kim, Sang Un Park
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway (CBP) genes of watercress, revealing tissue-specific expression patterns and differences in carotenoid content among different organs.
Article
Plant Sciences
Anchal Garg, Shubha Sharma, Payal Srivastava, Sumit Ghosh
Summary: The study successfully applied virus-induced gene silencing technology to achieve targeted silencing of phytoene desaturase in kalmegh, resulting in a typical photobleaching phenotype. This provides a useful method for studying gene functions related to medicinal and agricultural traits in kalmegh.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Sofia Amendola, Jacob S. Kneip, Florian Meyer, Federico Perozeni, Stefano Cazzaniga, Kyle J. Lauersen, Matteo Ballottari, Thomas Baier
Summary: By systematically screening and overexpressing carotenoid pathway enzymes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, researchers identified phytoene synthase (PSY/crtB) as a bottleneck for astaxanthin accumulation. Increased ss-carotene hydroxylase (CHYB) activity was found to be essential for engineered astaxanthin production. A combined expression strategy of BKT, crtB, and CHYB resulted in a 4-fold increase in astaxanthin production compared to previous reports in C. reinhardtii.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jamilur Rahman, Ian T. Baldwin, Klaus Gase
Summary: This study developed an enhanced thermal tolerant VIGS vector system based on a TRV California isolate, which can induce gene silencing at higher temperatures compared to existing systems, but with greater growth defects. The differences in sequences between TRV California isolate and PpK20 may explain the varying thermal tolerance levels. This new vector system opens up new avenues for studying gene functions in planta under field conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Junli Ye, Jingyan Song, Yuan Gao, Xu Lu, Wenyue Pei, Feng Li, Hui Feng, Wanneng Yang
Summary: This study developed a low-cost phenotyping platform based on machine vision for the automatic evaluation of fluorescence-related traits in tobacco leaves, which can dynamically monitor the changes of TMV-GFP in tobacco leaves.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)