Review
Plant Sciences
Hailong Jiang, Xiaoya Liu, Peixiang Xiao, Yan Wang, Qihui Xie, Xiaoxia Wu, Haidong Ding
Summary: The BAG gene family is highly conserved and plays important roles in various signal pathways in organisms ranging from yeast to humans and plants. Plant BAG proteins have unique structures, especially those with CaM-binding IQ motifs, which are specific to plants. Recent studies have uncovered novel functional mechanisms of plant BAGs in multiple cellular processes. Understanding the post-translational modification of BAG proteins and achieving signal specificity among BAG signaling pathways are important directions for future research.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maolan Yue, Leiyu Jiang, Nating Zhang, Lianxi Zhang, Yongqiang Liu, Yan Wang, Mengyao Li, Yuanxiu Lin, Yunting Zhang, Yong Zhang, Ya Luo, Xiaorong Wang, Qing Chen, Haoru Tang
Summary: FaWRKY71 plays a significant role in fruit ripening in octoploid strawberry by regulating gene expression, anthocyanin accumulation, and texture softening. This study provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of fruit ripening in strawberry.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Yucheng Ming, Libo Jiang, Dongchao Ji
Summary: This review discusses the recent advances in epigenetic regulation of tomato fruit ripening, including DNA methylation, N6-Methyladenosine mRNA modification, histone demethylation/deacetylation, and non-coding RNA. This research contributes to a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms governing tomato fruit ripening and provides new insights for precise modulation of these mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Chang Ho Kang, Jae Hyeok Lee, Yeon-Ju Kim, Cha Young Kim, Soo In Lee, Jong Chan Hong, Chae Oh Lim
Summary: This study investigates the biochemical and molecular functions of the Arabidopsis thaliana BAG2 (AtBAG2) protein and its physiological role under stress conditions. The results show that AtBAG2 has molecular chaperone activity attributed to its BAG domain and this activity is essential for the heat stress response in Arabidopsis.
Review
Plant Sciences
Zhiya Liu, Xuetong Wu, Huwei Liu, Meiling Zhang, Weibiao Liao
Summary: Fruit ripening is regulated by transcription factors, plant hormone ethylene, and DNA methylation. DNA methylation affects fruit ripening by transferring methyl groups. Tomato fruit ripening is dynamically regulated by DNA methylation and demethylation, but the specific molecular mechanism is still unclear.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Priya Gambhir, Utkarsh Raghuvanshi, Adwaita Prasad Parida, Stuti Kujur, Shweta Sharma, Sudhir K. Sopory, Rahul Kumar, Arun Kumar Sharma
Summary: Methylglyoxal detoxification, catalyzed by glutathione-dependent glyoxalase I and regulated by the MADS-box transcription factor RIPENING INHIBITOR, is crucial for fruit ripening. The decline of MG levels during fruit ripening is mainly mediated through a glutathione-dependent MG detoxification pathway and primarily catalyzed by a Glyoxalase I enzyme encoded by the SlGLYI4 gene. Silencing of SlGLYI4 leads to drastic MG overaccumulation at ripening stages of transgenic fruits and interferes with the ripening process.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Changan Zhu, Shaofang Wu, Ting Sun, Zhiwen Zhou, Zhangjian Hu, Jingquan Yu
Summary: Rosmarinic acid (RA) treatment in postharvest significantly delayed ripening, reduced ethylene production, inhibited color change, promoted amino acid accumulation, and enhanced antioxidant activity in tomato fruits. These findings indicate a novel function of RA in fruit ripening, offering an attractive strategy to manage and improve the quality of tomato fruits.
Article
Plant Sciences
Linxin Gu, Bing Hou, Xiao Chen, Yu Wang, Pingan Chang, Xiaohong He, Daping Gong, Quan Sun
Summary: Leaf senescence in tobacco is regulated by the BAG family of proteins, with NtBAG5c and NtBAG6a-b being upregulated in senescent leaves. NtBAG5c interacts with heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) and sHSP20, and its silencing reduces lignin content and affects superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation. Silencing NtBAG5c also downregulates the expression of senescence-related genes. This study provides the first identification and characterization of tobacco BAG protein candidate genes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Oscar W. Mitalo, Seung Wong Kang, Long T. Tran, Yasutaka Kubo, Tohru Ariizumi, Hiroshi Ezura
Summary: Cold storage is commonly used to prolong the postharvest life of horticultural crops, but it often leads to chilling injury symptoms. The mechanisms of cold stress and chilling injury in fruits are not well understood. In this study, the effect of the ethylene signaling inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on fruit ripening, chilling injury occurrence, and gene expression in tomatoes stored at different temperatures was investigated. The results showed that 1-MCP effectively inhibited ethylene production and peel color changes during storage at higher temperature, but failed to inhibit ethylene production during rewarming after storage at lower temperature. Fruits stored at lower temperature developed chilling injury symptoms during rewarming, regardless of 1-MCP treatment. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that cold stress triggers a large-scale adjustment in gene expression, with more genes differentially expressed at lower temperature. Genes involved in fruit ripening and cold stress showed divergent expression patterns and unique adjustments related to various cellular processes. These findings provide insights into the response mechanisms of fruits to cold stress and can contribute to improving tolerance to low temperature and reducing chilling injury during cold storage.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei Huang, Nan Hu, Zhina Xiao, Yuping Qiu, Yan Yang, Jie Yang, Xin Mao, Yichuan Wang, Zhengguo Li, Hongwei Guo
Summary: Ethylene plays a critical role in tomato fruit growth and ripening by modulating auxin biosynthesis/signaling and activating fruit development-related genes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhifei Li, Ying Pi, Junmiao Fan, Xinxin Yang, Changsheng Zhai, Hong Chen, Feng Wang, Jing Ding, Tingting Gu, Yi Li, Han Wu
Summary: This study reveals the important role of SlHMGA3 in regulating tomato fruit ripening by enhancing the expression of SlDML2 gene and influencing the demethylation and activation of ripening-associated transcription factor genes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Bin Liang, Yufei Sun, Juan Wang, Yu Zheng, Wenbo Zhang, Yandan Xu, Qian Li, Ping Leng
Summary: The study revealed the crucial role of tomato ABA co-receptor type 2C phosphatase SlPP2C3 in regulating fruit ripening and fruit glossiness. SlPP2C3 interacts selectively with ABA receptors and kinase, negatively regulates ABA signaling, and affects the onset of fruit ripening.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guoxiang Jiang, Zhiwei Li, Xiaochun Ding, Yijie Zhou, Hongmei Lai, Yueming Jiang, Xuewu Duan
Summary: A WUSCHEL-related homeobox transcription factor (TF), SlWOX13, regulates tomato fruit ripening via ethylene synthesis and signaling, as well as transcriptional regulation of key ripening-related TFs.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yusuke Kamiyoshihara, Yuki Achiha, Shin Ishikawa, Shinji Mizuno, Hitoshi Mori, Akira Tateishi, Donald J. Huber, Harry J. Klee
Summary: Ethylene receptors function in heteromeric complexes across subfamilies in tomato fruit, providing insights into the regulation of ethylene signaling during tomato fruit ripening. Tomato receptor members form heteromeric complexes to fine-tune signal output to the downstream pathway, similar to the Arabidopsis system but with some differences.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Horticulture
Nataliia Kutyrieva-Nowak, Agata Leszczuk, Adrian Zajac, Panagiotis Kalaitzis, Artur Zdunek
Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the molecular features of AGP as a potential molecule involved in the ripening process in tomato fruits. The experiment showed that the content and occurrence of AGP with a molecular weight of around 120 kDa are related to cell wall conditions and the intensity of ongoing glycosylation. Different stages of ripening exhibit alterations in sugar moiety modification, depolymerization, synthesis, and degradation of AGPs, indicating their role as molecular and cytological markers of fruit ripening.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2023)
Review
Agronomy
Bhuvnesh Kapoor, Pankaj Kumar, Navjot Singh Gill, Rajnish Sharma, Naresh Thakur, Mohammad Irfan
Summary: The global agriculture system is susceptible to various stressors, and plants have evolved different strategies to cope with these challenges. Adding micronutrients like silicon and selenium has been shown to improve plant defense responses, but their effectiveness varies among different plant species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Javed Ahmad, Rubina Yasmeen, Mohammad Irfan, Asma A. Al-Huqail, Mohammad Irfan Qureshi
Summary: Traces of arsenic in vegetables and crops cultivated in arsenic-polluted soils are a global concern due to its carcinogenic properties and harmful effects on the food chain. This study focused on the accumulation and defense mechanisms of fenugreek plants exposed to arsenic stress. The findings showed increased oxidative stress and DNA damage at higher arsenic concentrations.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Bhuvnesh Kapoor, Pankaj Kumar, Vipasha Verma, Mohammad Irfan, Rajnish Sharma, Bhavya Bhargava
Summary: The transition of plants from water to land is a significant event in the evolution of life on Earth, leading to an increase in plant biodiversity and influencing oxygen levels. It also paves the way for the diversification of nonplant lineages. Land plants regulate the climate and these innovations occur through the rearrangement of pre-existing genetic information.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Mohammad Irfan, Pankaj Kumar, Mohammad Feza Ahmad, Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui
Summary: Tropical fruits and vegetables are diverse in structure, features, and physiology, containing bioactive ingredients attractive to customers. However, significant losses at pre- and postharvest levels limit their use. Traditional breeding strategies have limitations, but recent biotechnological approaches address losses and enhance crop productivity and nutritional values. This article emphasizes molecular tools for reducing losses of tropical fruits and vegetables.
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Gaurav Moghe, Mohammad Irfan, Bhaswati Sarmah
Summary: Acylsugars are diverse secondary metabolites found in many flowering plant families, with significant structural variation at various taxonomic levels. While extensively studied in Solanaceae, structurally analogous compounds have also been reported in other plant families. This review focuses on the structural diversity, biosynthetic mechanisms, and functional significance of acylsugars in Solanaceae and Convolvulaceae, and it also discusses the possibility of noise in this diversity due to enzyme promiscuity and non-adaptive evolutionary mechanisms.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Vinay Kumar, Pankaj Kumar, Bhavya Bhargava, Rohit Sharma, Mohammad Irfan, Rahul Chandora
Summary: High-altitude climates have unique characteristics that affect the physical structure and physiological functions of plants. Studying plant adaptation to high altitudes is crucial for understanding how they respond to abiotic stress. The adverse environment of mountainous areas provides an ideal natural laboratory for examining speciation and adaptive evolution. Recent research suggests that climate change may impact plant adaptation and disrupt local adaptation. Genome/transcriptome sequencing and other techniques have revealed the genes and molecular mechanisms involved in energy consumption and stress response in high-altitude plants. Secondary metabolites from medicinal plants, such as alkaloids and polyphenols, are widely used in traditional medicine and drug development, and are analyzed using omics technologies. Morphological statistics and multi-omics approaches have been used to explore plant adaptation to high-altitude settings and have advanced our understanding of the underlying biology. This review provides valuable insights for researchers in the fields of medicinal plant biotechnology, chemical genetics, and adaptation biology.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shakil Ahmed, Minahil Amjad, Rehana Sardar, Manzer H. Siddiqui, Mohammad Irfan
Summary: Globally, heavy metal toxicity significantly affects crop productivity, with lead (Pb) being the second-most toxic heavy metal that persists in soil. Lead is translocated from rhizosphere soil to plants, posing a significant health hazard to humans through the food chain. This study investigated the use of triacontanol (Tria) seed priming to mitigate Pb phytotoxicity in Phaseolus vulgaris L. Seeds were primed with different concentrations of Tria and then sown in Pb-contaminated soil. Primed seeds reversed the negative effects of Pb, enhancing photosynthetic pigments, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, mineral uptake, and osmotic regulator proline synthesis, while reducing Pb accumulation. Tria application also increased phenolics, soluble protein, and DPPH free radical scavenging activity, suggesting its potential to improve plant tolerance to Pb stress.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Dharanidaran Jayachandran, Peter Smith, Mohammad Irfan, Junhong Sun, John M. Yarborough, Yannick J. Bomble, Eric Lam, Shishir P. S. Chundawat
Summary: Carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) are used to visualize distinct polysaccharides in plant cell walls. In this study, researchers examined the interactions of engineered CBMs with cellulose and developed tandem CBM designs for better recognition. The results showed that CBM3a had the highest adsorption rate and reversible binding to cellulose, making it suitable for live cell wall imaging. The researchers also demonstrated the use of CBMs as probes to visualize cellulose fibrils during cell wall regeneration in Arabidopsis protoplasts.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bindu Naik, Vijay Kumar, S. K. Goyal, Abhisek Dutt Tripati, Javed Masood Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Saurav Chandra Bhatt, Arun Kumar Gupta, Sarvesh Rustagi
Summary: The present study aimed to produce, characterize, and apply pullulanase from Aspergillus flavus (BHU-46) for fruit juice processing, assessing its enzymatic properties and impact on juice quality. The purified pullulanase had a specific activity of 652.2 U/mg and a molecular weight of 135 kDa. Immobilized pullulanase improved yield, clarity, reducing sugar, TSS, and total phenol in fruit juices, as well as reducing enzymatic browning and increasing the lightness of the juice.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Megha Sharma, Shivanti Negi, Pankaj Kumar, Dinesh Kumar Srivastava, Mani Kant Choudhary, Mohammad Irfan
Summary: Crop production is greatly affected by climate change, particularly by rising temperatures and heat stress. Plants have evolved adaptive mechanisms to cope with these stresses, and the phytohormone ethylene plays a crucial role in regulating stress responses and crop productivity. Recent studies have shown that heat stress significantly affects fruit quality and ripening by altering the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling genes, resulting in substantial loss of fruit yield and postharvest stability. However, the interplay between ethylene, ripening, and heat stress is still not well understood.
Article
Agronomy
Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui, Vinayak Deshi, Mohammad Irfan, Vinay Kumar, Fozia Homa, Hidayatullah Mir, Duniya Ram Singh
Summary: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has emerged as a potential tool to improve postharvest attributes of perishable horticultural produce. It regulates specific biological functions at cellular and molecular level even at very minute concentration in fruit and vegetables. H2S can delay ripening and senescence by repressing respiration rate, ethylene action, and activity of cell wall degrading enzymes during storage, while also inhibiting oxidative enzymes and demonstrating antimicrobial potential.
POSTHARVEST BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ashwini Zadokar, Shivanti Negi, Pankaj Kumar, Bhavya Bhargava, Rajnish Sharma, Mohammad Irfan
Summary: Rare earth elements (REEs) are a special class of elements with remarkable qualities such as magnetism, corrosion resistance, luminescence, and electroconductivity. They have been extensively used in agriculture to promote crop growth and yield, but excessive usage can negatively affect plants, agricultural yield, and all living organisms. The ecotoxicological impacts of REEs on animals, plants, microbes, and aquatic and terrestrial organisms are a rising concern.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sheeba Naaz, Nadeem Ahmad, Asma A. Al-Huqail, Mohammad Irfan, Faheema Khan, Mohammad Irfan Qureshi
Summary: Cadmium (Cd) and Mercury (Hg) are hazardous heavy metals to plant and human health. They induce oxidative stress and disrupt the antioxidant defence system, leading to damage at cellular and molecular levels. This study investigated the deleterious effects of Cd and Hg on soybean plants and the response of antioxidant enzymes and RNA. Both Cd and Hg increased oxidative stress and upregulated antioxidant enzymes. The quality and stability of RNA were affected, but the Actin gene was upregulated in the presence of Cd to limit the damage caused by the metals.
PHYTON-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Horticulture
Mohammad Irfan, Lars Kruse, Alexandra Bennett, Gaurav Moghe
Article
Horticulture
Kilchira A. Marak, Hidayatullah Mir, Preeti Singh, Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui, Tushar Ranjan, Duniya Ram Singh, Manzer H. Siddiqui, Mohammad Irfan
Summary: The study found that postharvest application of melatonin can delay oxidative browning in the pericarp of litchi fruit, reduce weight loss, and preserve antioxidant compounds. Gene expression analysis also showed that melatonin may regulate the expression of genes related to pericarp color change. The results of this study demonstrate the important role of melatonin in preserving the quality of litchi fruit.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2023)
