Article
Plant Sciences
Ying Liu, Tao Li, Chunxia Zhang, Wenli Zhang, Nan Deng, Lynnette M. A. Dirk, A. Bruce Downie, Tianyong Zhao
Summary: Overexpression of the ZmRAFS gene in maize increases raffinose content in leaves, reduces water loss, and enhances plant drought stress tolerance.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Cui Zhao, Xi-Hui Wang, Xin-Yao Lu, Hong Zong, Bin Zhuge
Summary: In this study, a transcription factor-mediated ergosterol feedback system was developed to regulate the metabolism of ergosterol and redirect carbon flux to geraniol synthesis. Through stepwise metabolic engineering, a geraniol titer of 531.7 mg L-1 was achieved. Additionally, the xylose assimilation pathway was constructed in Candida glycerinogenes, and the strain's growth was improved by activating the pentose phosphate pathway. This resulted in the production of 1091.6, 862.4, and 921.8 mg L-1 of geraniol from different lignocellulosic biomass sources.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Selma Schurack, Jasper R. L. Depotter, Deepak Gupta, Marco Thines, Gunther Doehlemann
Summary: Through quantitative scoring of disease symptoms in 26 maize lines and RNA sequencing analysis, it was found that different maize lines show specific cellular process responses to Ustilago maydis infection. Analysis of 406 genes identified 102 encoding predicted effector proteins with differential expression between maize lines.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xun Wang, Jiaming Chen, Jia Zhang, Yujunjie Zhou, Yu Zhang, Fei Wang, Xun LI
Summary: This study successfully increased the production of geraniol through strategies such as constructing a platform strain, optimizing protein expression, and utilizing fusion tags, as well as developing a high-throughput screening system to monitor fusion tag variants.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jian Kang, Priyamvada Voothuluru, Elizabeth Hoyos-Miernyk, Danny Alexander, Melvin J. Oliver, Robert E. Sharp
Summary: The study revealed region-specific and species-specific metabolic responses to water stress in the elongation zone of cotton and maize primary roots, including conserved osmolyte accumulation and key differences in antioxidative and sulfur metabolism. Contrasting glutathione responses were observed between the species, with cotton showing a decline in glutathione levels while maize maintained elevated levels. Despite the weaker glutathione response in cotton, lower hydrogen peroxide levels and higher antioxidant enzyme activities were observed in water-stressed cotton compared to maize roots.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jian Kang, Sidharth Sen, Melvin J. Oliver, Robert E. Sharp
Summary: Under water stress, cotton and maize exhibit conserved and divergent metabolic responses, including variations in sulfur and antioxidant metabolism. Comparative transcriptomics analyses revealed that genetic controls of these responses are largely unrelated between the two species. However, both species exhibit elevated transcript abundances for genes involved in ABA biosynthesis and signaling, as well as osmotic adjustment enzymes. The antioxidant responses, specifically glutathione metabolism, do not show a similar transcript abundance adaptive signature.
Article
Plant Sciences
Kunkun Zou, Yang Li, Wenjie Zhang, Yunfeng Jia, Yang Wang, Yuting Ma, Xiangling Lv, Yuanhu Xuan, Wanli Du
Summary: This study investigated the molecular defense mechanism of maize against common smut caused by Ustilago maydis. The results showed changes in hormone signaling, glycometabolism, and photosynthesis in response to U. maydis infection. Additionally, chlorophyll biosynthesis and sugar transportation were found to be critical in the infected maize line.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ge Zhang, Huan Wang, Ze Zhang, Kevin J. Verstrepen, Qinhong Wang, Zongjie Dai
Summary: Terpenoids are a diverse family of natural products widely used in various fields, but traditional production methods are inefficient. Microbial cell factories, particularly Yarrowia lipolytica, offer a sustainable alternative for terpenoid production. Through metabolic engineering strategies, Y. lipolytica can serve as an efficient biomanufacturing factory for terpenoids.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Syed Faheem Anjum Gillani, Zelong Zhuang, Adnan Rasheed, Inzamam Ul Haq, Asim Abbasi, Shakil Ahmed, Yinxia Wang, Muhammad Tajammal Khan, Rehana Sardar, Yunling Peng
Summary: This study investigated the effects of brassinosteroids on drought resistance in different maize genotypes at physiological and transcriptomic levels. The results showed that plant hormonal signal transduction and starch and sucrose metabolism were enhanced in all genotypes, while phenylpropanoid biosynthesis was enhanced in the more drought-tolerant genotypes. This study provides valuable information on drought-responsive mechanisms and candidate gene resources for maize improvement.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Anna K. Block, Hoang Tang, Dorothea Hopkins, Jorrel Mendoza, Ryan K. Solemslie, Lindsey J. du Toit, Shawn A. Christensen
Summary: A maize receptor kinase regulates defense response to fungal pathogens by controlling jasmonic acid and antimicrobial phytoalexin production. The study identified a fungal induced-receptor like protein kinase (FI-RLPK) as important for fungal recognition and defense activation. Loss-of-function mutants in fi-rlpk showed enhanced susceptibility to one fungal pathogen but increased resistance to another.
Article
Plant Sciences
Sina Barghahn, Georgios Saridis, Melissa Mantz, Ute Meyer, Jaqueline C. Mellueh, Johana C. Misas Villamil, Pitter F. Huesgen, Gunther Doehlemann
Summary: This study analyzed the transcriptome, proteome, and N-terminome of Zea mays leaves treated with different substances to explore cell processes related to cell death and plant immunity. The results showed distinct and time-dependent biological processes being activated in response to different substances. The correlation analysis of the transcriptome and proteome identified general and trigger-specific markers for cell death in Zea mays. Additionally, specific regulation of proteases, particularly papain-like cysteine proteases, was observed during regulated cell death.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yifeng Zhang, Lin Ma, Ping Su, Luqi Huang, Wei Gao
Summary: Terpenoids, as the largest family of natural products, play significant roles in medicine, agriculture, cosmetics, and food. Traditional extraction methods have low yields, waste resources, and are not suitable for endangered species. Modern biotech approaches are promising in discovering and characterizing plant terpenoid-related P450 enzymes, and metabolic engineering strategies can be employed to increase terpenoid production.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Tang-Lei Zhang, Hong-Wei Yu, Li-Dan Ye
Summary: This paper reviews the recent progress in the development of Y. lipolytica cell factories for terpenoid production, focusing on the advances in novel synbio tools and metabolic engineering strategies for enhanced terpenoid biosynthesis.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sandrien Desmet, Yvan Saeys, Kevin Verstaen, Rebecca Dauwe, Hoon Kim, Claudiu Niculaes, Atsushi Fukushima, Geert Goeminne, Ruben Vanholme, John Ralph, Wout Boerjan, Kris Morreel
Summary: This study profiled five maize organs using different liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods and identified 427 compounds, including phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, benzoxazinoids, and auxin-related compounds. The analysis of candidate substrate-product pair networks revealed that phenylpropanoids are present in all organs, while other metabolic classes are organ-enriched. The findings provide important insights into the metabolic pathways and systems biology of maize.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Patricia S. Giron-Calva, Laura Perez-Fons, Gerhard Sandmann, Paul D. Fraser, Paul Christou
Summary: Metabolomic profiling of high-carotenoid (HC) maize engineered with endosperm-specific carotenogenic pathway revealed unexpected metabolic readjustments in primary metabolism. HC maize exhibited reduced susceptibility to insect feeding at the vegetative stage, while the abundance of organic acids increased even under restricted N conditions.
PLANT CELL REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xi Xu, Rubina Jibran, Yanting Wang, Lemeng Dong, Kristyna Flokova, Azadeh Esfandiari, Andrew R. G. McLachlan, Axel Heiser, Andrew J. Sutherland-Smith, David A. Brummell, Harro J. Bouwmeester, Paul P. Dijkwel, Donald A. Hunter
Summary: This study identified two Arabidopsis mutants through a sepal senescence mutant screen, shedding light on the role of strigolactones in floral senescence regulation. The results demonstrate the essential role of strigolactone activity in driving senescence to completion, and reveal a complex relationship among sugar starvation, senescence, and strigolactone biosynthesis and signaling.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Harro Bouwmeester, Neelima Sinha, Julie Scholes
Article
Microbiology
Bora Kim, Johan A. Westerhuis, Age K. Smilde, Kristyna Flokova, Afnan K. A. Suleiman, Eiko E. Kuramae, Harro J. Bouwmeester, Anouk Zancarini
Summary: This study provides new insight into the role of strigolactones in the interaction between plants and microbes in the rhizosphere. Strigolactones promote a mutualistic association between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, helping plants with nutrient uptake. The signaling function of strigolactones may also extend to other microbial partners, but their effect on the global root and rhizosphere microbiome is still poorly understood.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jun He, Francel Verstappen, Ao Jiao, Marcel Dicke, Harro J. Bouwmeester, Iris F. Kappers
Summary: Our study revealed the important roles of the TPS gene family in cucumber in response to different herbivores, with multiple CsTPS genes showing upregulation in leaves upon herbivory. The products generated by the expressed proteins matched the terpenoids recorded in the volatile blend released by herbivore-damaged leaves, providing detailed insights into the dynamics and fine-tuning of the emission of herbivore-induced plant volatiles in cucumber.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yanting Wang, Janani Durairaj, Hernando G. Suarez Duran, Robin van Velzen, Kristyna Flokova, Che-Yang Liao, Aleksandra Chojnacka, Stuart MacFarlane, M. Eric Schranz, Marnix H. Medema, Aalt D. J. van Dijk, Lemeng Dong, Harro J. Bouwmeester
Summary: By using root RNA-seq data and co-expression analysis, candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of SLs in tomato, including several cytochrome P450 genes, were discovered. Experimental results demonstrated the catalytic activity of CYP712G1 in oxidizing orobanchol to form DDH isomers, which can be further converted to solanacol, a major component of tomato root exudate.
Article
Plant Sciences
Giovanni Melandri, Eliana Monteverde, David Riewe, Hamada AbdElgawad, Susan R. McCouch, Harro Bouwmeester
Summary: Biochemical traits outperform genetic markers in predicting yield performance in rice under drought stress. Multivariable models based on metabolic/biochemical data show higher predictability than genomic-based models for grain yield and stress-induced yield loss. Enzyme activities and metabolite values in the models integrate the effect of physiological differences on yield and provide important predictors for rice yield stability under drought.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kiyoshi Mashiguchi, Yoshiya Seto, Yuta Onozuka, Sarina Suzuki, Kiyoko Takemoto, Yanting Wang, Lemeng Dong, Kei Asami, Ryota Noda, Takaya Kisugi, Naoki Kitaoka, Kohki Akiyama, Harro Bouwmeester, Shinjiro Yamaguchi
Summary: Strigolactones are plant hormones that regulate shoot branching and other developmental processes. In Arabidopsis, a methyl esterified derivative of the biosynthetic precursor carlactonoic acid (CLA), called methyl carlactonoate (MeCLA), acts as an endogenous SL-like molecule. It has been found that an enzyme called CLAMT efficiently catalyzes the methylation of CLA to produce MeCLA. This methylation step is critical for converting an inactive precursor to a bioactive compound in the shoot branching inhibition pathway.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiahn-Chou Guan, Changsheng Li, Sherry Flint-Garcia, Masaharu Suzuki, Shan Wu, Jonathan W. Saunders, Lemeng Dong, Harro J. Bouwmeester, Donald R. McCarty, Karen E. Koch
Summary: Strigolactones not only affect the traits of Tga1 in corn, but also play a crucial role in the traits and development of rice. Through genetic and molecular evidence, it has been found that SLs regulate the availability of TGA1 and play a role in increasing kernel size, providing physical support, and exposing them on the grain-bearing surface.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
C. Li, L. Dong, J. Durairaj, J. -C. Guan, M. Yoshimura, P. Quinodoz, R. Horber, K. Gaus, J. Li, Y. B. Setotaw, J. Qi, H. De Groote, Y. Wang, B. Thiombiano, K. Flokova, A. Walmsley, T. V. Charnikhova, A. Chojnacka, S. Correia de Lemos, Y. Ding, D. Skibbe, K. Hermann, C. Screpanti, A. De Mesmaeker, E. A. Schmelz, A. Menkir, M. Medema, A. D. J. Van Dijk, J. Wu, K. E. Koch, H. J. Bouwmeester
Summary: Maize, a major crop in Africa, is threatened by the parasitic witchweed Striga. Researchers have discovered two new strigolactones, zealactol and zealactonoic acid, which have weaker germination-inducing effects on Striga compared to the major strigolactone, zealactone. They also identified a key enzyme, ZmCYP706C37, in the maize strigolactone biosynthetic pathway, and reducing its activity, along with two others, can change strigolactone composition and reduce Striga germination and infection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gilles Vismans, Sietske van Bentum, Jelle Spooren, Yang Song, Pim Goossens, Josep Valls, Basten L. Snoek, Benjamin Thiombiano, Mario Schilder, Lemeng Dong, Harro J. Bouwmeester, Pierre Petriacq, Corne M. J. Pieterse, Peter A. H. M. Bakker, Roeland L. Berendsen
Summary: Plants deposit carbon in the rhizosphere to create a favorable environment for microbes. Previous studies have shown that foliar infection can alter the composition of the rhizosphere microbiome. This study demonstrates that the Hpa-induced shift in the root microbiome can protect plants from downy mildew infection by activating the plant's systemic resistance. Coumarins play a prominent role in this process.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Katharina Vollheyde, Quentin M. Dudley, Ting Yang, Mehmet T. Oz, Davide Mancinotti, Mariano Olivera Fedi, Darren Heavens, Gareth Linsmith, Monika Chhetry, Mark A. Smedley, Wendy A. Harwood, David Swarbreck, Fernando Geu-Flores, Nicola J. Patron
Summary: The study presents a new assembly of the Nicotiana benthamiana genome and the generation of low-nicotine lines using CRISPR/Cas9-based inactivation of berberine bridge enzyme-like proteins (BBLs). Mutants lacking BBLs significantly accumulated less nicotine. Further analysis revealed the crucial role of BBLs in the stereoselectivity of nicotine biosynthesis.
Article
Plant Sciences
Miguel Ezquerro, Changsheng Li, Julia Perez-Perez, Esteban Burbano-Erazo, M. Victoria Barja, Yanting Wang, Lemeng Dong, Purificacion Lison, M. Pilar Lopez-Gresa, Harro J. Bouwmeester, Manuel Rodriguez-Concepcion
Summary: This study investigated the function of SlG1, a gene involved in carotenoid and strigolactone (SL) synthesis. The results showed that slg1 lines displayed a wild-type phenotype under normal growth conditions. However, under bacterial infection, slg1 leaves produced lower levels of defensive diterpenoids. In roots, SlG1 co-expressed with PSY3 and was involved in SL production, but did not affect shoot branching phenotype.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tessa H. de Bie, Michiel G. J. Balvers, Ric C. H. de Vos, Renger F. Witkamp, Maarten A. Jongsma
Summary: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate play important signaling roles in various tissues, including the central nervous system. Recent studies indicate that GABA derived from tomatoes is bioavailable and has potential health benefits, similar to GABA supplements. However, the bioavailability of GABA and glutamate from other food sources and their health effects require further investigation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Monica Borghi, Leonardo Perez de Souza, Takayuki Tohge, Jianing Mi, Giovanni Melandri, Sebastian Proost, Marina C. M. Martins, Salim Al-Babili, Harro J. Bouwmeester, Alisdair R. Fernie
Summary: Anthesis is characterized by intense metabolic changes, including high-energy-level metabolism and transport of carbohydrates and amino acids. These changes play a crucial role in flower opening and may promote pollination in crops.
Article
Plant Sciences
Tuo Zeng, Jia-Wen Li, Zhi-Zhuo Xu, Li Zhou, Jin-Jin Li, Qin Yu, Jin Luo, Zhu-Long Chan, Maarten A. Jongsma, Hao Hu, Cai-Yun Wang
Summary: This study reveals a novel molecular mechanism for MeJA-induced pyrethrin biosynthesis in Tanacetum cinerariifolium, involving the key gene TcMYC2, which positively regulates the expression of pyrethrin biosynthesis genes.
HORTICULTURE RESEARCH
(2022)