Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chen Dong, Mei Zhang, Shanshan Song, Fang Wei, Lili Qin, Puqing Fan, Yongchun Shi, Xiaoran Wang, Ran Wang
Summary: As an essential antioxidant, carotenoids play a crucial role in the light harvesting for photosynthesis and defense against high light stress in plants. In this study, researchers identified a small subunit (SSU) of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGPPS), NtSSU II, in Nicotiana tabacum. NtSSU II forms enzymatic components with NtGGPPS1 and NtPSY1 to regulate carotenoid biosynthesis. The study also found that NtSSU II is distributed in various plant tissues and is influenced by light conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luis de Luna-Valdez, Marel Chenge-Espinosa, Arihel Hernandez-Munoz, Elizabeth Cordoba, Gamaliel Lopez-Leal, Santiago Castillo-Ramirez, Patricia Leon
Summary: The DXS3 subfamily plays a crucial role in the MEP pathway in generating plastidial isoprenoids and shows unique evolution and functionality compared to DXS1 and DXS2 subfamilies. DXS3 proteins lack functional activity in Arabidopsis, Maize, and Rice, and display distinct sub-organellar chloroplast localization. DXS3 coexpresses with genes related to post-embryonic development and reproduction, indicating a different role compared to DXS1 and DXS2 proteins in primary metabolism and isoprenoid synthesis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chen Dong, Ge Qu, Jinggong Guo, Fang Wei, Shuwen Gao, Zhoutong Sun, Lifeng Jin, Xuwu Sun, Jean-David Rochaix, Yuchen Miao, Ran Wang
Summary: This study demonstrates the rational engineering of NtGGPPS1 enzyme in Nicotiana tabacum, resulting in increased carotenoid production. The findings provide a basis for the structure-guided rational design of elite genes in higher plants.
Article
Plant Sciences
Shuangjiang Li, Zhaozhong Feng, Xiangyang Yuan, Miaomiao Wang, Evgenios Agathokleous
Summary: The response of isoprene emission rate to elevated O-3 varies between diploid and triploid genotypes of Chinese white poplar. While in diploid genotype, the reduction of ISOrate is caused by a systematic decrease related to ISO synthesis capacity, in triploid genotype, it results from increased ISO oxidative loss within the leaf.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alizee Allamand, Teresa Piechowiak, Didier Lievremont, Michel Rohmer, Catherine Grosdemange-Billiard
Summary: Isoprenoids, a diverse class of natural products, are present in all living organisms. Their two universal building blocks are synthesized via two independent pathways: the mevalonate pathway and the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway. The presence of the latter in pathogenic bacteria and its absence in humans make all its enzymes suitable targets for the development of novel antibacterial drugs.
Review
Microbiology
Alessandro Satta, Lygie Esquirol, Birgitta E. Ebert
Summary: Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms that can use solar energy to convert CO2 and H2O into O-2 and energy-rich organic compounds for sustainable production of bio-products. This review provides an overview of the most well-known, newest, and most promising cyanobacterial strains for bioproduction. It also explores the latest innovative strategies and synthetic biology tools used for metabolic pathway engineering to increase the production of value-added compounds.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Staci L. Haney, Michelle L. Varney, Yashpal Chhonker, Geoffrey Talmon, Lynette M. Smith, Daryl J. Murry, Sarah A. Holstein
Summary: Combination therapy with GGSI and statins demonstrates potential anti-tumor effects in mice, particularly for multiple myeloma. In vivo experiments show the ability to disrupt protein geranylgeranylation and slow tumor growth.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Horticulture
Tingting Zhao, Changjie Chen, Jinxin Li, Dandan Luo, Yuhuan Miao, Chun Gui, Qi Liu, Dahui Liu
Summary: In this study, candidate genes involved in the synthesis and regulation of thujone content in Artemisia argyi leaves were identified through comparative transcriptome analysis. A total of 89 candidate genes related to thujone content were identified, including genes involved in the mevalonate pathway, the methylerythritol phosphate pathway, the metabolic process from geranyl pyrophosphate to thujone, and transcription factor-encoding genes. These results provide valuable gene resources for further analyzing the synthetic and regulatory pathway of thujone in A. argyi.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Alexander Einhaus, Jasmin Steube, Robert Ansgar Freudenberg, Jonas Barczyk, Thomas Baier, Olaf Kruse
Summary: In this study, innovative synthetic biology and efficient metabolic engineering strategies were combined to redirect metabolic flux through the MEP pathway in the green microalgae, C. reinhardtii, for efficient heterologous diterpenoid synthesis. Engineering of key enzymes and overexpression of fusion proteins successfully increased the production of high-value diterpenoids. Through fully photoautotrophic high cell density cultivations, significant amounts of sclareol, a high-value diterpenoid, were produced, demonstrating the potential of green microalgae as a powerful phototrophic cell factory for industrial biotechnology.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alessandro Satta, Lygie Esquirol, Birgitta E. Ebert, Janet Newman, Thomas S. Peat, Manuel Plan, Gerhard Schenk, Claudia E. Vickers
Summary: This study investigated the activity of short-chain prenyltransferases (SPTs) and terpenoid synthesis in cyanobacteria. Different model cyanobacteria were found to have different catalytic products of SPTs, one of which has a functional role in tocopherol biosynthesis. Understanding native prenyl phosphate metabolism in cyanobacteria is an important step in developing approaches to engineer the production of different chain-length terpenoids.
Article
Plant Sciences
Tingting Xu, Jingjing Zhang, Yiran Liu, Qiuxin Zhang, Weiyan Li, Yueling Zhang, Meifeng Wu, Tong Chen, Daochun Ding, Wenyi Wang, Zemin Zhang
Summary: This study identified and characterized the rice albino leaf 4 (al4) mutant, revealing the crucial role of OsIspE gene in chloroplast biogenesis. The mutation-induced alternative splicing led to reduced expression of chloroplast-associated genes and impaired chloroplast development.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cong Qiu, Yang Liu, Yangbao Wu, Linguo Zhao, Jianjun Pei
Summary: In this study, a one-pot enzymatic cascade for producing DMAPP from DMA was developed using SfPK and MtIPK as the key enzymes. The optimal conditions for the enzymatic cascade were determined, leading to a high DMAPP production. This enzymatic method provides a widely applicable approach for the synthesis of isoprenoids and prenylated flavonoids.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Wen Li, Xiulan Xie, Jing Liu, Huili Yu, Shu-Ming Li
Summary: Prenyltransferases (PTs) are efficient biocatalysts that catalyze the regioselective alkylation of tryptophan and its derivatives, increasing the structural diversity and biological activities of natural and unnatural products. Recent studies have identified prenylated dimeric cyclodipeptides (CDPs) with a wide range of bioactivities. This study demonstrates the chemoenzymatic synthesis of prenylated dimeric CDPs using the promiscuous enzyme EchPT1, resulting in the production of reversely prenylated cyclo-l-Trp-l-Trp dimers.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Wu Wang, Jiao Feng, Lingling Wei, Muhammad Khalil-Ur-Rehman, Niels J. Nieuwenhuizen, Lina Yang, Huan Zheng, Jianmin Tao
Summary: Our study investigates the biosynthesis of terpenes in grapes at different phenological stages, revealing distinct concentrations of terpenes and gene expression patterns. Through transcriptomic analysis and terpene profiling, we identified key genes and transcription factors potentially involved in the regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis in grapes. Transient overexpression of specific genes in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves confirmed their role in terpene production.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Toni Krause, Piera Wiesinger, Diego Gonzalez-Cabanelas, Nathalie Lackus, Tobias G. Koellner, Thomas Kluepfel, Jonathan Williams, Johann Rohwer, Jonathan Gershenzon, Axel Schmidt
Summary: This study investigated the major HDR isoforms in Norway spruce and gray poplar to determine their regulation of isoprenoid formation. The results showed that Norway spruce has two different HDR isoforms, with one producing more IDP for carotenoid and chlorophyll production, and the other producing more DMADP for specialized metabolites. Gray poplar, on the other hand, has only one dominant isoform that produces more DMADP, potentially explaining its high rate of isoprene emission.
Correction
Plant Sciences
Wenshi Hu, Zhifeng Lu, Fanjin Meng, Xiaokun Li, Rihuan Cong, Tao Ren, Thomas D. Sharkey, Jianwei Lu
Article
Plant Sciences
Thomas Wieloch, Thomas David Sharkey, Roland Anton Werner, Juergen Schleucher
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of intramolecular C-13/C-12 analysis to understand carbon uptake and allocation in plants, providing more comprehensive assessments of carbon metabolism than whole-molecule C-13/C-12 analysis. The research also proposes experimentally testable theories on the origin of the intramolecular signal.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kaidala Ganesha Srikanta Dani, Susanna Pollastri, Sara Pinosio, Michael Reichelt, Thomas D. Sharkey, Joerg-Peter Schnitzler, Francesco Loreto
Summary: Isoprene emission by unstressed leaves accelerates plant growth and development, increases cytokinins abundance in leaves, and hastens leaf senescence process.
Article
Plant Sciences
Thomas Wieloch, Thomas David Sharkey
Summary: The oxidative pentose phosphate pathway provides cytosolic NADPH but reduces carbon and energy use efficiency. Repressing this pathway and introducing cytosolic NADPH-dependent malate dehydrogenase may increase crop yields by approximately 5%.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuan Xu, Thomas Wieloch, Joshua A. M. Kaste, Yair Shachar-Hill, Thomas D. Sharkey
Summary: This study presents a carbon-13 washout model for leaf metabolism and identifies three processes that contribute to the labeling of Calvin-Benson cycle (CBC) metabolites. The model integrates CBC, cytosolic sugar pools, the glucose-6-phosphate shunt, and vacuolar sugars into a single system, providing a more complete understanding of carbon movement in photosynthetic metabolism.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Thomas D. Sharkey
Summary: This review discusses the discovery of the enzyme responsible for the initial step of converting carbon dioxide into sugars and its properties. Rubisco is considered possibly the most important enzyme, especially in terms of quantity, on Earth. The review describes the key findings related to Rubisco, including its quaternary structure, the need for post-translational modification, and its dual role as an oxygenase and a carboxylase. Furthermore, the review highlights the significant requirement for chaperonins in the assembly of Rubisco in plants.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sarathi M. Weraduwage, Melinda K. Frame, Thomas D. Sharkey
Summary: The localization of phytochromes in guard cells or mesophyll cells does not have a predominant direct role in the opening or closure of stomata in Arabidopsis. The exact mechanism of phytochromes in blue- and red-light-mediated stomatal opening, and far-red-light-mediated decrease in opening, is still uncertain. The study suggests that phytochromes may indirectly affect stomatal opening through their influence on leaf growth and stomatal development.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alan M. McClain, Jeffrey A. Cruz, David M. Kramer, Thomas D. Sharkey
Summary: Triose phosphate utilisation (TPU) plays a crucial role in limiting the rate of photosynthesis in plants, but it is rarely found to be limiting under ambient conditions. Research shows that TPU capacity is regulated and can adapt to different temperature and CO2 concentrations. Plants adjust other parameters related to photosynthesis to overcome the limitations imposed by TPU.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sarathi M. Weraduwage, Abira Sahu, Martin Kulke, Josh V. Vermaas, Thomas D. Sharkey
Summary: Isoprene has been identified as a signaling molecule that enhances plant tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stress. The study analyzed the cis-regulatory elements (CREs) and the corresponding transcription factors in the promoters of isoprene-responsive genes, revealing the involvement of stress-related transcription factors in isoprene signaling. The research suggests that isoprene interacts with existing signaling pathways in plants.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alan M. McClain, Thomas D. Sharkey
Summary: Oscillations in CO2 assimilation rate and associated fluorescence parameters have been observed for nearly 50 years, but the mechanics of these oscillations are poorly understood. In this study, the researchers used dynamic assimilation techniques (DATs) to measure the rate of CO2 assimilation and found that TPU-limiting conditions alone were insufficient to cause oscillations. Ramps of CO2 caused oscillations proportional in strength to the speed of the ramp, and ramps induced oscillations with worse outcomes than step changes in CO2 concentration.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Martin Kulke, Sarathi M. Weraduwage, Thomas D. Sharkey, Josh V. Vermaas
Summary: The thylakoid membrane in plants undergoes temperature-sensitive changes in lipid composition and shape in response to seasonal temperature variation. Isoprene has been proposed as a rapid mechanism for short-term heat exposure, although its protective mechanism is still unknown. Molecular dynamics simulations show that temperature increases the surface area, volume, and flexibility of the membrane, while decreasing its thickness. Isoprene concentration does not have a significant thermoprotective effect on thylakoid membranes.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Stephanie C. Schmiege, Thomas D. Sharkey, Berkley Walker, Julia Hammer, Danielle A. Way
Summary: Light respiration (R-L) is a crucial part of plant carbon balance and an important parameter in photosynthesis models. The Laisk method is commonly used to measure R-L, but a nonsteady-state dynamic assimilation technique (DAT) may provide faster measurements. Two studies were conducted to compare DAT-estimated R-L and parameter C-i* with steady-state estimates in different plant species. The results showed that DAT and steady-state methods yielded similar R-L estimates, with little acclimation to temperature or CO2; however, C-i* was higher when measured with DAT, particularly under different CO2 pre-treatments. Glycine export from photorespiration was proposed as a potential explanation for the differences in C-i*. Nonsteady-state Laisk measurements offer rapid estimation of R-L compared to steady-state methods.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuan Xu, Abubakarr A. Koroma, Sean E. Weise, Xinyu Fu, Thomas D. Sharkey, Yair Shachar-Hill
Summary: Plants employ various adaptive strategies to respond to daylength variation, including adjustments in growth, photosynthesis, carbon utilization, and metabolic flux. Under short-day conditions, plants compensate for reduced CO2 fixation by enhancing photosynthetic rates and reducing respiration in the light, while also reducing the partitioning of glucose and increasing starch accumulation to sustain carbon availability during the longer night. Isotopic labeling results demonstrate substantial changes in the partitioning of amino acids and TCA cycle intermediates between rapidly and slowly turning over pools in response to different daylengths.
Review
Plant Sciences
Manuel Bellucci, Vittoria Locato, Thomas D. Sharkey, Laura De Gara, Francesco Loreto
Summary: In recent years, anthropogenic activities and climate change have negatively affected plant growth and productivity by increasing exposure to environmental stresses and pollutants. Plants activate defenses, including isoprene, to combat these stresses, but isoprene can also contribute to air pollution. This review summarizes the impact of air and soil pollutants on isoprene emissions and examines the potential effects on the functioning of ecosystems and the evolution of plant species.
JOURNAL OF PLANT INTERACTIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sarathi M. Weraduwage, Douglas Whitten, Martin Kulke, Abira Sahu, Josh V. Vermaas, Thomas D. Sharkey
Summary: This study reveals the effects of isoprene on the phosphoproteome of plants, including chloroplast movement, membrane remodelling, and stress tolerance. No specific isoprene receptor was identified, but a signaling pathway mediated by MAP3K epsilon protein kinase 1 was found.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)