Article
Plant Sciences
Laura Morales de los Rios, Claire Corratge-Faillie, Natalia Raddatz, Imelda Mendoza, Marika Lindahl, Alexis de Angeli, Benoit Lacombe, Francisco J. Quintero, Jose M. Pardo
Summary: Studies have shown that nitrate and potassium nutrition are tightly coordinated in vascular plants, with some nitrate transport proteins also affecting the root/shoot distribution of potassium. However, the biochemical connection between these traits remains controversial, as some proteins are suggested to mediate K+/H+ exchange instead of nitrate fluxes.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yangjie Hu, Moutasem Omary, Yun Hu, Ohad Doron, Lukas Hoermayer, Qingguo Chen, Or Megides, Ori Chekli, Zhaojun Ding, Jiri Friml, Yunde Zhao, Ilan Tsarfaty, Eilon Shani
Summary: Auxin gradients regulate plant root growth and development. The authors manipulate auxin synthesis in specific root cell types and use single-cell nucleus tracking and morphokinetics to map directional auxin flow in the root and quantify the kinetics of meristem skewing.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dan Wang, Yani Yang, Fengming Chen, Yifan Lyu, Weihong Tan
Summary: This study presents a dynamic molecular processing system as a central processing unit for artificial cells to process fluctuant information similar to natural cells. By constructing mixed cell communities, artificial cells and natural cells can synchronously respond to external stimuli, demonstrating the importance of molecular design in understanding biological systems and advancing bioengineering applications.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yongqing Yang, Xiaohui Liu, Xin Wang, Wanjia Lv, Xiao Liu, Liang Ma, Haiqi Fu, Shu Song, Xiaoguang Lei
Summary: Researchers synthesized 34 analogs of PS-1 and found that PS-2 had a five-fold stronger inhibitory effect than PS-1. PS-2 is not only a stronger inhibitor of PM H+-ATPase, but also more effective at blocking auxin uptake and transport.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Florencia Sena, Reinhard Kunze
Summary: This study discovered a protein-protein interaction between NRT1.5 and AHA2 in Arabidopsis plants, and found that this interaction affects the K+ level, root architecture, extracellular pH, and plasma membrane potential in plants.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriel Robles Luna, Jiefu Li, Xu Wang, Li Liao, Jung-Youn Lee
Summary: Effective cellular signaling relies on precise spatial localization and dynamic interactions among proteins in specific subcellular compartments. In plants, proteins have evolved the ability to target plasmodesmata, membrane-lined cytoplasmic connections, to regulate or exploit cellular signaling across cell wall boundaries. However, the molecular features and targeting signals for these proteins remain largely unknown. This study identifies unconventional targeting signals in the protein PDLP5 and suggests that plasmodesmal targeting relies on a common mechanism proximal to the membrane.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chao Wang, Haiyang Yuan, Guanzhong Lu, Haifeng Wang
Summary: The presence of oxygen vacancies on CeO2 surfaces was found to enhance the oxidation of graphene-type soot, rather than stoichiometric CeO2 surfaces. Increasing the initial surface oxygen vacancy concentration or decreasing the formation energy of oxygen vacancies can effectively activate lattice oxygen for optimization of CeO2.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sumio Ishijima, Rikako Shiomi, Ikuko Sagami
Summary: Magnesium (Mg2+) is crucial in physiological processes, with the AtMRS2/MGT family playing a key role in Mg2+ uptake. Mutations in the GMN motif of AtMRS2-11 affect Mg2+ transport activity, with the Gly residue being critical for transport efficiency. At low physiological Mg2+ concentrations, the GMN motif mutants show lower Mg2+ transport activity, while the activity increases at higher Mg2+ concentrations.
ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xing Xing Liu, Hai Hua Zhang, Qing Yang Zhu, Jia Yuan Ye, Ya Xin Zhu, Xiang Ting Jing, Wen Xin Du, Miao Zhou, Xian Yong Lin, Shao Jian Zheng, Chong Wei Jin
Summary: This study reveals that ammonium affects root development in Arabidopsis through different mechanisms than nitrate. The cell wall-localized ferroxidase LPR2 plays a critical role in attenuating root growth in response to ammonium.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ruofan Qin, Qingrong Zhao, Chenrui Gu, Chen Wang, Lei Zhang, Hanguo Zhang
Summary: Enzyme activity determination and transcriptome sequencing were used to study rooting tissues in larch cuttings. The genes POD, IAAO, and PPO were found to play important roles in the larch rooting process. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that plant hormones, particularly the gene c141104.graph_c0, may affect root development by promoting IAA transport. The s1 and s2 stages were identified as crucial periods in larch cutting rooting.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philip E. Mason, H. Christian Schewe, Tillmann Buttersack, Vojtech Kostal, Marco Vitek, Ryan S. McMullen, Hebatallah Ali, Florian Trinter, Chin Lee, Daniel M. Neumark, Stephan Thurmer, Robert Seidel, Bernd Winter, Stephen E. Bradforth, Pavel Jungwirth
Summary: The study demonstrates that metallic water solution can be prepared by doping water with alkali metals, opening up a new approach to achieving a metal-like surface layer of water. Experimental results indicate that a transient gold-coloured layer of metallic water solution can be formed on the surface of liquid sodium-potassium alloy drops under low pressure.
Article
Plant Sciences
Leah J. Kim, Kaitlyn M. Tsuyuki, Fengling Hu, Emily Y. Park, Jingwen Zhang, Jennifer G. Iraheta, Ju-Chen Chia, Rong Huang, Avery E. Tucker, Madeline Clyne, Claire Castellano, Angie Kim, Daniel D. Chung, Christopher T. DaVeiga, Elizabeth M. Parsons, Olena K. Vatamaniuk, Jeeyon Jeong
Summary: This study reveals the essential role of Arabidopsis ferroportin 3 (FPN3) in maintaining optimal iron homeostasis in mitochondria and chloroplasts. Lack of FPN3 leads to disrupted iron levels and abnormal ultrastructure in mitochondria, affecting plant growth under iron-deficient conditions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peiyan Guan, Chen Xie, Dongbo Zhao, Liyan Wang, Chengchao Zheng
Summary: This study found that SES1 mutants exhibited seedling establishment defects under high potassium concentration conditions, and the ratios of potassium to sodium in ses1-2 roots were decreased compared with wild type. High potassium treatment induced the expression of ER stress marker genes, and higher expression levels were detected in ses1-2, which may influence the seedling establishment of ses1-2 under high potassium conditions.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Houssein Monder, Morgan Maillard, Isabelle Cherel, Sabine Dagmar Zimmermann, Nadine Paris, Teresa Cuellar, Isabelle Gaillard
Summary: Grapes, economically important for their high fruit value and significance in winemaking, are currently facing decreased quality and production due to abiotic constraints from climate change. Potassium plays a crucial role in grapevine growth, composition, and wine quality, impacting berry loading during ripening and defenses against stress. Understanding potassium's functions can aid in selecting crops better suited for adverse environmental conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Belen Rombola-Caldentey, Imelda Mendoza, Francisco J. Quintero, Jose M. Pardo
Summary: Cation/Proton Antiporters (CPA) in all biological membranes regulate cell and intracellular organelle volume and pH. This study focused on the structure-function relationships and activity of the tonoplast-localized NHX1 antiporter in Arabidopsis, which plays a crucial role in K+ accumulation in plant vacuoles. By mutating conserved residues and testing the resulting protein variants in yeast, the researchers found that certain amino acid replacements had minimal impact on the activity of NHX1. However, attempts to alter the electroneutrality of NHX1 resulted in inactive or partly active proteins with varying abilities to control yeast vacuolar pH.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Masaru Tsujii, Ellen Tanudjaja, Nobuyuki Uozumi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takashi Kuromori, Eriko Sugimoto, Kazuo Shinozaki
Summary: ABA, a stress hormone in plants, has potential as a mobile molecule. A homolog of AtABCG25, named BdABCG25, was identified in Brachypodium distachyon and found to be a putative functional homolog of AtABCG25. Regulating intercellular ABA transport may be a novel strategy for breeding stress-tolerant monocot crops.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Keita Sugawara, Hayato Toyoda, Mami Kimura, Shunsuke Hayasaka, Hiromi Saito, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Kunio Ihara, Tomoaki Ida, Takaaki Akaike, Eiji Ando, Mamoru Hyodo, Yoshihiro Hayakawa, Shin Hamamoto, Nobuyuki Uozumi
Summary: The study found that stress on the cell envelope triggered by unfavorable environmental conditions causes the initiation of flocculation in E.coli, and identified two genes related to salt tolerance and prevention of flocculation.
BIOCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Di Chang, Takahiro Hirate, Chihiro Uehara, Hisataka Maruyama, Nobuyuki Uozumi, Fumihito Arai
Summary: The research used atomic force microscopy (AFM) with different tip shapes to measure the Young's modulus of yeast cells, yielding similar results to those obtained using a compression system. By utilizing a flat tip, the study effectively avoided errors caused by tip variation, providing an accurate evaluation of the Young's modulus of the whole yeast cell.
MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Saori Ogasawara, Masataka Ezaki, Ryusuke Ishida, Kuni Sueyoshi, Shunya Saito, Yuki Hiradate, Toru Kudo, Mitsuhiro Obara, Soichi Kojima, Nobuyuki Uozumi, Kentaro Tanemura, Toshihiko Hayakawa
Summary: Glutamine is produced by the assimilation of ammonium, with the OsATL6 transporter protein in rice roots playing a key role in storing excess glutamine in vacuoles under NH4+ replete conditions. Knocking down OsATL6 led to lower root glutamine content but higher concentrations in xylem sap, promoting healthier shoot growth under NH4+-replete conditions. This study highlights the temporary storage and transport role of OsATL6 in managing glutamine levels in rice plants.
Article
Plant Sciences
Takashi Kuromori, Miki Fujita, Fuminori Takahashi, Kazuko Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, Kazuo Shinozaki
Summary: Plants respond to drought stress through intracellular regulation of gene expression and signaling, as well as inter-tissue and inter-organ signaling, which helps enhance stress resistance. Abscisic acid is a key phytohormone involved in drought stress response, primarily synthesized in vascular tissues and guard cells of leaves, regulating stomatal closure and stress-related gene expression for drought stress resistance. Multiple sensors detect molecular patterns of abiotic stress signals, transmitting them through separate signaling networks to induce downstream responses such as stomatal closure and synthesis of stress-related proteins and metabolites.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gangqiang Yang, Yasuhiro Ishimaru, Shunji Hoshino, Yuki Muraoka, Nobuyuki Uozumi, Minoru Ueda
Summary: Research has shown that 12-hydroxyjasmonic acid glucoside (JAG) is an endogenous chemical factor that causes leaf-folding in S. saman. Additionally, SPORK2 is an important potassium channel involved in leaf-movement in the same plant. However, the molecular mechanism linking JAG and SPORK2 remains unclear.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kanane Sato, Shunya Saito, Kohsuke Endo, Masaru Kono, Taishin Kakei, Haruka Taketa, Megumi Kato, Shin Hamamoto, Matteo Grenzi, Alex Costa, Shintaro Munemasa, Yoshiyuki Murata, Yasuhiro Ishimaru, Nobuyuki Uozumi
Summary: This study identifies components of green tea, (-)-catechin gallate (CG) and (-)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG), as inhibitors of voltage-dependent K+ channels in Arabidopsis thaliana guard cells. The findings reveal the crucial role of plasma membrane I-Ca channels in ABA-induced stomatal closure and provide new tools for the study of stress-induced signal transduction pathways.
Article
Cell Biology
Margherita Festa, Velia Minicozzi, Anna Boccaccio, Laura Lagostena, Antonella Gradogna, Tianwen Qi, Alex Costa, Nina Larisch, Shin Hamamoto, Emanuela Pedrazzini, Stefan Milenkovic, Joachim Scholz-Starke, Matteo Ceccarelli, Alessandro Vitale, Petra Dietrich, Nobuyuki Uozumi, Franco Gambale, Armando Carpaneto
Summary: This review focuses on current methods used to unravel the functional properties of lysosomal ion channels and transporters, evaluating their advantages, disadvantages, and fields of applicability.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ellen Tanudjaja, Naomi Hoshi, Kaneyoshi Yamamoto, Kunio Ihara, Tadaomi Furuta, Masaru Tsujii, Yasuhiro Ishimaru, Nobuyuki Uozumi
Summary: Escherichia coli K-12 has two versions of potassium ion (K+) transporters, TrkG and TrkH. TrkG requires Na+ for K+ uptake, while TrkH is not affected by Na+. An aspartic acid near a critical glycine in TrkG may regulate its Na+-dependent activation. TrkG can complement the loss of TrkH-mediated K+ uptake, but TrkH supports cell growth more than TrkG. The transcription of trkG in E. coli is downregulated but not completely silenced by the silencing factor H-NS.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ayumu Kobayashi, Masamune Nakamura, Masaru Tsujii, Kohei Makino, Tatsuya Nagayama, Kensuke Nakamura, Kei Nanatani, Kera Kota, Yuki Furuuchi, Shunsuke Kayamori, Tadaomi Furuta, Iwane Suzuki, Yoshihiro Hayakawa, Ellen Tanudjaja, Yasuhiro Ishimaru, Nobuyuki Uozumi
Summary: Two two-component regulatory systems (TCSs), Rre2-Hik12 and Rre8-Hik14, were found to be involved in biofilm formation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Rre2 and Rre8 regulated c-di-GMP production, with Rre2 having DGC activity regardless of its phosphorylation status and Rre8 requiring phosphorylation for DGC activity.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xu Du, Shingo Kaneko, Hisataka Maruyama, Hirotaka Sugiura, Masaru Tsujii, Nobuyuki Uozumi, Fumihito Arai
Summary: The integration of liquid exchange and microfluidic chips is important in the field of biomedical and biophysical research. This study presents a novel approach for measuring the transient response of single cells using a system integrated with a microfluidic chip and a probe with a dual pump. This system allows for high-speed liquid change and low disturbance contact force detection of single cells.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Takeshi Uchiyama, Shunya Saito, Taro Yamanashi, Megumi Kato, Kosuke Takebayashi, Shin Hamamoto, Masaru Tsujii, Tomoko Takagi, Noriko Nagata, Hayato Ikeda, Hidetoshi Kikunaga, Toshimi Suda, Sho Toyama, Misako Miwa, Shigeo Matsuyama, Mitsunori Seo, Tomoaki Horie, Takashi Kuromori, Mutsumi Yamagami, Yasuhiro Ishimaru, Nobuyuki Uozumi
Summary: Salinity stress can greatly reduce seed production. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the sodium ion transporter AtHKT1;1 is specifically expressed in the stamen to prevent a decrease in seed production caused by salt stress. Restricting AtHKT1;1 expression to the phloem leads to an increase in seed yield upon sodium ion stress. Expanding phloem expression of AtHKT1;1 throughout the entire plant is a promising strategy for increasing plant productivity under salinity stress.