Article
Plant Sciences
Xin Zhang, Wei Ran, Xiwang Li, Jin Zhang, Meng Ye, Songbo Lin, Miaomiao Liu, Xiaoling Sun
Summary: This study found that the exogenous application of gallic acid (GA) can induce a direct defense response of tea plants against tea geometrid larvae by activating jasmonic acid and phenylpropanoid pathways. However, the preference of tea geometrid female moths and larval parasitoids was not affected by the exogenous GA treatment.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zaibao Zhang, Zixiao Liu, Shuangru Li, Tao Xiong, Fan Ye, Yanting Han, Mengke Sun, Jiajia Cao, Tian Luo, Chi Zhang, Jiahui Chen, Wei Zhang, Shuaibin Lian, Hongyu Yuan
Summary: This study investigated the molecular mechanisms of tea plants in response to the stressors of E. oblique Prout, drought, and heat, and identified important transcriptome characteristics and gene expression differences.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jiajia Qian, Yinyin Liao, Guotai Jian, Yongxia Jia, Lanting Zeng, Dachuan Gu, Hanxiang Li, Yuhua Yang
Summary: Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) are critical compounds that regulate tritrophic interactions. The release of HIPVs is affected by various factors, but the mechanism of their synergistic regulation remains unclear. This study focused on tea plants and found that benzyl nitrile, released during herbivore attack, repels tea geometrid larvae and inhibits their growth. The enzyme CsCYP79 and the transcription factors CsPIF1-like and CsMYC2 were identified as crucial regulators in the biosynthesis pathway of benzyl nitrile. Light and herbivore-induced damage synergistically regulate benzyl nitrile synthesis and release to protect plants from diurnal herbivorous tea geometrid larvae.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Nana Liu, Yueyue Wang, Kaiyuan Li, Caiyun Li, Bin Liu, Lei Zhao, Xinfu Zhang, Fengfeng Qu, Liping Gao, Tao Xia, Peiqiang Wang
Summary: The abundant polyphenols in tea plants provide defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, while salicylic acid (SA) is an important plant hormone for resistance. This study investigated the effects of SA on tea seedlings and found that SA treatment inhibited certain metabolic pathways while promoting lignin production. Increased lignin accumulation in tea leaves after SA treatment indicated a potential role in enhancing plant defense and disease resistance. Additionally, a flavonoid glucosyltransferase involved in SA-induced glycosylation was identified. These findings contribute valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying SA-mediated immune responses in tea plants.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yunqing Hu, Mengting Zhang, Mengqian Lu, Yi Wu, Tingting Jing, Mingyue Zhao, Yifan Zhao, Yingying Feng, Jingming Wang, Ting Gao, Zixiang Zhou, Bin Wu, Hao Jiang, Xiaochun Wan, Wilfried Schwab, Chuankui Song
Summary: This study discovered that the UDP-glucosyltransferase CsUGT87E7 from Camellia sinensis can form salicylic acid glucose ester (SGE) to regulate salicylic acid (SA) homeostasis, and it plays a positive role in plant disease resistance.
Article
Plant Sciences
Wenzhao Wang, Xingcui Xie, Yuanyuan Lv, Haonan Guan, Lu Liu, Qian Huang, Yumeng Bao, Jie Zhou, Lu Bao, Chunmei Gong, Youben Yu
Summary: In this study, a new workflow was developed to identify phenolamides in different tissues and organs of tea plants, and their mass spectra were documented. It was found that tea plants primarily accumulate protonated aliphatic phenolamides. The distribution of phenolamides in tea plants is specific to certain tissues and acyl-acceptors, and some of these compounds show resistance to the tea anthracnose pathogen. These findings provide new insights into the resistance of tea anthracnose.
HORTICULTURE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shouan Liu, Shuhan Zhang, Shengnan He, Xiaoyan Qiao, A. Runa
Summary: This study found that Colletotrichum camelliae, a dominant fungal pathogen in tea fields in China, infects tea plants and promotes disease development by regulating tea plant lipid metabolism pathway. The research on CcCp1 protein revealed its key role in fungal pathogenicity. Furthermore, differential gene expression and metabolite accumulation were observed in tea-resistant and tea-susceptible cultivars, suggesting the involvement of various metabolites in plant response to fungal infection.
HORTICULTURE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Penghui Li, Enhua Xia, Jiamin Fu, Yujie Xu, Xuecheng Zhao, Wei Tong, Qian Tang, Million Tadege, Alisdair R. Fernie, Jian Zhao
Summary: This study reveals the key role of MYB transcription factors in regulating shoot development and secondary metabolism in tea plants, providing new insights into the formation of tea quality traits and genetic improvement of tea plants.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yongchen Yu, Yuxian Xing, Fengjing Liu, Xin Zhang, Xiwang Li, Jin Zhang, Xiaoling Sun
Summary: Laccase genes in Camellia sinensis cv 'Longjing43' were classified into six subclades with significant expression pattern variations across different tissues and developmental stages. The expression of most genes in subclades I, II, and III were downregulated while genes in subclades IV, V, and VI were upregulated under different phytohormone and herbivore treatment, indicating a trade-off model between growth and defense. The study reveals that CsLACs mediate trade-offs during tea plant development and defense processes, and further research on their regulation and downstream targets is needed for herbivore resistance in tea plants.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Popy Bora, L. C. Bora
Summary: Tea plants have a long history of cultivation and utilization, with the rhizosphere harboring microbial antagonists effective against various soil borne diseases. The use of microbial antagonists and botanicals for disease management in tea plantations is a relatively new approach, but commercial bioformulations are still limited in field application.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ziping Chen, Shijia Lin, Tingting Chen, Mengxue Han, Tianyuan Yang, Yan Wang, Shilai Bao, Zhougao Shen, Xiaochun Wan, Zhaoliang Zhang
Summary: Theanine content in tea is closely related to its sensory quality and health benefits. Etiolated and albino tea plants have higher levels of theanine than normal green tea plants, but the reason for this accumulation is not well understood. This study found that the expression of CsHO1, a gene involved in the production of glutamine (an analog of theanine), is lower in etiolated and albino tea plants, suggesting that CsHO1 negatively regulates theanine accumulation in tea plants.
HORTICULTURE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Dong Jiang, Guoqun Yang, Kebin Chen, Peiyao Yu, Jiali Chen, Yong Luo, Ning Li, Li-Jun Huang
Summary: This study aims to systematically analyze the NPR1-like gene family in tea plants. Four CsNPR1-like genes were identified and categorized based on phylogenetic analysis. Protein structure analysis revealed that the CsNPR1-likes exhibited typical ANK and BTB/POZ structural domains. The protein interaction network identified various known and novel NPR1-interacting proteins, and transcriptome data analysis showed that CsNPR1-like genes had spatiotemporal expression patterns and were induced by drought and cold stresses. This study provides comprehensive information for investigating the NPR1-like gene family in tea plants.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Yinyin Liao, Haibo Tan, Guotai Jian, Xiaochen Zhou, Luqiong Huo, Yongxia Jia, Lanting Zeng, Ziyin Yang
Summary: The study revealed the important role of (Z)-3-hexenol in the defense mechanism of tea plants, activating the plant's defense system through signal transduction mechanisms. Tea plants release this substance when attacked by insects, and neighboring plants absorb and convert it into insect defensive compounds.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qiqi Zhang, Nini Guo, Yongheng Zhang, Youben Yu, Shuyuan Liu
Summary: PR-1 proteins play an important role in the defense of plants against diseases. In this study, 17 CsPR-1 genes were identified from the tea plant genome and classified into different groups based on their characteristics. Most of the CsPR-1 proteins contain a signal peptide and a conserved PR-1 domain. These genes are closely related to the defense mechanism of the tea plant and are significantly upregulated under tea blister-blight stress.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qinglong Meng, Yanfei Zhang, Chunling Ma, Hongwu Ma, Xueming Zhao, Tao Chen
BIOTECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2015)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jing Fu, Guangxin Huo, Lili Feng, Yufeng Mao, Zhiwen Wang, Hongwu Ma, Tao Chen, Xueming Zhao
BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS
(2016)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xiaoyan Yang, Qianqian Yuan, Yangyang Zheng, Hongwu Ma, Tao Chen, Xueming Zhao
BIOTECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2016)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qunglong Meng, Yanfei Zhang, Xiaozhi Ju, Chunling Ma, Hongwu Ma, Jiuzhou Chen, Ping Zheng, Jibin Sun, Jun Zhu, Yanhe Ma, Xueming Zhao, Tao Chen
JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Feiran Li, Wei Xie, Qianqian Yuan, Hao Luo, Peishun Li, Tao Chen, Xueming Zhao, Zhiwen Wang, Hongwu Ma
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhitao Mao, Xin Zhao, Xue Yang, Peiji Zhang, Jiawei Du, Qianqian Yuan, Hongwu Ma
Summary: Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are widely used for predicting the phenotypes of microorganisms. However, the lack of other constraints in the stoichiometric model often limits the accessibility of the metabolic solution space. In this study, we developed an enzyme-constrained metabolic network model (ECMpy) and applied it to Escherichia coli (E. coli) to improve the accuracy of phenotype predictions. By considering the total enzyme amount constraint, protein subunit composition, and enzyme kinetic parameters, we were able to better predict the overflow metabolism and growth rates of E. coli. The enzyme-constrained model revealed the tradeoff between enzyme usage efficiency and biomass yield, providing valuable insights for metabolic engineering.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chaoyu Tian, Jiangang Yang, Cui Liu, Peng Chen, Tong Zhang, Yan Men, Hongwu Ma, Yuanxia Sun, Yanhe Ma
Summary: The study presents the structure-guided engineering of phosphatases to improve substrate specificity and catalytic efficiency, leading to the conversion of sucrose and starch into fructose and mannose. The research also demonstrates the potential of this innovative sugar-biosynthesis strategy in high-yield manufacturing of other monosaccharides and polyols.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ye Liu, Ruoyu Wang, Jiahui Liu, Hui Lu, Haoran Li, Yu Wang, Xiaomeng Ni, Junwei Li, Yanmei Guo, Hongwu Ma, Xiaoping Liao, Meng Wang
Summary: This study established a genome-scale loss-of-function screening strategy using a cytosine base editor and a large number of sgRNAs, which accelerates comprehensive assessment of gene function in cells. The statistical sgRNA enrichment analysis identified functional genes related to resistance and tolerance, including purU and serA, which are related to furfural tolerance in C. glutamicum.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jinhui Niu, Zhitao Mao, Yufeng Mao, Ke Wu, Zhenkun Shi, Qianqian Yuan, Jingyi Cai, Hongwu Ma
Summary: The genome-scale enzyme-constrained model (ecCGL1) improves the prediction of phenotypes and simulates overflow metabolism in Corynebacterium glutamicum, while also recapitulating the trade-off between biomass yield and enzyme usage efficiency.
Article
Microbiology
Ke Wu, Zhitao Mao, Yufeng Mao, Jinhui Niu, Jingyi Cai, Qianqian Yuan, Lili Yun, Xiaoping Liao, Zhiwen Wang, Hongwu Ma
Summary: This study constructed the first genome-scale enzyme-constrained model of Bacillus subtilis, which can improve the prediction of microbial phenotype and simulate overflow metabolism. The model was able to accurately predict overflow metabolism and identify target genes for enhancing the yield of commodity chemicals.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jianqi Zhang, Shuai Ren, Zhenkui Shi, Ruoyu Wang, Haoran Li, Huijuan Tian, Miao Feng, Xiaoping Liao, Hongwu Ma
Summary: DNA synthesis is widely used in synthetic biology to construct and assemble sequences. Reliable prediction of synthesis difficulty is important for reducing cost, but remains a challenge. This study proposes a new automated machine learning approach that achieves better performance than the current state-of-the-art model. Experimental validation shows higher accuracy and a cloud platform is developed for user convenience.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Linxia Liu, Jinlong Li, Yuanming Gai, Zhizhong Tian, Yanyan Wang, Tenghe Wang, Pi Liu, Qianqian Yuan, Hongwu Ma, Sang Yup Lee, Dawei Zhang
Summary: Vitamin B6 is a vital nutrient widely used in medicine, food, animal feed, and cosmetics industries. Researchers have developed an engineered strain of Escherichia coli to produce vitamin B6 more efficiently and affordably. By optimizing the metabolic pathway and enzyme efficiency, the final strain achieved a high productivity of 1.4 g/L of vitamin B6 through fed-batch fermentation. These strategies are valuable for developing microbial strains for producing vitamins and other bioproducts with low metabolic fluxes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yalun Wu, Qianqian Yuan, Yongfu Yang, Defei Liu, Shihui Yang, Hongwu Ma
Summary: A high-quality genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) iZM516 of Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 was constructed, which combined improved genome annotation, literature, dataset of Biolog Phenotype Microarray studies, and updated Gene-Protein-Reaction information. It has the highest MEMOTE score among all published GEMs of Z. mobilis, and can predict cell growth and metabolic engineering strategies.
SYNTHETIC AND SYSTEMS BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qianqian Yuan, Fan Wei, Xiaogui Deng, Aonan Li, Zhenkun Shi, Zhitao Mao, Feiran Li, Hongwu Ma
Summary: This study reconstructed a metabolic network model iQY1018 for Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501 based on substrate utilization experiments, with extensive curations to improve the prediction accuracy. The analysis revealed new functional abilities in central metabolism and predicted its suitability for producing Acetyl CoA-derived products.
SYNTHETIC AND SYSTEMS BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
