Identification and Characterization of VDAC Family in Maize.

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) is the most abundant protein in the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) of all eukaryotes, having an important role in the communication between mitochondria and cytosol. The plant VDAC family consists of a wide variety of members that may participate in cell responses to several environmental stresses. However, there is no experimental information about the members comprising the maize VDAC (ZmVDAC) family.

MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE PHOSPHATASE 1 mediates root sensing of serotonin through jasmonic acid signaling and modulating reactive oxygen species.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) acts as a neurotransmitter in mammals and is widely distributed in the plant kingdom, where it influences root growth and defense. Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs) and MAPK phosphatases (MKPs) play critical functions in decoding hormonal signalling, but their possible roles in mediating serotonin responses await investigation. In this report, we unveiled positive roles for the MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE PHOSPHATASE1 (MKP1) in the inhibition of the primary root growth, cell division, meristem structure, and differentiation events in Arabidopsis seedlings.

Bacterial cyclodipeptides elicit Arabidopsis thaliana immune responses reducing the pathogenic effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 strains on plant development.

Plants being sessile organisms are exposed to various biotic and abiotic factors, thus causing stress. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium is an opportunistic pathogen for animals, insects, and plants. Direct exposure of Arabidopsis thaliana to the P.

Transcriptomics Reveals the Mevalonate and Cholesterol Pathways Blocking as Part of the Bacterial Cyclodipeptides Cytotoxic Effects in HeLa Cells of Human Cervix Adenocarcinoma.

The incidence of human cervix adenocarcinoma (CC) caused by papillomavirus genome integration into the host chromosome is the third most common cancer among women. Bacterial cyclodipeptides (CDPs) exert cytotoxic effects in human cervical cancer HeLa cells, primarily by blocking the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, but downstream responses comprising gene expression remain unstudied. Seeking to understand the cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects of CDPs in HeLa cells, a global RNA-Seq analysis was performed.

MPK6 Kinase Regulates Plasma Membrane H-ATPase Activity in Cold Acclimation.

Cold and freezing stresses severely affect plant growth, development, and survival rate. Some plant species have evolved a process known as cold acclimation, in which plants exposed to temperatures above 0 °C trigger biochemical and physiological changes to survive freezing. During this response, several signaling events are mediated by transducers, such as mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades.

A phylogenetic study of the members of the MAPK and MEK families across Viridiplantae.

Protein phosphorylation is regulated by the activity of enzymes generically known as kinases. One of those kinases is Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK), which operate through a phosphorylation cascade conformed by members from three related protein kinase families namely MAPK kinase kinase (MEKK), MAPK kinase (MEK), and MAPK; these three acts hierarchically. Establishing the evolution of these proteins in the plant kingdom is an interesting but complicated task because the current MAPK, MAPKK, and MAPKKK subfamilies arose from duplications and subsequent sub-functionalization during the early stage of the emergence of Viridiplantae.

The growth of Arabidopsis primary root is repressed by several and diverse amino acids through auxin-dependent and independent mechanisms and MPK6 kinase activity.

Amino acids serve as structural monomers for protein synthesis and are considered important biostimulants for plants. In this report, the effects of all 20-L amino acids in Arabidopsis primary root growth were evaluated. 15 amino acids inhibited growth, being l-leucine (l-Leu), l-lysine (l-Lys), l-tryptophan (l-Trp), and l-glutamate (l-Glu) the most active, which repressed both cell division and elongation in primary roots.

High levels of glucose alter Physcomitrella patens metabolism and trigger a differential proteomic response.

Sugars act not only as substrates for plant metabolism, but also have a pivotal role in signaling pathways. Glucose signaling has been widely studied in the vascular plant Arabidopsis thaliana, but it has remained unexplored in non-vascular species such as Physcomitrella patens. To investigate P.

Bacillus velezensis 83 a bacterial strain from mango phyllosphere, useful for biological control and plant growth promotion.

Bacillus velezensis 83 was isolated from mango tree phyllosphere of orchards located in El Rosario, Sinaloa, México. The assessment of this strain as BCA (biological control agent), as well as PGPB (plant growth-promoting bacteria), were demonstrated through in vivo and in vitro assays. In vivo assays showed that B.

YUCCA4 overexpression modulates auxin biosynthesis and transport and influences plant growth and development via crosstalk with abscisic acid in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Auxin regulates a plethora of events during plant growth and development, acting in concert with other phytohormones. YUCCA genes encode flavin monooxygenases that function in tryptophan-dependent auxin biosynthesis. To understand the contribution of the YUCCA4 (YUC4) gene on auxin homeostasis, plant growth and interaction with abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, 35S::YUC4 seedlings were generated, which showed elongated hypocotyls with hyponastic leaves and changes in root system architecture that correlate with enhanced auxin responsive gene expression.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 integrates phosphate and iron responses for indeterminate root growth in Arabidopsis thaliana.

A MAPK module, of which MPK6 kinase is an important component, is involved in the coordination of the responses to Pi and Fe in the primary root meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana. Phosphate (Pi) deficiency induces determinate primary root growth in Arabidopsis through cessation of cell division in the meristem, which is linked to an increased iron (Fe) accumulation. Here, we show that Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase6 (MPK6) has a role in Arabidopsis primary root growth under low Pi stress.

Biochemical properties and subcellular localization of six members of the HXK family in maize and its metabolic contribution to embryo germination.

Background: Seed germination is a crucial process in the plant life cycle when a dramatic variation of type and sugar content occurs just as the seed is hydrated. The production of hexose 6 phosphate is a key node in different pathways that are required for a successful germination. Hexokinase (HXK) is the only plant enzyme that phosphorylates glucose (Glc), so it is key to fueling several metabolic pathways depending on their substrate specificity, metabolite regulatory responses and subcellular localization.

MEDIATOR18 influences Arabidopsis root architecture, represses auxin signaling and is a critical factor for cell viability in root meristems.

The Mediator (MED) complex plays a key role in the recruitment and assembly of the transcription machinery for the control of gene expression. Here, we report on the role of MEDIATOR18 (MED18) subunit in root development, auxin signaling and meristem cell viability in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Loss-of-function mutations in MED18 reduce primary root growth, but increase lateral root formation and root hair development.

Mitogen activated protein kinase 6 and MAP kinase phosphatase 1 are involved in the response of Arabidopsis roots to L-glutamate.

The function and components of L-glutamate signaling pathways in plants have just begun to be elucidated. Here, using a combination of genetic and biochemical strategies, we demonstrated that a MAPK module is involved in the control of root developmental responses to this amino acid. Root system architecture plays an essential role in plant adaptation to biotic and abiotic factors via adjusting signal transduction and gene expression.

The MEDIATOR genes MED12 and MED13 control Arabidopsis root system configuration influencing sugar and auxin responses.

Arabidopsis med12 and med13 mutants exhibit shoot and root phenotypes related to an altered auxin homeostasis. Sucrose supplementation reactivates both cell division and elongation in primary roots as well as auxin-responsive and stem cell niche gene expression in these mutants. An analysis of primary root growth of WT, med12, aux1-7 and med12 aux1 single and double mutants in response to sucrose and/or N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) placed MED12 upstream of auxin transport for the sugar modulation of root growth.

Insights on Structure and Function of a Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein from : An Intrinsically Disordered Protein Involved in Protection against Desiccation, Oxidant Conditions, and Osmotic Stress.

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are part of a large protein family that protect other proteins from aggregation due to desiccation or osmotic stresses. Recently, the seed proteome was characterized by 2D-PAGE and one highly accumulated protein spot was identified as a LEA protein and was named AcLEA. In this work, cDNA was cloned into an expression vector and the recombinant protein was purified and characterized.

Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 6 and Ethylene and Auxin Signaling Pathways Are Involved in Arabidopsis Root-System Architecture Alterations by Trichoderma atroviride.

Trichoderma atroviride is a symbiotic fungus that interacts with roots and stimulates plant growth and defense. Here, we show that Arabidopsis seedlings cocultivated with T. atroviride have an altered root architecture and greater biomass compared with axenically grown seedlings.

Alkamides activate jasmonic acid biosynthesis and signaling pathways and confer resistance to Botrytis cinerea in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Alkamides are fatty acid amides of wide distribution in plants, structurally related to N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones (AHLs) from Gram-negative bacteria and to N- acylethanolamines (NAEs) from plants and mammals. Global analysis of gene expression changes in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to N-isobutyl decanamide, the most highly active alkamide identified to date, revealed an overrepresentation of defense-responsive transcriptional networks. In particular, genes encoding enzymes for jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis increased their expression, which occurred in parallel with JA, nitric oxide (NO) and H₂O₂ accumulation.