Maize specialized metabolome networks reveal organ-preferential mixed glycosides.

Despite the scientific and economic importance of maize, little is known about its specialized metabolism. Here, five maize organs were profiled using different reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods. The resulting spectral metadata, combined with candidate substrate-product pair (CSPP) networks, allowed the structural characterization of 427 of the 5,420 profiled compounds, including phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, benzoxazinoids, and auxin-related compounds, among others.

Carbon isotope composition, water use efficiency, and drought sensitivity are controlled by a common genomic segment in maize.

A genomic segment on maize chromosome 7 influences carbon isotope composition, water use efficiency, and leaf growth sensitivity to drought, possibly by affecting stomatal properties. Climate change is expected to decrease water availability in many agricultural production areas around the globe. Therefore, plants with improved ability to grow under water deficit are urgently needed.

Phenylcoumaran benzylic ether reductase prevents accumulation of compounds formed under oxidative conditions in poplar xylem.

Phenylcoumaran benzylic ether reductase (PCBER) is one of the most abundant proteins in poplar (Populus spp) xylem, but its biological role has remained obscure. In this work, metabolite profiling of transgenic poplar trees downregulated in PCBER revealed both the in vivo substrate and product of PCBER. Based on mass spectrometry and NMR data, the substrate was identified as a hexosylated 8-5-coupling product between sinapyl alcohol and guaiacylglycerol, and the product was identified as its benzyl-reduced form.

Visualization of plant cell wall lignification using fluorescence-tagged monolignols.

Lignin is an abundant phenylpropanoid polymer produced by the oxidative polymerization of p-hydroxycinnamyl alcohols (monolignols). Lignification, i.e.

Retromer subunits VPS35A and VPS29 mediate prevacuolar compartment (PVC) function in Arabidopsis.

Intracellular protein routing is mediated by vesicular transport which is tightly regulated in eukaryotes. The protein and lipid homeostasis depends on coordinated delivery of de novo synthesized or recycled cargoes to the plasma membrane by exocytosis and their subsequent removal by rerouting them for recycling or degradation. Here, we report the characterization of protein affected trafficking 3 (pat3) mutant that we identified by an epifluorescence-based forward genetic screen for mutants defective in subcellular distribution of Arabidopsis auxin transporter PIN1-GFP.

Mass spectrometry-based fragmentation as an identification tool in lignomics.

The ensemble of all phenolics for which the biosynthesis is coregulated with lignin biosynthesis, i.e., metabolites from the general phenylpropanoid, monolignol, and (neo)lignan biosynthetic pathways and their derivatives, as well as the lignin oligomers, is coined the lignome.

Mass spectrometry-based sequencing of lignin oligomers.

Although the primary structure of proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates can be readily determined, no sequencing method has been described yet for the second most abundant biopolymer on earth (i.e. lignin).