Publications by authors named "Cody J Hall"
Article Synopsis
- Weeds are becoming resistant to current herbicides, threatening agricultural production and creating a need for new herbicides with different mechanisms of action.
- This study identified the first class of herbicides that inhibit dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS), a key enzyme in lysine biosynthesis, through a high-throughput chemical screening process.
- The new inhibitors showed effectiveness in reducing seedling growth and germination, demonstrating their potential as pre-emergence herbicides to combat herbicide-resistant weeds.
Article Synopsis
- Lysine biosynthesis in plants uses the diaminopimelate pathway, starting with the enzyme dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS), which is regulated by the end product, lysine.
- In Arabidopsis thaliana, knockouts of two DHDPS isoforms show distinct phenotypes, even though they are over 85% identical in sequence.
- The study found that AtDHDPS1 is significantly more sensitive to lysine than AtDHDPS2 due to subtle structural differences, particularly in a key residue, impacting its allosteric regulation and lysine dissociation.
Article Synopsis
- Current herbicides target three amino acid biosynthesis pathways, but effectiveness is declining due to rising weed resistance.
- Despite recent advancements in discovery methods, no new herbicides that inhibit amino acid biosynthesis have been introduced in thirty years.
- To ensure food security for a growing population, there's a need to address challenges in developing new herbicides that can effectively combat resistant weeds.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections, accounting for 10% of all hospital-acquired infections. Current antibiotics against P. aeruginosa are becoming increasingly ineffective due to the exponential rise in drug resistance.
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