Cytoplasmic male sterility and abortive seed traits generated through mitochondrial genome editing coupled with allotopic expression of in tobacco.

Allotopic expression is the term given for the deliberate relocation of gene function from an organellar genome to the nuclear genome. We hypothesized that the allotopic expression of an essential mitochondrial gene using a promoter that expressed efficiently in all cell types except those responsible for male reproduction would yield a cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) phenotype once the endogenous mitochondrial gene was inactivated via genome editing. To test this, we repurposed the mitochondrially encoded gene of tobacco to function in the nucleus under the transcriptional control of a CaMV 35S promoter (construct 35S:nATP1), a promoter that has been shown to be minimally expressed in early stages of anther development.

The E3 ligase BRUTUS facilitates degradation of VOZ1/2 transcription factors.

BRUTUS (BTS) is an iron binding E3 ligase that has been shown to bind to and influence the accumulation of target basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors through 26S proteasome-mediated degradation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Vascular Plant One-Zinc finger 1 (VOZ1) and Vascular plant One-Zinc finger 2 (VOZ2) are NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2 (NAC) domain transcription factors that negatively regulate drought and cold stress responses in plants and have previously been shown to be degraded via the 26S proteasome. However, the mechanism that initializes this degradation is unknown.

Iron-binding E3 ligase mediates iron response in plants by targeting basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors.

Iron uptake and metabolism are tightly regulated in both plants and animals. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), BRUTUS (BTS), which contains three hemerythrin (HHE) domains and a Really Interesting New Gene (RING) domain, interacts with basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors that are capable of forming heterodimers with POPEYE (PYE), a positive regulator of the iron deficiency response. BTS has been shown to have E3 ligase capacity and to play a role in root growth, rhizosphere acidification, and iron reductase activity in response to iron deprivation.

Soybean NDR1-like proteins bind pathogen effectors and regulate resistance signaling.

Nonrace specific disease resistance 1 (NDR1) is a conserved downstream regulator of resistance (R) protein-derived signaling. We identified two NDR1-like sequences (GmNDR1a, b) from soybean, and investigated their roles in R-mediated resistance and pathogen effector detection. Silencing GmNDR1a and b in soybean shows that these genes are required for resistance derived from the Rpg1-b, Rpg3, and Rpg4 loci, against Pseudomonas syringae (Psg) expressing avrB, avrB2 and avrD1, respectively.

GmRIN4 protein family members function nonredundantly in soybean race-specific resistance against Pseudomonas syringae.

The Pseudomonas syringae effector AvrB interacts with four related soybean (Glycine max) proteins (GmRIN4a-d), three (GmRIN4b, c, d) of which also interact with the cognate resistance (R) protein, Rpg1-b. Here, we investigated the specific requirements for the GmRIN4 proteins in R-mediated resistance and examined the mechanism of Rpg1-b activation. Using virus-induced gene silencing, we show that only GmRIN4a and b are required for Rpg1-b-mediated resistance.

Glycerol-3-phosphate and systemic immunity.

Glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P), a conserved three-carbon sugar, is an obligatory component of energy-producing reactions including glycolysis and glycerolipid biosynthesis. G3P can be derived via the glycerol kinase-mediated phosphorylation of glycerol or G3P dehydrogenase (G3Pdh)-mediated reduction of dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Previously, we showed G3P levels contribute to basal resistance against the hemibiotrophic pathogen, Colletotrichum higginsianum.

Glycerol-3-phosphate is a critical mobile inducer of systemic immunity in plants.

Glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) is an important metabolite that contributes to the growth and disease-related physiologies of prokaryotes, plants, animals and humans alike. Here we show that G3P serves as the inducer of an important form of broad-spectrum immunity in plants, termed systemic acquired resistance (SAR). SAR is induced upon primary infection and protects distal tissues from secondary infections.

RIN4-like proteins mediate resistance protein-derived soybean defense against Pseudomonas syringae.

Resistance (R) protein mediated recognition of pathogen avirulence effectors triggers signaling that induces a very robust form of species-specific immunity in plants. The soybean Rpg1-b protein mediates this form of resistance against the bacterial blight pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae expressing AvrB Pgyrace4. Likewise, the Arabidopsis RPM1 protein also mediates species-specific resistance against AvrB expressing bacteria.

The N-terminal extension domain of the C. elegans half-molecule ABC transporter, HMT-1, is required for protein-protein interactions and function.

Background: Members of the HMT-1 (heavy metal tolerance factor 1) subfamily of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily detoxify heavy metals and have unique topology: they are half-molecule ABC transporters that, in addition to a single transmembrane domain (TMD1) and a single nucleotide-binding domain (NBD1), possess a hydrophobic NH2-terminal extension (NTE). These structural features distinguish HMTs from other ABC transporters in different species including Drosophila and humans. Functional ABC transporters, however, are comprised of at least four-domains (two TMDs and two NDBs) formed from either a single polypeptide or by the association of two or four separate subunits.

Antioxidant response of wheat roots to drought acclimation.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings of a drought-resistant cv. C306 were subjected to severe water deficit directly or through stress cycles of increasing intensity with intermittent recovery periods.

RPG1-B-derived resistance to AvrB-expressing Pseudomonas syringae requires RIN4-like proteins in soybean.

Soybean (Glycine max) RPG1-B (for resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv glycinea) mediates species-specific resistance to P. syringae expressing the avirulence protein AvrB, similar to the nonorthologous RPM1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). RPM1-derived signaling is presumably induced upon AvrB-derived modification of the RPM1-interacting protein, RIN4 (for RPM1-interacting 4).

Detoxification of multiple heavy metals by a half-molecule ABC transporter, HMT-1, and coelomocytes of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Background: Developing methods for protecting organisms in metal-polluted environments is contingent upon our understanding of cellular detoxification mechanisms. In this regard, half-molecule ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters of the HMT-1 subfamily are required for cadmium (Cd) detoxification. HMTs have conserved structural architecture that distinguishes them from other ABC transporters and allows the identification of homologs in genomes of different species including humans.

Drought acclimation reduces O2*- accumulation and lipid peroxidation in wheat seedlings.

Abiotic stresses cause ROS accumulation, which is detrimental to plant growth. It is well known that acclimation of plants under mild or sub-lethal stress condition leads to development of resistance in plants to severe or lethal stress condition. The generation of ROS and subsequent oxidative damage during drought stress is well documented in the crop plants.