Direct stimulation of NADP synthesis through Akt-mediated phosphorylation of NAD kinase.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) is essential for producing NADPH, the primary cofactor for reductive metabolism. We find that growth factor signaling through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathway induces acute synthesis of NADP and NADPH. Akt phosphorylates NAD kinase (NADK), the sole cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of NADP from NAD (the oxidized form of NADH), on three serine residues (Ser, Ser, and Ser) within an amino-terminal domain.

Love Me Not Meter: A Sensor Device for Detecting Petal Detachment Forces in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Abscission is the developmentally controlled loss of plant organs, providing diverse functions such as shedding senescent or diseased leaves, dispersing seeds, or dropping ripened fruit. This process is defined by the hydrolytic breakdown of the middle lamella in the abscission zone, allowing for organ detachment. While the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana does not undergo leaf abscission, it does have a predictable progression of floral organ abscission.