PlantMetSuite: A User-Friendly Web-Based Tool for Metabolomics Analysis and Visualisation.

The advancement of mass spectrometry technologies has revolutionised plant metabolomics research by enabling the acquisition of raw metabolomics data. However, the identification, analysis, and visualisation of these data require specialised tools. Existing solutions lack a dedicated plant-specific metabolite database and pose usability challenges.

The Two Classes of Ceramide Synthases Play Different Roles in Plant Immunity and Cell Death.

Ceramide synthases (CSs) produce ceramides from long-chain bases (LCBs). However, how CSs regulate immunity and cell death in remains unclear. Here, we decipher the roles of two classes of CS, CSI (LAG1 HOMOLOG 2, LOH2) and CSII (LOH1/3), in these processes.

Jasmonates modulate sphingolipid metabolism and accelerate cell death in the ceramide kinase mutant acd5.

Sphingolipids are structural components of the lipid bilayer that acts as signaling molecules in many cellular processes, including cell death. Ceramides, key intermediates in sphingolipid metabolism, are phosphorylated by the ceramide kinase ACCELERATED CELL DEATH5 (ACD5). The loss of ACD5 function leads to ceramide accumulation and spontaneous cell death.

The immune components ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 and PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT 4 are required for cell death caused by overaccumulation of ceramides in Arabidopsis.

Sphingolipids have key functions in plant membrane structure and signaling. Perturbations of plant sphingolipid metabolism often induce cell death and salicylic acid (SA) accumulation; SA accumulation, in turn, promotes sphingolipid metabolism and further cell death. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

Fumonisin B1: A Tool for Exploring the Multiple Functions of Sphingolipids in Plants.

Fumonisin toxins are produced by fungal pathogens. Fumonisins are structural analogs of sphingosine and potent inhibitors of ceramide synthases (CerSs); they disrupt sphingolipid metabolism and cause disease in plants and animals. Over the past three decades, researchers have used fumonisin B1 (FB1), the most common fumonisin, as a probe to investigate sphingolipid metabolism in yeast and animals.

Autophagy in Plant Immunity.

The highly conserved catabolic process of autophagy delivers unwanted proteins or damaged organelles to vacuoles for degradation and recycling. This is essential for the regulation of cellular homeostasis, stress adaptation, and programmed cell death in eukaryotes. In particular, emerging evidence indicates that autophagy plays a multifunctional regulatory role in plant innate immunity during plant-pathogen interactions.

Loss of alkaline ceramidase inhibits autophagy in Arabidopsis and plays an important role during environmental stress response.

Sphingolipids, a class of bioactive lipids found in cell membranes, can modulate the biophysical properties of the membranes and play a critical role in signal transduction. Sphingolipids are involved in autophagy in humans and yeast, but their role in autophagy in plants is not well understood. In this study, we reported that the AtACER, an alkaline ceramidase that hydrolyses ceramide to long-chain base (LCB), functions in autophagy process in Arabidopsis.

Orosomucoid Proteins Interact with the Small Subunit of Serine Palmitoyltransferase and Contribute to Sphingolipid Homeostasis and Stress Responses in Arabidopsis.

Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), a pyridoxyl-5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme, catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step in sphingolipid biosynthesis. In humans and yeast, orosomucoid proteins (ORMs) negatively regulate SPT and thus play an important role in maintaining sphingolipid levels. Despite the importance of sphingoid intermediates as bioactive molecules, the regulation of sphingolipid biosynthesis through SPT is not well understood in plants.

A novel pyrimidin-like plant activator stimulates plant disease resistance and promotes growth.

Plant activators are chemicals that induce plant defense responses to a broad spectrum of pathogens. Here, we identified a new potential plant activator, 5-(cyclopropylmethyl)-6-methyl-2-(2-pyridyl)pyrimidin-4-ol, named PPA (pyrimidin-type plant activator). Compared with benzothiadiazole S-methyl ester (BTH), a functional analog of salicylic acid (SA), PPA was fully soluble in water and increased fresh weight of rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis plants at low concentrations.

[Study on preparation and performance of a biological carrier with tourmaline].

In order to strengthen the activity of biofilm on the carrier surface, the tourmpaline on polyurethane (TPU) carrier was prepared using waterborne polyurethane as medium. The physical properties of TPU carrier were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and water absorbency, and its effect on biofilm biomass and nitrifying ability was studied. The results showed that the tourmaline loading amount of TPU carrier can be affected by waterborne polyurethane.