Phytochrome-interacting factors PIF4 and PIF5 directly regulate autophagy during leaf senescence in Arabidopsis.

During leaf senescence, autophagy plays a critical role by removing damaged cellular components and participating in nutrient remobilization to sink organs. However, how AUTOPHGAY (ATG) genes are regulated during natural leaf senescence remains largely unknown. In this study, we attempted to identify upstream transcriptional regulator(s) of ATGs and their molecular basis during leaf senescence in Arabidopsis through the combined analyses of promoter binding, autophagy flux, and genetic interactions.

Improvement of succinate production from methane by combining rational engineering and laboratory evolution in Methylomonas sp. DH-1.

Recently, methane has been considered a next-generation carbon feedstock due to its abundance and it is main component of shale gas and biogas. Methylomonas sp. DH-1 has been evaluated as a promising industrial bio-catalyst candidate.

ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 interacts with HISTONE DEACETYLASE 9 to suppress glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.

Glucosinolates (GSLs) are defensive secondary metabolites produced by Brassicaceae species in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. The biosynthesis of GSL compounds and the expression of GSL-related genes are highly modulated by endogenous signals (i.e.

Phytochrome phosphorylation in plant light signaling.

Plant phytochromes, renowned phosphoproteins, are red and far-red photoreceptors that regulate growth and development in response to light signals. Studies on phytochrome phosphorylation postulate that the N-terminal extension (NTE) and hinge region between N- and C-domains are sites of phosphorylation. Further studies have demonstrated that phosphorylation in the hinge region is important for regulating protein-protein interactions with downstream signaling partners, and phosphorylation in the NTE partakes in controlling phytochrome activity for signal attenuation and nuclear import.

The Roles of Circadian Clock Genes in Plant Temperature Stress Responses.

Plants monitor day length and memorize changes in temperature signals throughout the day, creating circadian rhythms that support the timely control of physiological and metabolic processes. The () transcription factors are known as master regulators for the acquisition of cold stress tolerance, whereas () is involved in plant adaptation to heat stress through thermomorphogenesis. Recent studies have shown that circadian clock genes control plant responses to temperature.

Leaky mutations in the zeaxanthin epoxidase in Capsicum annuum result in bright-red fruit containing a high amount of zeaxanthin.

Fruit color is one of the most important traits in peppers due to its esthetic value and nutritional benefits and is determined by carotenoid composition, resulting from diverse mutations of carotenoid biosynthetic genes. The EMS204 line, derived from an EMS mutant population, presents bright-red color, compared with the wild type Yuwolcho cultivar. HPLC analysis indicates that EMS204 fruit contains more zeaxanthin and less capsanthin and capsorubin than Yuwolcho.

Modulation of warm temperature-sensitive growth using a phytochrome B dark reversion variant, phyB[G515E], in Arabidopsis and rice.

Introduction: Ambient temperature-induced hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis seedlings is sensed by the epidermis-localized phytochrome B (phyB) and transduced into auxin biosynthesis via a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, phytochrome-interacting factor 4 (PIF4). Once synthesized, auxin travels down from the cotyledons to the hypocotyl, triggering hypocotyl cell elongation. Thus, the phyB-PIF4 module involved in thermosensing and signal transduction is a potential genetic target for engineering warm temperature-insensitive plants.

Regulation of Reactive Oxygen Species Promotes Growth and Carotenoid Production Under Autotrophic Conditions in .

Industrial demand for capture and utilization using microorganisms to reduce CO, a major cause of global warming, is significantly increasing. is a suitable strain for the process of converting CO into high-value materials because it can accept CO and has various metabolic pathways. However, it has been mainly studied for heterotrophic growth that uses sugars and organic acids as carbon sources, not autotrophic growth.

Protein Kinase Activity of Phytochrome A Positively Correlates With Photoresponses in Arabidopsis.

Plant phytochromes are known as autophosphorylating serine/threonine protein kinases. However, the functional importance of their kinase activity is not fully elucidated. Previously, the kinase activity is shown to be necessary for the function of phytochrome A (AsphyA) using transgenic plants with mutants displaying reduced kinase activity, such as K411L and T418D.

SlHair2 Regulates the Initiation and Elongation of Type I Trichomes on Tomato Leaves and Stems.

Trichomes are hair-like structures that are essential for abiotic and biotic stress responses. Tomato Hair (H), encoding a C2H2 zinc finger protein, was found to regulate the multicellular trichomes on stems. Here, we characterized Solyc10g078990 (hereafter Hair2, H2), its closest homolog, to examine whether it was involved in trichome development.

Photo-dependent membrane-less organelles formed from plant phyB and PIF6 proteins in mammalian cells.

Plant photobodies are the membrane-less organelles (MLOs) that can be generated by protein-protein interactions between active form of phytochrome B (phyB) and phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs). These organelles regulate plant photomorphogenesis. In this study, we developed two chimeric proteins with fluorescent proteins, phyB fused to EGFP and PIF6 fused to mCherry, and investigated their exogenous expression in mammalian cells by confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Regulation of Photomorphogenic Development by Plant Phytochromes.

Photomorphogenesis and skotomorphogenesis are two key events that control plant development, from seed germination to flowering and senescence. A group of wavelength-specific photoreceptors, E3 ubiquitin ligases, and various transcription factors work together to regulate these two critical processes. Phytochromes are the main photoreceptors in plants for perceiving red/far-red light and transducing the light signals to downstream factors that regulate the gene expression network for photomorphogenic development.

A phyB-PIF1-SPA1 kinase regulatory complex promotes photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis.

CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 (COP1) is a highly conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase from plants to animals and acts as a central repressor of photomorphogenesis in plants. SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA-105 1 family members (SPA1-SPA4) directly interact with COP1 and enhance COP1 activity. Despite the presence of a kinase domain at the N-terminus, no COP1-independent role of SPA proteins has been reported.

Arabidopsis Raf-Like Kinase Raf10 Is a Regulatory Component of Core ABA Signaling.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone essential for seed development and seedling growth under unfavorable environmental conditions. The signaling pathway leading to ABA response has been established, but relatively little is known about the functional regulation of the constituent signaling components. Here, we present several lines of evidence that Arabidopsis Raf-like kinase Raf10 modulates the core ABA signaling downstream of signal perception step.

Trehalose-6-phosphate signaling regulates thermoresponsive hypocotyl growth in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Growth plasticity is a key mechanism by which plants adapt to the ever-changing environmental conditions. Since growth is a high-energy-demanding and irreversible process, it is expected to be regulated by the integration of endogenous energy status as well as environmental conditions. Here, we show that trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) functions as a sugar signaling molecule that coordinates thermoresponsive hypocotyl growth with endogenous sugar availability.

Plant Phytochromes and their Phosphorylation.

Extensive research over several decades in plant light signaling mediated by photoreceptors has identified the molecular mechanisms for how phytochromes regulate photomorphogenic development, which includes degradation of phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs) and inactivation of COP1-SPA complexes with the accumulation of master transcription factors for photomorphogenesis, such as HY5. However, the initial biochemical mechanism for the function of phytochromes has not been fully elucidated. Plant phytochromes have long been known as phosphoproteins, and a few protein phosphatases that directly interact with and dephosphorylate phytochromes have been identified.

Expression, Purification, and Spectral Characterization of Phytochromes.

Expression and purification of recombinant proteins are important for the structure-function study of phytochromes. However, it is difficult to purify phytochrome proteins from natural sources or using a bacterial expression system, due to the presence of multiple phytochrome species and low expression and solubility, respectively. Here we describe the expression of recombinant full-length plant phytochromes in the yeast Pichia pastoris, and the spectral analysis of chromophore-assembled phytochromes before and after the purification by streptavidin affinity chromatography.

Mutation in DDM1 inhibits the homology directed repair of double strand breaks.

In all organisms, DNA damage must be repaired quickly and properly, as it can be lethal for cells. Because eukaryotic DNA is packaged into nucleosomes, the structural units of chromatin, chromatin modification is necessary during DNA damage repair and is achieved by histone modification and chromatin remodeling. Chromatin remodeling proteins therefore play important roles in the DNA damage response (DDR) by modifying the accessibility of DNA damage sites.

SOG1-dependent NAC103 modulates the DNA damage response as a transcriptional regulator in Arabidopsis.

The plant-specific transcription factor (TF) NAC103 was previously reported to modulate the unfolded protein response in Arabidopsis under endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Alternatively, we report here that NAC103 is involved in downstream signaling of SOG1, a master regulator for expression of DNA damage response (DDR) genes induced by genotoxic stress. Arabidopsis NAC103 expression was strongly induced by genotoxic stress and nac103 mutants displayed substantial inhibition of DDR gene expression after gamma radiation or radiomimetic zeocin treatment.

Shoot phytochrome B modulates reactive oxygen species homeostasis in roots via abscisic acid signaling in Arabidopsis.

Underground roots normally reside in darkness. However, they are often exposed to ambient light that penetrates through cracks in the soil layers which can occur due to wind, heavy rain or temperature extremes. In response to light exposure, roots produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) which promote root growth.

A Fungus-Inducible Pepper Carboxylesterase Exhibits Antifungal Activity by Decomposing the Outer Layer of Fungal Cell Walls.

Colletotrichum species are major fungal pathogens that cause devastating anthracnose diseases in many economically important crops. In this study, we observed the hydrolyzing activity of a fungus-inducible pepper carboxylesterase (PepEST) on cell walls of C. gloeosporioides, causing growth retardation of the fungus by blocking appressorium formation.