Analysis of the quadruple lsu mutant reveals molecular determinants of the role of LSU proteins in sulfur assimilation in Arabidopsis.

Because plants are immobile, they have developed intricate mechanisms to sense and absorb nutrients, adjusting their growth and development accordingly. Sulfur is an essential macroelement, but our understanding of its metabolism and homeostasis is limited. LSU (RESPONSE TO LOW SULFUR) proteins are plant-specific proteins with unknown molecular functions and were first identified during transcriptomic studies on sulfur deficiency in Arabidopsis.

Lipid droplet protein Perilipin 2 is critical for the regulation of insulin secretion through beta cell lipophagy and glucagon expression in pancreatic islets.

Knockdown (KD) of lipid droplet (LD) protein perilipin 2 (PLIN2) in beta cells impairs glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and mitochondrial function. Here, we addressed a pathway responsible for compromised mitochondrial integrity in PLIN2 KD beta cells. In PLIN2 KD human islets, mitochondria were fragmented in beta cells but not in alpha cells.

Perilipin 5 Phosphorylation is Dispensable for Upregulation of Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Genes upon Fasting but Required for Insulin Receptor Substrate 2 Expression in Male Mice.

Objective: Perilipin 5 (PLIN5) is a lipid droplet protein highly expressed in cells that actively oxidize fatty acids. Previous in vitro studies have revealed that PLIN5 phosphorylation (p-PLIN5) at serine 155 by PKA is critical for transcriptional regulation of PPARa target genes by which PLIN5 adapt cells for fatty acid oxidation. We aim to determine the extent of p-PLIN5 in vivo and the consequence of impaired PLIN5 phosphorylation in the liver by using a whole-body knock-in of phosphorylation resistant PLIN5 (SA/SA) in mice.

Exploring Endophytic Bacteria from spp. and Beneficial Traits on Pea Plants.

Endophytic microorganisms represent promising solutions to environmental challenges inherent in conventional agricultural practices. This study concentrates on the identification of endophytic bacteria isolated from the root, stem, and leaf tissues of four plant species. Sixty-one strains were isolated and sequenced by 16S rDNA.

Adaptive modifications in plant sulfur metabolism over evolutionary time.

Sulfur (S) is an essential element for life on Earth. Plants are able to take up and utilize sulfate (SO42-), the most oxidized inorganic form of S compounds on Earth, through the reductive S assimilatory pathway that couples with photosynthetic energy conversion. Organic S compounds are subsequently synthesized in plants and made accessible to animals, primarily as the amino acid methionine.

The Arabidopsis SGN3/GSO1 receptor kinase integrates soil nitrogen status into shoot development.

The Casparian strip is a barrier in the endodermal cell walls of plants that allows the selective uptake of nutrients and water. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, its development and establishment are under the control of a receptor-ligand mechanism termed the Schengen pathway. This pathway facilitates barrier formation and activates downstream compensatory responses in case of dysfunction.

The fungus Acremonium alternatum enhances salt stress tolerance by regulating host redox homeostasis and phytohormone signaling.

While endophytic fungi offer promising avenues for bolstering plant resilience against abiotic stressors, the molecular mechanisms behind this biofortification remain largely unknown. This study employed a multifaceted approach, combining plant physiology, proteomic, metabolomic, and targeted hormonal analyses to illuminate the early response of Brassica napus to Acremonium alternatum during the nascent stages of their interaction. Notably, under optimal growth conditions, the initial reaction to fungus was relatively subtle, with no visible alterations in plant phenotype and only minor impacts on the proteome and metabolome.

Transcriptional and metabolic profiling of sulfur starvation response in two monocots.

Background: Sulfur (S) is a mineral nutrient essential for plant growth and development, which is incorporated into diverse molecules fundamental for primary and secondary metabolism, plant defense, signaling, and maintaining cellular homeostasis. Although, S starvation response is well documented in the dicot model Arabidopsis thaliana, it is not clear if the same transcriptional networks control the response also in the monocots.

Results: We performed series of physiological, expression, and metabolite analyses in two model monocot species, one representing the C plants, Oryza sativa cv.

Traits linked to natural variation of sulfur content in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Sulfur (S) is an essential mineral nutrient for plant growth and development; it is important for primary and specialized plant metabolites that are crucial for biotic and abiotic interactions. Foliar S content varies up to 6-fold under a controlled environment, suggesting an adaptive value under certain natural environmental conditions. However, a major quantitative regulator of S content in Arabidopsis thaliana has not been identified yet, pointing to the existence of either additional genetic factors controlling sulfate/S content or of many minor quantitative regulators.

Shoot-root interaction in control of camalexin exudation in Arabidopsis.

Plants exude secondary metabolites from the roots to shape the composition and function of their microbiome. Many of these compounds are known for their anti-microbial activities and play a role in plant immunity, such as the indole-derived phytoalexin camalexin. Here we studied the dynamics of camalexin synthesis and exudation upon interaction of Arabidopsis thaliana with the plant growth promoting bacteria Pseudomonas sp.

Natural Variation in Gene for Mitochondrial O-Acetylserine Thiollyase Affects Sulfate Levels in Arabidopsis.

Sulfur plays a vital role in the primary and secondary metabolism of plants, and carries an important function in a large number of different compounds. Despite this importance, compared to other mineral nutrients, relatively little is known about sulfur sensing and signalling, as well as about the mechanisms controlling sulfur metabolism and homeostasis. Sulfur contents in plants vary largely not only among different species, but also among accessions of the same species.

Sulfate supplementation affects nutrient and photosynthetic status of Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum differently under prolonged exposure to cadmium.

Hydroponic experiments were performed to examine the effect of prolonged sulfate limitation combined with cadmium (Cd) exposure in Arabidopsis thaliana and a potential Cd hyperaccumulator, Nicotiana tabacum. Low sulfate treatments (20 and 40 µM MgSO) and Cd stress (4 µM CdCl) showed adverse effects on morphology, photosynthetic and biochemical parameters and the nutritional status of both species. For example, Cd stress decreased NO root content under 20 µM MgSO to approximately 50% compared with respective controls.

Measurement of flux through sulfate assimilation using [S]sulfate.

Sulfur metabolism provides a number of compounds that are essential for plant survival and fitness and that affect the yield and quality of crops. Sulfur metabolism is a dynamic process, responding to a number of external cues. Because of this dynamics and rapid turnover, steady-state levels of sulfur-containing compounds do not always fully reflect plant responses to such cues.

Integration of transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses provides insights into response mechanisms to nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies in soybean.

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are two essential plant macronutrients that can limit plant growth by different mechanisms. We aimed to shed light on how soybean respond to low nitrogen (LN), low phosphorus (LP) and their combined deficiency (LNP). Generally, these conditions triggered changes in gene expression of the same processes, including cell wall organization, defense response, response to oxidative stress, and photosynthesis, however, response was different in each condition.

Cytokinin modulates the metabolic network of sulfur and glutathione.

The phytohormone cytokinin is implicated in a range of growth, developmental, and defense processes. A growing body of evidence supports a crosstalk between cytokinin and nutrient signaling pathways, such as nitrate availability. Cytokinin signaling regulates sulfur-responsive gene expression, but the underlying molecular mechanisms and their impact on sulfur-containing metabolites have not been systematically explored.

Unique features of regulation of sulfate assimilation in monocots.

Sulfate assimilation is an essential pathway of plant primary metabolism, regulated by the demand for reduced sulfur (S). The S-containing tripeptide glutathione (GSH) is the key signal for such regulation in Arabidopsis, but little is known about the conservation of these regulatory mechanisms beyond this model species. Using two model monocot species, C3 rice (Oryza sativa) and C4Setaria viridis, and feeding of cysteine or GSH, we aimed to find out how conserved are the regulatory mechanisms described for Arabidopsis in these species.

Plant secondary metabolites altering root microbiome composition and function.

Plants share their natural environment with numerous microorganisms, commensal as well as harmful. Plant fitness and performance are thus dependent on an efficient communication with such microbiota. The primary means of communication are metabolites exuded from roots, primarily diverse secondary metabolites.

Sulfur signaling and starvation response in Arabidopsis.

As sessile organisms, plants have developed sophisticated mechanism to sense and utilize nutrients from the environment, and modulate their growth and development according to the nutrient availability. Research in the past two decades revealed that nutrient assimilation is not occurring spontaneously, but nutrient signaling networks are complexly regulated and integrate sensing and signaling, gene expression, and metabolism to ensure homeostasis and coordination with plant energy conversion and other processes. Here, we review the importance of the macronutrient sulfur (S) and compare the knowledge of S signaling with other important macronutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P).

Characterization of the amidoxime reducing components ARC1 and ARC2 from Arabidopsis thaliana.

Five molybdenum-dependent enzymes are known in eukaryotes. While four of them are under investigation since decades, the most recently discovered, (mitochondrial) amidoxime reducing component ((m)ARC), has only been characterized in mammals and the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. While mammalian mARCs have been shown to be involved in various signalling pathways, Chlamydomonas ARC was shown to be a nitric oxide (NO)-forming nitrite reductase.

Dissecting the Role of SAL1 in Metabolizing the Stress Signaling Molecule 3'-Phosphoadenosine 5'-Phosphate in Different Cell Compartments.

Plants possess the most highly compartmentalized eukaryotic cells. To coordinate their intracellular functions, plastids and the mitochondria are dependent on the flow of information to and from the nuclei, known as retrograde and anterograde signals. One mobile retrograde signaling molecule is the monophosphate 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphate (PAP), which is mainly produced from 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) in the cytosol and regulates the expression of a set of nuclear genes that modulate plant growth in response to biotic and abiotic stresses.

New insights into the evolution of SPX gene family from algae to legumes; a focus on soybean.

Background: SPX-containing proteins have been known as key players in phosphate signaling and homeostasis. In Arabidopsis and rice, functions of some SPXs have been characterized, but little is known about their function in other plants, especially in the legumes.

Results: We analyzed SPX gene family evolution in legumes and in a number of key species from algae to angiosperms.