A new galling insect model enhances photosynthetic activity in an obligate holoparasitic plant.

Insect-induced galls are microhabitats distinct from the outer environment that support inhabitants by providing improved nutrients, defence against enemies, and other unique features. It is intriguing as to how insects reprogram and modify plant morphogenesis. Because most of the gall systems are formed on trees, it is difficult to maintain them in laboratories and to comprehend the mechanisms operative in them through experimental manipulations.

Author Correction: Oxidative rearrangement of (+)-sesamin by CYP92B14 co-generates twin dietary lignans in sesame.

The original version of of the Supplementary Information associated with this Article inadvertently omitted oligonucleotide primer sequences from Supplementary Table 3 and Supplementary Methods describing the molecular cloning of CYP92B14, CPR1 and CYP81Q cDNA fragments. The HTML has been updated to include a corrected version of the Supplementary Information.

Oxidative rearrangement of (+)-sesamin by CYP92B14 co-generates twin dietary lignans in sesame.

(+)-Sesamin, (+)-sesamolin, and (+)-sesaminol glucosides are phenylpropanoid-derived specialized metabolites called lignans, and are rich in sesame (Sesamum indicum) seed. Despite their renowned anti-oxidative and health-promoting properties, the biosynthesis of (+)-sesamolin and (+)-sesaminol remained largely elusive. Here we show that (+)-sesamolin deficiency in sesame is genetically associated with the deletion of four C-terminal amino acids (Del4C) in a P450 enzyme CYP92B14 that constitutes a novel clade separate from sesamin synthase CYP81Q1.

Involvement of auxin dynamics in hypergravity-induced promotion of lignin-related gene expression in Arabidopsis inflorescence stems.

Recent studies have shown that hypergravity enhances lignification through up-regulation of the expression of lignin biosynthesis-related genes, although its hormonal signalling mechanism is unknown. The effects of hypergravity on auxin dynamics were examined using Arabidopsis plants that were transformed with the auxin reporter gene construct DR5::GUS. Hypergravity treatment at 300 g significantly increased β-glucuronidase activity in inflorescence stems of DR5::GUS plants, indicating that endogenous auxin accumulation was enhanced by hypergravity treatment.

Neuromedin U-induced anorexigenic action is mediated by the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor-signaling pathway in goldfish.

Our recent research has indicated that neuromedin U (NMU) orthologs exist in goldfish, and that NMU consisting of 21 amino acid residues (NMU-21) can potently inhibit food intake in goldfish, as is the case in rodents. However, the anorexigenic pathway of NMU-21 has not yet been clarified in this species. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), CRH-related peptides and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), which exert potent anorexigenic effects, are important mediators involved in feeding regulation in fish.

Localization and regulation of a facilitative urea transporter in the kidney of the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans).

Urea is the major excretory end product of nitrogen metabolism in most chelonian reptiles. In the present study, we report the isolation of a 1632 base pair cDNA from turtle kidney with one open reading frame putatively encoding a 403-residue protein, the turtle urea transporter (turtle UT). The first cloned reptilian UT has high homology with UTs (facilitated urea transporters) cloned from vertebrates, and most closely resembles the UT-A subfamily.

Cellular localization of a putative Na(+)/H (+) exchanger 3 during ontogeny in the pronephros and mesonephros of the Japanese black salamander (Hynobius nigrescens Stejneger).

The cloning of cDNA and an examination of the tissue distribution of Na(+)/H(+) exchanger 3 (NHE3) were carried out in the Japanese black salamander, Hynobius nigrescens. The cellular localization of Hynobius NHE3 was examined by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry during ontogeny in the nephron of the pronephros and mesonephros of the salamander. The partial amino acid sequence of Hynobius NHE3 was 81% and 72% identical to rat NHE3 and stingray NHE3, respectively.

Two RNA editing sites with cis-acting elements of moderate sequence identity are recognized by an identical site-recognition protein in tobacco chloroplasts.

The chloroplast genome of higher plants contains 20-40 C-to-U RNA editing sites, whose number and locations are diversified among plant species. Biochemical analyses using in vitro RNA editing systems with chloroplast extracts have suggested that there is one-to-one recognition between proteinous site recognition factors and their respective RNA editing sites, but their rigidness and generality are still unsettled. In this study, we addressed this question with the aid of an in vitro RNA editing system from tobacco chloroplast extracts and with UV-crosslinking experiments.

A simple in vitro RNA editing assay for chloroplast transcripts using fluorescent dideoxynucleotides: distinct types of sequence elements required for editing of ndh transcripts.

RNA editing is found in various transcripts from land plant chloroplasts. In tobacco chloroplasts, C-to-U conversion occurs at 36 specific sites including two sites identified in this work. Our RNA editing assay system using chloroplast extracts facilitated biochemical analyses of editing reactions but required mRNAs labeled with (32)P at specific sites.

Hypergravity stimulus enhances primary xylem development and decreases mechanical properties of secondary cell walls in inflorescence stems of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Background And Aims: The xylem plays an important role in strengthening plant bodies. Past studies on xylem formation in tension woods in poplar and also in clinorotated Prunus tree stems lead to the suggestion that changes in the gravitational conditions affect morphology and mechanical properties of xylem vessels. The aim of this study was to examine effects of hypergravity stimulus on morphology and development of primary xylem vessels and on mechanical properties of isolated secondary wall preparations in inflorescence stems of arabidopsis.

Effects of hypergravity conditions on elongation growth and lignin formation in the inflorescence stem of Arabidopsis thaliana.

The effects of hypergravity on elongation growth and lignin deposition in secondary cell walls of the Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. inflorescence stem were examined in plants grown for 3 days after exposure to hypergravity in the direction from shoot to root at 300 g for 24 h.

Chloroplast phylogeny indicates that bryophytes are monophyletic.

Opinions on the basal relationship of land plants vary considerably and no phylogenetic tree with significant statistical support has been obtained. Here, we report phylogenetic analyses using 51 genes from the entire chloroplast genome sequences of 20 representative green plant species. The analyses, using translated amino acid sequences, indicated that extant bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) form a monophyletic group with high statistical confidence and that extant bryophytes are likely sisters to extant vascular plants, although the support for monophyletic vascular plants was not strong.