Volatile compound-mediated plant-plant interactions under stress with the tea plant as a model.

Plants respond to environmental stimuli via the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and neighboring plants constantly monitor and respond to these VOCs with great sensitivity and discrimination. This sensing can trigger increased plant fitness and reduce future plant damage through the priming of their own defenses. The defense mechanism in neighboring plants can either be induced by activation of the regulatory or transcriptional machinery, or it can be delayed by the absorption and storage of VOCs for the generation of an appropriate response later.

Genome-wide identification of UDP-glycosyltransferases in the tea plant () and their biochemical and physiological functions.

Tea () has been an immensely important commercially grown crop for decades. This is due to the presence of essential nutrients and plant secondary metabolites that exhibit beneficial health effects. UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) play an important role in the diversity of such secondary metabolites by catalysing the transfer of an activated sugar donor to acceptor molecules, and thereby creating a huge variety of glycoconjugates.

Acceptors and Effectors Alter Substrate Inhibition Kinetics of a Plant Glucosyltransferase NbUGT72AY1 and Its Mutants.

One of the main obstacles in biocatalysis is the substrate inhibition (SI) of enzymes that play important roles in biosynthesis and metabolic regulation in organisms. The promiscuous glycosyltransferase UGT72AY1 from is strongly substrate-inhibited by hydroxycoumarins (inhibitory constant < 20 µM), but only weakly inhibited when monolignols are glucosylated ( > 1000 µM). Apocarotenoid effectors reduce the inherent UDP-glucose glucohydrolase activity of the enzyme and attenuate the SI by scopoletin derivatives, which could also be achieved by mutations.

Apocarotenoids are allosteric effectors of a dimeric plant glycosyltransferase involved in defense and lignin formation.

Glycosyltransferases are nature's versatile tools to tailor the functionalities of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and small molecules by transferring sugars. Prominent substrates are hydroxycoumarins such as scopoletin, which serve as natural plant protection agents. Similarly, C13-apocarotenoids, which are oxidative degradation products of carotenoids/xanthophylls, protect plants by repelling pests and attracting pest predators.

Subfunctionalization of a monolignol to a phytoalexin glucosyltransferase is accompanied by substrate inhibition.

Uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) mediate the glycosylation of plant metabolites, thereby altering their physicochemical properties and bioactivities. Plants possess numerous UGT genes, with the encoded enzymes often glycosylating multiple substrates and some exhibiting substrate inhibition kinetics, but the biological function and molecular basis of these phenomena are not fully understood. The promiscuous monolignol/phytoalexin glycosyltransferase NbUGT72AY1 exhibits substrate inhibition (K) at 4 μM scopoletin, whereas the highly homologous monolignol StUGT72AY2 is inhibited at 190 μM.

Genetic optimisation of bacteria-induced calcite precipitation in Bacillus subtilis.

Background: Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is an ancient property of bacteria, which has recently gained considerable attention for biotechnological applications. It occurs as a by-product of bacterial metabolism and involves a combination of chemical changes in the extracellular environment, e.g.

Bacteria-induced mineral precipitation: a mechanistic review.

Micro-organisms contribute to Earth's mineral deposits through a process known as bacteria-induced mineral precipitation (BIMP). It is a complex phenomenon that can occur as a result of a variety of physiological activities that influence the supersaturation state and nucleation catalysis of mineral precipitation in the environment. There is a good understanding of BIMP induced by bacterial metabolism through the control of metal redox states and enzyme-mediated reactions such as ureolysis.

The heterologous production of terpenes by the thermophile Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius in a consolidated bioprocess using waste bread.

Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius is a genetically tractable thermophile that grows rapidly at elevated temperatures, with a doubling time at 65 °C comparable to the shortest doubling times of Escherichia coli. It is capable of using a wide variety of substrates, including carbohydrate oligomers, and has been developed for the industrial production of ethanol. In this study, P.

In-Depth Profiling of Calcite Precipitation by Environmental Bacteria Reveals Fundamental Mechanistic Differences with Relevance to Application.

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) has not only helped to shape our planet's geological features but is also a promising technology to address environmental concerns in civil engineering applications. However, limited understanding of the biomineralization capacity of environmental bacteria impedes application. We therefore surveyed the environment for different mechanisms of precipitation across bacteria.