Evolution of folate biosynthesis and metabolism across algae and land plant lineages.

Tetrahydrofolate and its derivatives, commonly known as folates, are essential for almost all living organisms. Besides acting as one-carbon donors and acceptors in reactions producing various important biomolecules such as nucleic and amino acids, as well as pantothenate, they also supply one-carbon units for methylation reactions. Plants along with bacteria, yeast and fungi synthesize folates de novo and therefore constitute a very important dietary source of folates for animals.

Lipid Phases and Cell Geometry During the Cell Cycle of .

The coexistence of different lipid phases is well-known , but evidence for their presence and function in cellular membranes remains scarce. Using a combination of fluorescent lipid probes, we observe segregation of domains that suggests the coexistence of liquid and gel phases in the membrane of , where they are localized to minimize bending stress in the ellipsoid geometry defined by the cell wall. Gel phase lipids with high bending rigidity would be spontaneously organized at the equator where curvature is minimal, thus marking the future division site, while liquid phase membrane maps onto the oblong hemispheres.

Root Gravitropism Is Regulated by a Crosstalk between -Aminobenzoic Acid, Ethylene, and Auxin.

Plants respond to gravitational force through directional growth along the gravity vector. Although auxin is the central component of the root graviresponse, it works in concert with other plant hormones. Here, we show that the folate precursor -aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is a key modulator of the auxin-ethylene interplay during root gravitropism in Arabidopsis ().

Dihydrofolate Reductase/Thymidylate Synthase Fine-Tunes the Folate Status and Controls Redox Homeostasis in Plants.

Folates (B9 vitamins) are essential cofactors in one-carbon metabolism. Since C1 transfer reactions are involved in synthesis of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and other biomolecules, as well as in epigenetic control, folates are vital for all living organisms. This work presents a complete study of a plant (dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase) gene family that implements the penultimate step in folate biosynthesis.

LC-MS/MS versus TLC plus GC methods: Consistency of glycerolipid and fatty acid profiles in microalgae and higher plant cells and effect of a nitrogen starvation.

Methods to analyze lipidomes have considerably evolved, more and more based on mass spectrometry technics (LC-MS/MS). However, accurate quantifications using these methods require 13C-labeled standards for each lipid, which is not feasible because of the very large number of molecules. Thus, quantifications rely on standard molecules representative of a whole class of lipids, which might lead to false estimations of some molecular species.

Folates in Plants: Research Advances and Progress in Crop Biofortification.

Folates, also known as B9 vitamins, serve as donors and acceptors in one-carbon (C1) transfer reactions. The latter are involved in synthesis of many important biomolecules, such as amino acids, nucleic acids and vitamin B5. Folates also play a central role in the methyl cycle that provides one-carbon groups for methylation reactions.

C1 Metabolism Inhibition and Nitrogen Deprivation Trigger Triacylglycerol Accumulation in Cell Cultures and Highlight a Role of NPC in Phosphatidylcholine-to-Triacylglycerol Pathway.

Triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation often occurs in growth limiting conditions such as nutrient deprivations. We analyzed and compared the lipid contents of cells grown under two conditions that inhibited growth as a way to study interactions between membrane and storage lipids. In order to inhibit C1 metabolism, the first condition utilized methotrexate (MTX), a drug that inhibits methyl transfer reactions and potentially reduces Pi-choline synthesis, the polar head of phosphatidylcholine (PC).