Functional conservation and divergence of arabidopsis VENOSA4 and human SAMHD1 in DNA repair.

The human deoxyribonucleoside triphosphatase (dNTPase) Sterile alpha motif and histidine-aspartate domain containing protein 1 (SAMHD1) has a dNTPase-independent role in repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination (HR). Here, we show that VENOSA4 (VEN4), the probable ortholog of SAMHD1, also functions in DSB repair by HR. The loss-of-function mutants showed increased DNA ploidy and deregulated DNA repair genes, suggesting DNA damage accumulation.

Continuous-Flow Ritter Reaction for Sustainable Amide Synthesis Using a Recyclable -Phenolsulfonic Acid-Formaldehyde Resin Catalyst.

Herein, a rapid and efficient continuous-flow synthesis of amides is described. The Ritter reaction, catalyzed by a reusable solid acid catalyst composed of -phenolsulfonic acid-formaldehyde resin (PAFR II), was used to convert nitriles and alcohols to amides in up to 90% yield. The continuous-flow system facilitates short reaction times and maintains activity for several weeks.

Identification and functional analyses of drought stress resistance genes by transcriptomics of the Mongolian grassland plant Chloris virgata.

Background: Mongolian grasslands, including the Gobi Desert, have been exposed to drought conditions with few rains. In such harsh environments, plants with highly resistant abilities against drought stress survive over long periods. We hypothesized that these plants could harbor novel and valuable genes for enhancing drought stress resistance.

Girolline is a sequence context-selective modulator of eIF5A activity.

Natural products have a long history of providing probes into protein biosynthesis, with many of these compounds serving as therapeutics. The marine natural product girolline has been described as an inhibitor of protein synthesis. Its precise mechanism of action, however, has remained unknown.

Omics-based Identification of the Broader Effects of 2-hydroxyisoflavanone Synthase Gene Editing on a Gene Regulatory Network Beyond Isoflavonoid Loss in Soybean Hairy Roots.

Soybean (Glycine max) is a leguminous crop cultivated worldwide that accumulates high levels of isoflavones. Although previous research has often focused on increasing the soybean isoflavone content because of the estrogen-like activity of dietary soy in humans, the rapidly increasing demand for soybean as a plant-based meat substitute has raised concerns about excessive isoflavone intake. Therefore, the production of isoflavone-free soybean has been anticipated.

Enhanced Production of Rebaudioside D and Rebaudioside M through V155T Substitution in the Glycosyltransferase UGT91D2 from .

Steviol glycosides (SGs) are noncaloric natural sweeteners found in the leaves of stevia (). These diterpene glycosides are biosynthesized by attaching varying numbers of monosaccharides, primarily glucose, to steviol aglycone. Rebaudioside (Reb) D and Reb M are highly glucosylated SGs that are valued for their superior sweetness and organoleptic properties, yet they are present in limited quantities in stevia leaves.

Chloroplast arrangement in finger millet under low-temperature conditions.

Background: Finger millet, a C plant with mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, has been cultivated at high altitudes in the Himalayas owing to its adaptability to stressful environments. Under environmental stresses such as high light and drought, finger millet mesophyll chloroplasts move toward the bundle sheath, a phenomenon known as aggregative arrangement.

Methods: To investigate the effect of low temperatures on mesophyll chloroplast arrangement in finger millet, we conducted microscopic observations and photochemical measurements using leaves treated at different temperatures in light or darkness, with or without pharmacological inhibitors.

Enantioselective [3+2] Annulation of Aldimines with Alkynes by Scandium-Catalyzed C-H Activation.

The enantioselective [3+2] annulation of readily accessible aldimines with alkynes via C-H activation is, in principle, a straightforward and atom-efficient route for synthesizing chiral 1-aminoindenes, which are important components in a wide array of natural products, bioactive molecules, and functional materials. However, such asymmetric transformation has remained undeveloped to date due to the lack of suitable chiral catalysts. Here, we report for the first time the enantioselective [3+2] annulation of aldimines with alkynes via C-H activation using chiral half-sandwich scandium catalysts.

Identification of benzimidazole-6-carboxamide based inhibitors of secretory glutaminyl cyclase for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The formation of the pyroglutamate variant of amyloid beta (pGlu-Aβ), which is extremely hydrophobic, rapidly aggregating, and highly neurotoxic, is mediated by the action of secretory glutaminyl cyclase (sQC). The pGlu-Aβ often acts as a seed for the aggregation of the full length Aβ and contributes to the overall load of Aβ plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, inhibiting sQC is a potential approach to limit the formation of pGlu-Aβ and to modify the progression of AD.

Structure-function analysis of carrier protein-dependent 2-sulfamoylacetyl transferase in the biosynthesis of altemicidin.

The general control non-repressible 5 (GCN5)-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) SbzI, in the biosynthesis of the sulfonamide antibiotic altemicidin, catalyzes the transfer of the 2-sulfamoylacetyl (2-SA) moiety onto 6-azatetrahydroindane dinucleotide. While most GNAT superfamily utilize acyl-coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) as substrates, SbzI recognizes a carrier-protein (CP)-tethered 2-SA substrate. Moreover, SbzI is the only naturally occurring enzyme that catalyzes the direct incorporation of sulfonamide, a valuable pharmacophore in medicinal chemistry.

A Chimeric Peptide for Shielding Plant Photosynthetic Systems against Excess Light Stress via Chloroplast-Targeted ROS Quenching.

The ability to quench reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduced in plant chloroplasts under light stress conditions is essential for securing plant photosynthetic performance and agricultural yield. Although genetic engineering can enhance plant stress resistance, its widespread application faces limitations due to challenges in successful transformation across plant species and public acceptance concerns. This study proposes a nontransgenic chemical approach using a designed chimeric peptide that scavenges ROS within plant chloroplasts for managing light stress.

Violaceoid F induces nuclear translocation of FOXO3a by inhibiting CRM1 via a novel mechanism and suppresses HeLa cell growth.

FOXO3a is a transcription factor involved in cell growth inhibition and apoptosis. FOXO3a is localized in the cytoplasm in cancer cells, and its nuclear translocation by small molecules is expected to prevent cancer cell growth. In this study, we screened a fungal broth library in HeLa cells using fluorescently labeled FOXO3a and an AI-based imaging system.

The cytokinin efflux transporter ABCC4 participates in Arabidopsis root system development.

The directional and sequential flow of cytokinin in plants is organized by a complex network of transporters. Genes involved in several aspects of cytokinin transport have been characterized; however, much of the elaborate system remains elusive. In this study, we used a transient expression system in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves to screen Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transporter genes and isolated ATP-BINDING CASSETTE TRANSPORTER C4 (ABCC4).

BIL7 enhances plant growth by regulating the transcription factor BIL1/BZR1 during brassinosteroid signaling.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are plant steroid hormones that regulate plant development and environmental responses. BIL1/BZR1, a master transcription factor that regulates approximately 3000 genes in the BR signaling pathway, is transported to the nucleus from the cytosol in response to BR signaling; however, the molecular mechanism underlying this process is unknown. Here, we identify a novel BR signaling factor, BIL7, that enhances plant growth and positively regulates the nuclear accumulation of BIL1/BZR1 in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Designing strong inducible synthetic promoters in yeasts.

Inducible promoters are essential for precise control of target gene expression in synthetic biological systems. However, engineering eukaryotic promoters is often more challenging than engineering prokaryotic promoters due to their greater mechanistic complexity. In this study, we describe a simple and reliable approach for constructing strongly inducible synthetic promoters with minimum leakiness in yeasts.

A cellulose synthase-like protein governs the biosynthesis of alkaloids.

Decades of research on the infamous antinutritional steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) in Solanaceae plants have provided deep insights into their metabolism and roles. However, engineering SGAs in heterologous hosts has remained a challenge. We discovered that a protein evolved from the machinery involved in building plant cell walls is the crucial link in the biosynthesis of SGAs.

Structure-function analysis of 2-sulfamoylacetic acid synthase in altemicidin biosynthesis.

Altemicidin and its analogs are valuable sulfonamide antibiotics with valuable antitumor and antibacterial activities. Structures of altemicidin and congeners feature an unusual sulfonamide side chain. In the biosynthesis of altemicidin, the aldehyde dehydrogenase SbzJ catalyzes the conversion of 2-sulfamoylacetic aldehyde into 2-sulfamoylacetic acid, a key step in producing the sulfonamide side chain.

Intestinal butyric acid-mediated disruption of gut hormone secretion and lipid metabolism in vasopressin receptor-deficient mice.

Objectives: Arginine vasopressin (AVP), known as an antidiuretic hormone, is also crucial in metabolic homeostasis. Although AVP receptor-deficient mice exhibit various abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism, the mechanism underlying these symptoms remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the involvement of the gut hormones including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and microbiota as essential mediators.

Raman microscopy of cryofixed biological specimens for high-resolution and high-sensitivity chemical imaging.

Raman microscopy is an emerging molecular imaging technology, yet its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in measurements of biological specimens is severely limited because of the small cross section of Raman scattering. Here, we present Raman imaging techniques of cryofixed specimens to overcome SNR limitations by enabling long exposure of specimens under highly stabilized low-temperature conditions. The observation of frozen specimens in a cryostat at a constant low temperature immediately after rapid freezing enabled the improvement of SNR and enhanced the spatial and spectral resolution.

From Starfish to Gibberellins: Biosynthesis and Regulation of Plant Hormones.

I grew up with laboratory glassware and microscopes as treasures from a young age. I was a member of the Chemistry Club in junior high school, and when I visited RIKEN with club members, I wished to become an organic chemist in the future. I received my doctoral degree through the study of the spawning inhibitor of starfish.

Identification of C-mannosylation in a receptor tyrosine kinase AXL.

C-mannosylation is a unique type of glycosylation in which a mannose is added to tryptophan in a protein. However, the biological function of C-mannosylation is still largely unknown. AXL is a receptor tyrosine kinase, and its overexpression contributes to tumor malignancy.

RudLOV is an optically synchronized cargo transport method revealing unexpected effects of dynasore.

Live imaging of secretory cargoes is a powerful method for understanding the mechanisms of membrane trafficking. Inducing the synchronous release of cargoes from an organelle is key for enhancing microscopic observation. We developed an optical cargo-releasing method, 'retention using dark state of LOV2' (RudLOV), which enables precise spatial, temporal, and quantity control during cargo release.

Revealing microbial compatibility of partial nitritation/Anammox biofilm from sidestream to mainstream applications: Origins, dynamics, and interrelationships.

Biofilms offer a solution to the challenge of low biomass retention faced in mainstream partial nitritation/Anammox (PN/A) applications. In this study, a one-stage PN/A reactor derived from initial granular sludge was successfully transformed into a biofilm system using shedding carriers. Environmental stressors, such as ammonium nitrogen concentration and organic matter, significantly affected the competitive dynamics and dominant species composition between Ca.

Resilient plants, sustainable future.

The accelerated pace of climate change over the past several years should serve as a wake-up call for all scientists, farmers, and decision makers, as it severely threatens our food supply and could result in famine, migration, war, and an overall destabilization of our society. Rapid and significant changes are therefore needed in the way we conduct research on plant resilience, develop new crop varieties, and cultivate those crops in our agricultural systems. Here, we describe the main bottlenecks for these processes and outline a set of key recommendations on how to accelerate research in this critical area for our society.