RISC-interacting clearing 3'- 5' exoribonucleases (RICEs) degrade uridylated cleavage fragments to maintain functional RISC in .

RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) is composed of miRNAs and AGO proteins. AGOs use miRNAs as guides to slice target mRNAs to produce truncated 5' and 3' RNA fragments. The 5' cleaved RNA fragments are marked with uridylation for degradation.

A plant Bcl-2-associated athanogene is proteolytically activated to confer fungal resistance.

The Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG) family is a multifunctional group of proteins involved in numerous cellular functions ranging from apoptosis to tumorigenesis. These proteins are evolutionarily conserved and encode a characteristic region known as the BAG domain. BAGs function as adapter proteins forming complexes with signaling molecules and molecular chaperones.

Redesigning pH optimum of Geobacillus sp. TF16 endoxylanase through in silico designed DNA swapping strategy.

Thermoalkaliphilic xylanases are highly desired and of great importance due to their vast potential in paper pulp and bleaching processes. Here, we report rapid, cost-effective, and result-oriented combinatorial potential of in silico DNA swapping strategy to engineer the pH optimum of industrially crucial enzymes, particularly engineering of Geobacillus sp. TF16 endoxylanase for alkaline environments.

KETCH1 imports HYL1 to nucleus for miRNA biogenesis in .

MicroRNA (miRNA) is processed from primary transcripts with hairpin structures (pri-miRNAs) by microprocessors in the nucleus. How cytoplasmic-borne microprocessor components are transported into the nucleus to fulfill their functions remains poorly understood. Here, we report KETCH1 (karyopherin enabling the transport of the cytoplasmic HYL1) as a partner of hyponastic leaves 1 (HYL1) protein, a core component of microprocessor in and functional counterpart of DGCR8/Pasha in animals.

In vivo diagnostics of early abiotic plant stress response via Raman spectroscopy.

Development of a phenotyping platform capable of noninvasive biochemical sensing could offer researchers, breeders, and producers a tool for precise response detection. In particular, the ability to measure plant stress in vivo responses is becoming increasingly important. In this work, a Raman spectroscopic technique is developed for high-throughput stress phenotyping of plants.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated (Cas)9 protein system has emerged as a simple and efficient tool for genome editing in eukaryotic cells. It has been shown to be functional in several crop species, yet there are no reports on the application of this or any other genome editing technologies in the cotton plant. Cotton is an important crop that is grown mainly for its fiber, but its seed also serves as a useful source of edible oil and feed protein.

Response of At-expressing cotton plants to f. sp. isolates.

In our earlier investigation, we had demonstrated that transgenic cotton plants expressing At showed significant tolerance to f. sp. isolate 11 (11) and several other pathogens.

DNA methylation and gene expression regulation associated with vascularization in Sorghum bicolor.

Plant secondary cell walls constitute the majority of plant biomass. They are predominantly found in xylem cells, which are derived from vascular initials during vascularization. Little is known about these processes in grass species despite their emerging importance as biomass feedstocks.

A Versatile Approach for Site-Specific Lysine Acylation in Proteins.

Using amber suppression in coordination with a mutant pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase-tRNA pair, azidonorleucine is genetically encoded in E. coli. Its genetic incorporation followed by traceless Staudinger ligation with a phosphinothioester allows the convenient synthesis of a protein with a site-specifically installed lysine acylation.

Arabidopsis B-cell lymphoma2 (Bcl-2)-associated athanogene 7 (BAG7)-mediated heat tolerance requires translocation, sumoylation and binding to WRKY29.

To cope with stress and increased accumulation of misfolded proteins, plants and animals use a survival pathway known as the unfolded protein response (UPR) that signals between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the nucleus to maintain cell homeostasis via proper folding of proteins. B-cell lymphoma2 (Bcl-2)-associated athanogene (BAG) proteins are an evolutionarily conserved family of co-chaperones that are linked to disease states in mammals and responses to environmental stimuli (biotic and abiotic) in plants. Molecular and physiological techniques were used to functionally characterize a newly identified branch of the UPR initiated by the ER-localized co-chaperone from Arabidopsis thaliana, AtBAG7.

Enhanced limonene production in cyanobacteria reveals photosynthesis limitations.

Terpenes are the major secondary metabolites produced by plants, and have diverse industrial applications as pharmaceuticals, fragrance, solvents, and biofuels. Cyanobacteria are equipped with efficient carbon fixation mechanism, and are ideal cell factories to produce various fuel and chemical products. Past efforts to produce terpenes in photosynthetic organisms have gained only limited success.

A Cysteine-Rich Protein Kinase Associates with a Membrane Immune Complex and the Cysteine Residues Are Required for Cell Death.

Membrane-localized proteins perceive and respond to biotic and abiotic stresses. We performed quantitative proteomics on plasma membrane-enriched samples from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) treated with bacterial flagellin. We identified multiple receptor-like protein kinases changing in abundance, including cysteine (Cys)-rich receptor-like kinases (CRKs) that are up-regulated upon the perception of flagellin.

PARylation of the forkhead-associated domain protein DAWDLE regulates plant immunity.

Protein poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) primarily catalyzed by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) plays a crucial role in controlling various cellular responses. However, PARylation targets and their functions remain largely elusive. Here, we deployed an Arabidopsis protein microarray coupled with in vitro PARylation assays to globally identify PARylation targets in plants.

SERKing Coreceptors for Receptors.

Plants have evolved a large number of cell surface-resident receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and receptor-like proteins (RLPs), many of which are implicated in sensing extrinsic and intrinsic signals, and govern diverse cellular responses. The signaling pathways mediated by RLKs and RLPs converge at a small group of RLKs, somatic embryogenesis receptor kinases (SERKs), via ligand-induced heterodimerization and transphosphorylation. As shared coreceptors in diverse signaling receptorsomes, SERKs exhibit functional plasticity yet maintain a high degree of signaling specificity.

Phytoestrogens and Mycoestrogens Induce Signature Structure Dynamics Changes on Estrogen Receptor α.

Endocrine disrupters include a broad spectrum of chemicals such as industrial chemicals, natural estrogens and androgens, synthetic estrogens and androgens. Phytoestrogens are widely present in diet and food supplements; mycoestrogens are frequently found in grains. As human beings and animals are commonly exposed to phytoestrogens and mycoestrogens in diet and environment, it is important to understand the potential beneficial or hazardous effects of estrogenic compounds.

Loss-of-function of Arabidopsis receptor-like kinase BIR1 activates cell death and defense responses mediated by BAK1 and SOBIR1.

The Arabidopsis receptor-like kinase (RLK) BIR1 (BAK1-INTERACTING RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE 1) functions as a negative regulator of plant immunity. Previous work showed that loss-of-function of BIR1 leads to constitutive activation of cell death and defense responses. These autoimmune phenotypes are partially dependent on another RLK, SOBIR1.

Specific control of Arabidopsis BAK1/SERK4-regulated cell death by protein glycosylation.

Precise control of cell death is essential for the survival of all organisms. Arabidopsis thaliana BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1-associated receptor kinase 1 (BAK1) and somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase 4 (SERK4) redundantly and negatively regulate cell death through elusive mechanisms. By deploying a genetic screen for suppressors of cell death triggered by virus-induced gene silencing of BAK1/SERK4 on Arabidopsis knockout collections, we identified STT3a, a protein involved in N-glycosylation modification, as an important regulator of bak1/serk4 cell death.

Arabidopsis AGO3 predominantly recruits 24-nt small RNAs to regulate epigenetic silencing.

Argonaute (AGO) proteins recruit 21-24-nucleotide (nt) small RNAs (sRNAs) to constitute RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs) to regulate gene expression at transcriptional or posttranscriptional levels(1-3). Arabidopsis encodes nine functional AGO proteins. These proteins are classified into three clusters, AGO1/5/10, AGO2/3/7 and AGO4/6/9, based on their sequence similarity, functional redundancy, as well as species and features of AGO-bound sRNAs(4-7).

Bacterial AvrRpt2-Like Cysteine Proteases Block Activation of the Arabidopsis Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases, MPK4 and MPK11.

To establish infection, pathogens deliver effectors into host cells to target immune signaling components, including elements of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK) cascades. The virulence function of AvrRpt2, one of the first identified Pseudomonas syringae effectors, involves cleavage of the plant defense regulator, RPM1-INTERACTING PROTEIN4 (RIN4), and interference with plant auxin signaling. We show now that AvrRpt2 specifically suppresses the flagellin-induced phosphorylation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) MPK4 and MPK11 but not MPK3 or MPK6.

Transcriptional Regulation of Pattern-Triggered Immunity in Plants.

Perception of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) by cell-surface-resident pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) induces rapid, robust, and selective transcriptional reprogramming, which is central for launching effective pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) in plants. Signal relay from PRR complexes to the nuclear transcriptional machinery via intracellular kinase cascades rapidly activates primary immune response genes. The coordinated action of gene-specific transcription factors and the general transcriptional machinery contribute to the selectivity of immune gene activation.

Processing of AtBAG6 triggers autophagy and fungal resistance.

The Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG) family is an evolutionarily conserved, multifunctional group of cytoprotective co-chaperones. Using structural bioinformatic approaches we identified 7 homologs of the Arabidopsis BAG family. Evaluating knockouts in Arabidopsis of individual BAG family members, we noted that Arabidopsis BAG6 (AtBAG6) knockout lines exhibited a pronounced enhancement of susceptibility to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea.

Ligand-Induced Receptor-like Kinase Complex Regulates Floral Organ Abscission in Arabidopsis.

Abscission is a developmental process that enables plants to shed unwanted organs. In Arabidopsis, the floral organ abscission is regulated by a signaling pathway consisting of the peptide ligand IDA, the receptor-like kinases (RLKs) HAE and HSL2, and a downstream MAP kinase (MAPK) cascade. However, little is known about the molecular link between ligand-receptor pairs and intracellular signaling.

Association mapping of germinability and seedling vigor in sorghum under controlled low-temperature conditions.

Sorghum is one of the world's most important food, feed, and fiber crops as well as a potential feedstock for lignocellulosic bioenergy. Early-season planting extends sorghum's growing season and increases yield in temperate regions. However, sorghum's sensitivity to low soil temperatures adversely impacts seed germination.