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Abstract Prenylated quinones are membrane-associated metabolites that serve as vital electron carriers for respiration and photosynthesis. The UbiE (EC 2.1.1.201)/MenG (EC 2.1.1.163) C-methyltransferases catalyze pivotal ring methylations in the biosynthetic pathways of many of these quinones. In a puzzling evolutionary pattern, prokaryotic and eukaryotic UbiE/MenG homologs segregate into 2 clades. Clade 1 members occur universally in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, excluding cyanobacteria, and include mitochondrial COQ5 enzymes required for ubiquinone biosynthesis; Clade 2 members are specific to cyanobacteria and plastids. Functional complementation of an Escherichia coli ubiE/menG mutant indicated that Clade 1 members display activity with both demethylbenzoquinols and demethylnaphthoquinols, independently of the quinone profile of their original taxa, while Clade 2 members have evolved strict substrate specificity for demethylnaphthoquinols. Expression of the gene-encoding bifunctional Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) COQ5 in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis or its retargeting to Arabidopsis plastids resulted in synthesis of a methylated variant of plastoquinone-9 that does not occur in nature. Accumulation of methylplastoquinone-9 was acutely cytotoxic, leading to the emergence of suppressor mutations in Synechocystis and seedling lethality in Arabidopsis. These data demonstrate that in cyanobacteria and plastids, co-occurrence of phylloquinone and plastoquinone-9 has driven the evolution of monofunctional demethylnaphthoquinol methyltransferases and explains why plants cannot capture the intrinsic bifunctionality of UbiE/MenG to simultaneously synthesize their respiratory and photosynthetic quinones. 

Growing vegetables in controlled environments (CEs), such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and vertical structures, is a rapidly expanding industry in Florida and the United States, especially in nearby urban areas. Although lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ) is still mostly produced in fields, growing in CEs proximal to urban areas has become increasingly popular because it may facilitate reduced transportation time and associated postharvest degradation. Lettuce is among the top-most consumed vegetables in the United States and could provide some of the nutrition missing in the US diet. This research was planned to understand the levels of some vitamins that are key for human health, including vitamin E (tocopherols), vitamin K 1 (phylloquinone), and vitamin C (ascorbic acid), in lettuce grown in greenhouse hydroponics. Lettuce germplasm was grown using the hydroponic nutrient film technique system in three greenhouse experiments: at the beginning, middle, and end of the Florida, USA, growing season (from Aug 2020 to Mar 2021). Genetic variation for these vitamins were found among the germplasm tested in the four morphological types of lettuce, romaine, Boston, Latin, and leaf. In addition, a sugar analysis was conducted in this germplasm, of which fructose was the most abundant sugar. A significant genotype × environment (G × E) interaction was observed, indicating that the levels of these compounds, especially vitamins, was environment dependent. However, the presence of certain non-crossover G × E interactions indicates that selecting lettuce in a representative environment could result in new cultivars with higher vitamin content. This research marks the initial steps to improve lettuce for these vitamins, which can contribute to better health of US consumers, not for the highest amount of these compounds in lettuce but for the offset due to its high consumption. 

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is an essential component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and an important antioxidant present in all cellular membranes. CoQ deficiencies are frequent in aging and in age-related diseases, and current treatments are limited to CoQ supplementation. Strategies that rely on CoQ supplementation suffer from poor uptake and trafficking of this very hydrophobic molecule. In a previous study, the dietary flavonol kaempferol was reported to serve as a CoQ ring precursor and to increase the CoQ content in kidney cells, but neither the part of the molecule entering CoQ biosynthesis nor the mechanism were described. In this study, kaempferol labeled specifically in the B-ring was isolated from Arabidopsis plants. Kidney cells treated with this compound incorporated the B-ring of kaempferol into newly synthesized CoQ, suggesting that the B-ring is metabolized via a mechanism described in plant cells. Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid present in fruits and vegetables and possesses antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory therapeutic properties. A better understanding of the role of kaempferol as a CoQ ring precursor makes this bioactive compound a potential candidate for the design of interventions aiming to increase endogenous CoQ biosynthesis and may improve CoQ deficient phenotypes in aging and disease.