Search for: All records

Abstract Eukaryotes express a multi-component fatty acid elongase to produce very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs), which are building blocks of diverse lipids. Elongation is achieved by cyclical iteration of four reactions, the first of which generates a new carbon–carbon bond, elongating the acyl-chain. This reaction is catalyzed by either ELONGATION DEFECTIVE LIKE (ELO) or 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) enzymes. Whereas plants express both ELO and KCS enzymes, other eukaryotes express only ELOs. We explored the Zea mays KCS enzymatic redundancies by expressing each of the 26 isozymes in yeast strains that lacked endogenous ELO isozymes. Expression of the 26 maize KCS isozymes in wild-type, scelo2 or scelo3 single mutants did not affect VLCFA profiles. However, a complementation screen of each of the 26 KCS isozymes revealed five that were capable of complementing the synthetically lethal scelo2; scelo3 double mutant. These rescued strains express novel VLCFA profiles reflecting the different catalytic capabilities of the KCS isozymes. These novel strains offer a platform to explore the relationship between VLCFA profiles and cellular physiology.

Abstract Nectar is a primary reward mediating plant–animal mutualisms to improve plant fitness and reproductive success. Four distinct trichomatic nectaries develop in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), one floral and three extrafloral, and the nectars they secrete serve different purposes. Floral nectar attracts bees for promoting pollination, while extrafloral nectar attracts predatory insects as a means of indirect protection from herbivores. Cotton therefore provides an ideal system for contrasting mechanisms of nectar production and nectar composition between different nectary types. Here, we report the transcriptome and ultrastructure of the four cotton nectary types throughout development and compare these with the metabolomes of secreted nectars. Integration of these datasets supports specialization among nectary types to fulfill their ecological niche, while conserving parallel coordination of the merocrine-based and eccrine-based models of nectar biosynthesis. Nectary ultrastructures indicate an abundance of rough endoplasmic reticulum positioned parallel to the cell walls and a profusion of vesicles fusing to the plasma membranes, supporting the merocrine model of nectar biosynthesis. The eccrine-based model of nectar biosynthesis is supported by global transcriptomics data, which indicate a progression from starch biosynthesis to starch degradation and sucrose biosynthesis and secretion. Moreover, our nectary global transcriptomics data provide evidence for novel metabolic processesmore »supporting de novo biosynthesis of amino acids secreted in trace quantities in nectars. Collectively, these data demonstrate the conservation of nectar-producing models among trichomatic and extrafloral nectaries.« less

The G‐protein complex is a cytoplasmic on–off molecular switch that is set by plasma membrane receptors that activate upon binding of its cognate extracellular agonist. In animals, the default setting is the “off” resting state, while in plants, the default state is constitutively “on” but repressed by a plasma membrane receptor‐like protein. De‐repression appears to involve specific phosphorylation of key elements of the G‐protein complex and possibly target proteins that are positioned downstream of this complex. To address this possibility, protein abundance and phosphorylation state are quantified in wild type and G‐protein deficient Arabidopsis roots in the unstimulated resting state. A total of 3246 phosphorylated and 8141 non‐modified protein groups are identified. It has been found that 428 phosphorylation sites decrease and 509 sites increase in abundance in the G‐protein quadrupole mutant lacking an operable G‐protein‐complex. Kinases with known roles in G‐protein signaling including MAP KINASE 6 and FERONIA are differentially phosphorylated along with many other proteins now implicated in the control of G‐protein signaling. Taken together, these datasets will enable the discovery of novel proteins and biological processes dependent on G‐protein signaling.

Nectar is the main reward that flowers offer to pollinators to entice repeated visitation.Cucurbita pepo(squash) is an excellent model for studying nectar biology, as it has large nectaries that produce large volumes of nectar relative to most other species. Squash is also monoecious, having both female and male flowers on the same plant, which allows comparative analyses of nectary function in one individual. Here, we report the nectary transcriptomes from both female and male nectaries at four stages of floral maturation. Analysis of these transcriptomes and subsequent confirmatory experiments revealed a metabolic progression in nectaries leading from starch synthesis to starch degradation and to sucrose biosynthesis. These results are consistent with previously published models of nectar secretion and also suggest how a sucrose‐rich nectar can be synthesized and secreted in the absence of active transport across the plasma membrane. Nontargeted metabolomic analyses of nectars also confidently identified 40 metabolites in both female and male nectars, with some displaying preferential accumulation in nectar of either male or female flowers. Cumulatively, this study identified gene targets for reverse genetics approaches to study nectary function, as well as previously unreported nectar metabolites that may function in plant‐biotic interactions.