泛肽交联酶(E2)通过苯丙氨酸解氨酶基因启动子参与水稻对紫外光的防护

迄今为止,诱导苯丙类化合物和黄酮类化合物合成并造成类黄酮的积累被认为是植物抵御紫外光的惟一主要的途径.苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)是苯丙类化合物合成的关键酶.通过体内足印试验表明,在pal-1基因启动子中有一段序列CTCCAAC从CCCCTTC可以作为顺式元件参与紫外信号的传递.为了克隆与其相对应的反式因子,我们使用了酵母单杂交体系进行筛选.在鱼饵质粒中,我们将3个拷贝的顺式元件序列串联并与酵母异细胞血红素C(CYC)基本启动子连接.将鱼饵质粒和水稻cDNA表达质粒库共同转化到同一酵母中,通过筛选鉴定,克隆到一些编码泛肽交联酶(E2)基因.氨基酸同源性分析表明,该酶E2(RE2)与其他物种的泛肽交联酶具有很高的同源性.水稻泛肽交联酶受紫外光诱导加速合成.当RE2与水稻核蛋白进行交联反应后能与pal-1基因中顺式元件CTCCAACAACCCCTTC专一结合.从这些结果可以推测水稻泛肽交联酶RE2可能通过苯丙类化合物的合成代谢参与对紫外光的防护.     

Azelaic Acid-Induced Enzymes of Phenolic Defense in Pea Roots

The treatment of pea roots with azelaic acid for 72 h led to a change in the content of 28 proteins: the content of 20 proteins decreased, and the content of 8 proteins (including the phenylpropanoid metabolism enzymes, which are involved in the synthesis of phytoalexins) increased.     

泛肽交联酶（E2）通过苯丙氨酸解氨酶基因启动子参与水稻对紫外光的防护

迄今为止,诱导苯丙类化合物和黄酮类化合物合成并造成类黄酮的积累被认为是植物抵御紫外光的惟一主要的途径。苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)是苯丙类化合物合成的关键酶。通过体内足印试验表明,在pal-1基因启动子中有一段序列CTCCAACAACCCCCTTC可以作为顺式元件参与紫外信号的传递。为了克隆与其相对应的反式因子,我们使用了酵母单杂交体系进行筛选。在鱼饵质粒中,我们将3个拷贝的顺式元件序列串联并与酵母异细胞血红素C(CYC)基本启动子连接。将鱼饵质粒和水稻cDNA表达质粒库共同转化到同一酵母中,通过筛选鉴定,克隆到一些编码泛肽交联酶(E2)基因。氨基酸同源性分析表明,该酶E2(RE2)与其他物种的泛肽交联酶具有很高的同源性。水稻泛肽交联酶受紫外光诱导加速合成。当RE2与水稻核蛋白进行交联反应后能与pal-1基因中顺式元件CTCCAACAACCCCTTC专一结合。从这些结果可以推测水稻泛肽交联酶RE2可能通过苯丙类化合物的合成代谢参与对紫外光的防护。     

Protein expression in accessions of Chinese onion with different allelopathic potentials under monocropping and intercropping systems

Protein expressions of Chinese onion accessions grown under monoculture and intercropped with cucumber were evaluated in pot experiments. Chinese onion accessions used were L04 (with weak allelopathic potential) and L06 (with strong allelopathic potential). Root proteins were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis and the variable expressed protein spots were identified with MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometer. Forty-seven identified proteins were classified into nine functional categories. Compared monocropping and intercropping, 31 identified variable protein spots were classified into energy metabolism (14 %), phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (28 %), organosulfur compounds biosynthesis (25 %), carbohydrate metabolism (10 %), fatty acid hydrogen peroxide metabolism (9 %), protein translation (3 %), other function (3 %), and no assigned function (9 %). Compared Chinese onion accessions of differing allelopathy potentials, 22 identified variable protein spots were classified into energy metabolism (18 %), phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (27 %), organosulfur compounds biosynthesis (23 %), carbohydrate metabolism (9 %), nucleosome component (4 %), other function (14 %), and no assigned function (5 %). The level of variable-expressed proteins involved in phenylpropanoid and organosulfur compounds biosynthesis significantly upregulated in treatments intercropped with cucumber. These results suggested that putative allelochemicals of Chinese onion were mainly produced by phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and organosulfur compounds biosynthesis pathway.     

The sng2 mutant of Arabidopsis is defective in the gene encoding the serine carboxypeptidase-like protein sinapoylglucose:choline sinapoyltransferase

Serine carboxypeptidase-like (SCPL) proteins have traditionally been assigned roles in the hydrolytic processing of proteins; however, several SCPL proteins have recently been identified as catalysts in transacylation reactions of plant secondary metabolism. The novel functions of these enzymes suggest a catalytic diversity for plant SCPL proteins that extends beyond simple hydrolysis reactions. Characterization of the Arabidopsis sng2 (sinapoylglucose accumulator 2) mutant has identified another SCPL protein involved in plant secondary metabolism. The sng2 mutant was isolated by screening seed extracts for altered levels of sinapate esters, a group of phenylpropanoid compounds found in Arabidopsis and some other members of the Brassicaceae. Homozygous sng2 seeds accumulate sinapoylglucose instead of sinapoylcholine, and have increased levels of choline and decreased activity of the enzyme sinapoylglucose:choline sinapoyltransferase (SCT). Cloning of the SNG2 gene by a combination of map-based and candidate gene approaches demonstrates that SCT is another member of the growing class of SCPL acyltransferases involved in plant secondary metabolism.     

Tissue-specific expression of a gene encoding a cell wall-localized lipid transfer protein from Arabidopsis.

Nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) from plants are characterized by their ability to stimulate phospholipid transfer between membranes in vitro. However, because these proteins are generally located outside of the plasma membrane, it is unlikely that they have a similar role in vivo. As a step toward identifying the function of these proteins, one of several LTP genes from Arabidoposis has been cloned and the expression pattern of the gene has been examined by analysis of the tissue specificity of beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity in transgenic plants containing LTP promoter-GUS fusions and by in situ mRNA localization. The LTP1 promoter was active early in development in protoderm cells of embryos, vascular tissues, lignified tips of cotyledons, shoot meristem, and stipules. In adult plants, the gene was expressed in epidermal cells of young leaves and the stem. In flowers, expression was observed in the epidermis of all developing influorescence and flower organ primordia, the epidermis of the siliques and the outer ovule wall, the stigma, petal tips, and floral nectaries of mature flowers, and the petal/sepal abscission zone of mature siliques. The presence of GUS activity in guard cells, lateral roots, pollen grains, leaf vascular tissue, and internal cells of stipules and nectaries was not confirmed by in situ hybridizations, supporting previous observations that suggest that the reporter gene is subject to artifactual expression. These results are consistent with a role for the LTP1 gene product in some aspect of secretion or deposition of lipophilic substances in the cell walls of expanding epidermal cells and certain secretory tissues. The LTP1 promoter region contained sequences homologous to putative regulatory elements of genes in the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway, suggesting that the expression of the LTP1 gene may be regulated by the same or similar mechanisms as genes in the phenylpropanoid pathway.     

Changes in secondary metabolism and deposition of an unusual lignin in the ref8 mutant of Arabidopsis

The end products of the phenylpropanoid pathway play important roles in plant structure and development, as well as in plant defense mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stresses. From a human perspective, phenylpropanoid pathway-derived metabolites influence both human health and the potential utility of plants in agricultural contexts. The last known enzyme of the phenylpropanoid pathway that has not been characterized is p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase (C3H). By screening for plants that fail to accumulate soluble fluorescent phenylpropanoid secondary metabolites, we have identified a number of Arabidopsis mutants that display a reduced epidermal fluorescence (ref) phenotype. We have now shown that the ref8 mutant is defective in the gene encoding C3H. Phenotypic characterization of the ref8 mutant has revealed that the lack of C3H activity in the mutant leads to diverse changes in phenylpropanoid metabolism. The ref8 mutant accumulates p-coumarate esters in place of the sinapoylmalate found in wild-type plants. The mutant also deposits a lignin formed primarily from p-coumaryl alcohol, a monomer that is at best a minor component in the lignin of other plants. Finally, the mutant displays developmental defects and is subject to fungal attack, suggesting that phenylpropanoid pathway products downstream of REF8 may be required for normal plant development and disease resistance.     

Initial evaluation of sugarcane as a production platform for p-hydroxybenzoic acid

Sugarcane (Saccharum hybrids) was evaluated as a production platform for p-hydroxybenzoic acid using two different bacterial proteins (a chloroplast-targeted version of Escherichia coli chorismate pyruvate-lyase and 4-hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA hydratase/lyase from Pseudomonas fluorescens) that both provide a one-enzyme pathway from a naturally occurring plant intermediate. The substrates for these enzymes are chorismate (a shikimate pathway intermediate that is synthesized in plastids) and 4-hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA (a cytosolic phenylpropanoid intermediate). Although both proteins have previously been shown to elevate p-hydroxybenzoic acid levels in plants, they have never been evaluated concurrently in the same laboratory. Nor are there any reports on their efficacy in stem tissue. After surveying two large populations of transgenic plants, it was concluded that the hydratase/lyase is the superior catalyst for leaf and stem tissue, and further studies focused on this pathway. p-Hydroxybenzoic acid was quantitatively converted to glucose conjugates by endogenous uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucosyltransferases and presumably stored in the vacuole. The largest amounts detected in leaf and stem tissue were 7.3% and 1.5% dry weight (DW), respectively, yet there were no discernible phenotypic abnormalities. However, as a result of diverting carbon away from the phenylpropanoid pathway, there was a severe reduction in leaf chlorogenic acid, subtle changes in lignin composition, as revealed by phloroglucinol staining, and an apparent compensatory up-regulation of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Although product accumulation in the leaves at the highest level of gene expression obtained in the present study was clearly substrate-limited, additional experiments are necessary before this conclusion can be extended to the stalk.