
Artificial condensates can boost metabolic engineering
Plant Science Research WeeklyNicotiana benthamiana is widely used to reconstruct complex, multi-step metabolic pathways for research or industrial purposes. This is enabled by rapid and high-level protein expression after agroinfiltration. Within cells, as well as membrane-bound organelles, nonmembrane-bound biomolecular condensates…

Elucidation and recreation of the biosynthetic pathway for taxol
Plant Science Research WeeklyPaclitaxel (sold as Taxol) is taxane diterpene natural product of yew trees (Taxus spp.) and a potent stabilizer of microtubules that is effective in treatment of cancers. However, it has proven difficult to elucidate its biosynthetic pathway, and commercial production still relies on extracting an…

“Tea rice”- the catechin fortified rice
Plant Science Research WeeklyRice feeds nearly half of the world population. Rice grains are rich in starch but low in micronutrients and bioactive compounds such as flavonoids. By contrast, tea leaves are rich in antioxidants such as catechins but low in calories. Zhu and colleagues combine the advantages of rice and tea by producing…

A CRISPRi library screen reveals growth-robustness tradeoffs in Synechocystis
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellMiao & Jahn et al. generated and screened a large CRISPRi-based library of Synechocystis in 11 different growth conditions to reveal growth-robustness tradeoffs and to discover genes with condition specific importance and additional functions.
https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad208
By Rui…