Recent Posts

Understanding the role of metabolites in the evolution of C4 photosynthesis

Plants that use C4 photosynthesis, whereby carbon is concentrated around RuBisCo in bundle sheath cells, have high water and nitrogen use efficiencies. Thus, understanding how C4 photosynthesis evolves is of much interest. The Flaveria genus provides a unique opportunity for this, as it contains species…

SIMPEL tool to elucidate dynamics of complex metabolism

Cellular metabolism involves flux through metabolic routes, which can be measured using stable isotope (13C,15N) tracers. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and transient isotope labeling studies offer an opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of metabolism in specific contexts. In this new…

UMAMIT44 exports plastidial glutamate and is essential for plant growth

Amino acids (AA) are fundamental components of peptides, proteins, and enzymes that play a critical role in plant growth, cellular metabolism, and stress response. Plants synthesize most AA within chloroplasts and require membrane transporters to transfer them from stroma to cytosol. Cytosolic AA are…

Branched chain amino acids accumulation contributes to drought tolerance in rice

The accumulation of metabolites such as proline as compatible osmolytes is a protective mechanism against drought stress in plants. Similarly, under drought conditions, there is an observable increase in the accumulation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including the essential amino acids isoleucine,…

Review: Strigolactones integrate metabolic and nutritional signals

Strigolactones are a class of hormones first identified in the 1960s as components of root exudates that promote germination of parasitic Striga seeds, and later as a promoter of associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Strigolactones also have endogenous roles within plants, for example as regulators…

Shedding light on Arabidopsis seed oil biosynthesis

Deslandes-Hérold et al. explore the integration of the PRK/Rubisco shunt into green embryo photosynthesis and metabolism. Gabriel Deslandes-Hérold, Melanie R. Abt, and Samuel C. Zeeman, ETH Zurich Background: Light promotes the accumulation of storage lipids during development of oilseeds with…

Nitrogen-dependent binding of the transcription factor PBF1 contributes to the balance of protein and carbohydrate storage in maize endosperm (Plant Cell)

The majority of maize endosperm is made of starch (70%) and proteins (10%) and their biosynthesis is a complex process which involves many enzymes. N-containing compounds, such as enzymes, amino acids, and nucleotides are crucial for C metabolism. Thus, when N levels are altered, the storage of proteins…

Tansley Insight: Analyzing the impact of autotrophic and heterotrophic metabolism on the nutrient regulation of TOR (New Phytol.)

A protein kinase, target of rapamycin (TOR), controls cell growth and metabolism in all eukaryotes. The role of TOR in regulating synthesis and breakdown of organic compounds in response to nutrients, hormones and cellular energy to promote growth and development is universal in autotrophs and heterotrophs.…

Biofortified tomatoes provide a new route to vitamin D sufficiency (Nature Plants)

Vitamin D deficiency in humans is correlated with malfunction of the immune system and inflammation together with cancer, Parkinson disease, depression, neurocognitive decline, dementia, and severe COVID-19 infection. In humans, exposure of the skin to UV light promotes the production of Vitamin D from…