Recent Posts

Semi-annotated metabolomics facilitates specialized metabolic gene and pathway elucidation

Anting Zhu et al. establish an approach to identify metabolites and their corresponding genes and pathways in wheat. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad286 By A. Zhu, M. Liu, Z. Tian, W. Liu, W. Chen et al.  National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Center of Plant Gene…

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…

A novel way to conduct genome wide association studies for secondary metabolites

Plants produce many specialized metabolites that are often associated with increased plant fitness. Metabolic genome wide association studies (mGWAS) identify enzymes involved in specialized metabolite biosynthesis. However, this relies on identifying metabolites from mass spectrometry data which is…

Physcomitrium patens responses to elevated CO2 and nitrogen

With atmospheric CO2 levels increasing 100 times faster than historical levels, much attention has been paid to how crop plants respond to this elevated CO2 (eCO2). For angiosperms, eCO2 leads to increased CO2 assimilation and decreased photorespiration, but over time plants can adapt, leading to lower…

UGT71L1 in Poplar Connects Salicinoid and Salicylic Acid Metabolism

Gordon et al. report that knock-out of a recently discovered enzyme for salicinoid biosynthesis in poplar leads to changes in salicylic acid and jasmonic acid metabolism and has unexpected effects on growth.. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac135 By Peter Constabel and Harley Gordon Background:…

Metabolomic selection for enhanced fruit flavor (PNAS)

Breeding for flavor in fruits and vegetables is a dauting task. For several years, scientists have relied on consumer panels and instrumental analysis to make judgment calls on the flavor phenotype to select for during a breeding process. While these methods are often accurate and reliable, they are…

Carbon flux through photosynthesis and central carbon metabolism show distinct patterns between algae, C3, and C4 plants (Nature Plants)

Photosynthesis is an attractive target for improving crop yields, and tailoring downstream photosynthesis-associated metabolism is a relatively unexplored path for achieving this. Chlorella ohadii is the fastest growing photosynthetic organism identified, has high photosynthetic rates, and can survive…