Unser 10. Leibniz Plant Biochemistry Symposium am 7. und 8. Mai war ein großer Erfolg. Thematisch ging es in diesem Jahr um neue Methoden und Forschungsansätze der Naturstoffchemie. Die exzellenten Vorträge über Wirkstoffe…
Omanische Heilpflanze im Fokus der Phytochemie IPB-Wissenschaftler und Partner aus Dhofar haben jüngst die omanische Heilpflanze Terminalia dhofarica unter die phytochemische Lupe genommen. Die Pflanze ist reich an…
Geschmack ist vorhersagbar: Mit FlavorMiner. FlavorMiner heißt das Tool, das IPB-Chemiker und Partner aus Kolumbien jüngst entwickelt haben. Das Programm kann, basierend auf maschinellem Lernen (KI), anhand der…
Nicotianamine is an important metal ligand in plants. Surprisingly, recent genome sequencing revealed that ascomycetes encode proteins with similarity to plant nicotianamine synthases (NAS). By expression in a Zn2+‐hypersensitive fission yeast mutant we show for a protein from Neurospora crassa that it indeed possesses NAS activity. Using electrospray‐ionization‐quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry we prove the formation of nicotianamine in N. crassa . Transcript level is strongly upregulated under Zn deficiency as shown by real‐time PCR. These findings demonstrate that nicotianamine is more widespread in nature than anticipated and provide further evidence for a function of nicotianamine as a cytosolic chelator of Zn2+ ions.
Publikation
Grzam, A.; Tennstedt, P.; Clemens, S.; Hell, R.; Meyer, A. J.;Vacuolar sequestration of glutathione S-conjugates outcompetes a possible degradation of the glutathione moiety by phytochelatin synthaseFEBS Lett.5806384-6390(2006)DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2006.10.050
Monochlorobimane was used as a model xenobiotic for Arabidopsis to directly monitor the compartmentation of glutathione‐bimane conjugates in situ and to quantify degradation intermediates in vitro. Vacuolar sequestration of the conjugate was very fast and outcompeted carboxypeptidation to the γ‐glutamylcysteine‐bimane intermediate (γ‐EC‐B) by phytochelatin synthase (PCS) in the cytosol. Following vacuolar sequestration, degradation proceeded to cysteine‐bimane without intermediate. Only co‐infiltration of monochlorobimane with Cd2+ and Cu2+ increased γ‐EC‐B formation to 4% and 25%, respectively, within 60 min. The role of PCS under simultaneous heavy metal stress was confirmed by investigation of different pcs1 null‐mutants. In the absence of elevated heavy metal concentrations glutathione‐conjugates are therefore first sequestered to the vacuole and subsequently degraded with the initial breakdown step being rate‐limiting.
Publikation
Cazalé, A.-C.; Clemens, S.;Arabidopsis thaliana expresses a second functional phytochelatin synthaseFEBS Lett.507215-219(2001)DOI: 10.1016/S0014-5793(01)02976-3
Phytochelatins represent a major detoxifying pathway for heavy metals in plants and many other organisms. The Arabidopsis thaliana CAD1 (=AtPCS1 ) gene encodes a phytochelatin synthase and cad1 mutants are phytochelatin deficient and cadmium hypersensitive. The Arabidopsis genome contains a highly homologous gene, AtPCS2 , of which expression and function were studied in order to understand the apparent non‐redundancy of the two genes. Low constitutive AtPCS2 expression is detected in all plant organs analyzed. The AtPCS2 gene encodes a functional phytochelatin synthase as shown by expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the complementation of a Schizosaccharomyces pombe phytochelatin synthase knockout strain.