Mode of Action of Jasmonates

Glutaminyl cyclases (QCs) catalyze the formation of pyroglutamic acid at the N-terminus of several peptides and proteins. On the basis of the amino acid sequence of Carica papaya QC, we identified cDNAs of the putative counterparts from Solanum tuberosum and Arabidopsis thaliana. Upon expression of the corresponding cDNAs from both plants via the secretory pathway of Pichia pastoris, two active QC proteins were isolated. The specificity of the purified proteins was assessed using various substrates with different amino acid composition and length. Highest specificities were observed with substrates possessing large hydrophobic residues adjacent to the N-terminal glutamine and for fluorogenic dipeptide surrogates. However, compared to Carica papaya QC, the specificity constants were approximately one order of magnitude lower for most of the QC substrates analyzed. The QCs also catalyzed the conversion of N-terminal glutamic acid to pyroglutamic acid, but with approximately 105- to 106-fold lower specificity. The ubiquitous distribution of plant QCs prompted a search for potential substrates in plants. Based on database entries, numerous proteins, e.g., pathogenesis-related proteins, were found that carry a pyroglutamate residue at the N-terminus, suggesting QC involvement. The putative relevance of QCs and pyroglutamic acid for plant defense reactions is discussed.

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In this study, we characterized two sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) lines with differential sensitivity to drought, the sensitive line B59 and the tolerant line B71. Using both lines, we compared the content of endogenous jasmonates (JAs) in dry and imbibed seeds from plants grown under irrigation and drought. Jasmonic acid (JA), 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA), 11-hydroxyjasmonate (11-OH-JA) and 12-hydroxyjasmonate (12-OH-JA) were detected in dry and imbibed sunflower seeds. Seeds from plants grown under drought had a lower content of total JAs and exhibited higher germination percentages than seeds from irrigated plants, demonstrating that environmental conditions have a strong influence on the progeny. OPDA and 12-OH-JA were the main compounds found in dry seeds of both lines. Imbibed seeds showed an enhanced amount of total JAs with respect to dry seeds produced by plants grown in both soil moisture conditions. Imbibition triggered a dramatic OPDA increase in the embryo, suggesting a role of this compound in germination. We conclude that JAs patterns vary during sunflower germination and that the environmental conditions experienced by the mother plant modify the hormonal content of the seed progeny.

Jasmonates are signals in plant stress responses and development. The exact mode of their action is still controversial. To modulate jasmonate levels intracellularly as well as compartment-specifically, transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plants expressing single-chain antibodies selected against the naturally occurring (3R,7R)-enantiomer of jasmonic acid (JA) were created in the cytosol and the endoplasmic reticulum. Consequently, the expression of anti-JA antibodies in planta caused JA-deficient phenotypes such as insensitivity of germinating transgenic seedlings towards methyl jasmonate and the loss of wound-induced gene expression. Results presented here suggest an essential role for cytosolic JA in the wound response of tobacco plants. The findings support the view that substrate availability takes part in regulating JA biosynthesis upon wounding. Moreover, high JA levels observed in immunomodulated plants in response to wounding suggest that tobacco plants are able to perceive a reduced level of physiologically active JA and attempt to compensate for this by increased JA accumulation.

BackgroundJasmonates are ubiquitously occurring lipid-derived compounds with signal functions in plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses, as well as in plant growth and development. Jasmonic acid and its various metabolites are members of the oxylipin family. Many of them alter gene expression positively or negatively in a regulatory network with synergistic and antagonistic effects in relation to other plant hormones such as salicylate, auxin, ethylene and abscisic acid.ScopeThis review summarizes biosynthesis and signal transduction of jasmonates with emphasis on new findings in relation to enzymes, their crystal structure, new compounds detected in the oxylipin and jasmonate families, and newly found functions.ConclusionsCrystal structure of enzymes in jasmonate biosynthesis, increasing number of jasmonate metabolites and newly identified components of the jasmonate signal-transduction pathway, including specifically acting transcription factors, have led to new insights into jasmonate action, but its receptor(s) is/are still missing, in contrast to all other plant hormones.

Jasmonate:amino acid synthetase (JAR1) is involved in the function of jasmonic acid (JA) as a plant hormone. It catalyzes the synthesis of several JA‐amido conjugates, the most important of which appears to be JA‐Ile. Structurally, JAR1 is a member of the firefly luciferase superfamily that comprises enzymes that adenylate various organic acids. This study analyzed the substrate specificity of recombinant JAR1 and determined whether it catalyzes the synthesis of mono‐ and dinucleoside polyphosphates, which are side‐reaction products of many enzymes forming acyl ∼ adenylates. Among different oxylipins tested as mixed stereoisomers for substrate activity with JAR1, the highest rate of conversion to Ile‐conjugates was observed for (±)‐JA and 9,10‐dihydro‐JA, while the rate of conjugation with 12‐hydroxy‐JA and OPC‐4 (3‐oxo‐2‐(2Z ‐pentenyl)cyclopentane‐1‐butyric acid) was only about 1–2% that for (±)‐JA. Of the two stereoisomers of JA, (−)‐JA and (+)‐JA, rate of synthesis of the former was about 100‐fold faster than for (+)‐JA. Finally, we have demonstrated that (1) in the presence of ATP, Mg2+, (−)‐JA and tripolyphosphate the ligase produces adenosine 5′‐tetraphosphate (p4A); (2) addition of isoleucine to that mixture halts the p4A synthesis; (3) the enzyme produces neither diadenosine triphosphate (Ap3A) nor diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) and (4) Ap4A cannot substitute ATP as a source of adenylate in the complete reaction that yields JA‐Ile.

There is considerable evidence suggesting that jasmonates (JAs) play a role in plant resistance against abiotic stress. It is well known that in Angiosperms JAs are involved in the defense response, however there is little information about their role in Gymnosperms. Our proposal was to study the involvement of JAs in Pinus pinaster Ait. reaction to cold and water stress, and to compare the response of two populations of different provenances (Gredos and Bajo Tiétar) to these stresses. We detected 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA), jasmonic acid (JA), and the hydroxylates 11-hydroxyjasmonate and 12-hydroxyjasmonate in foliage and shoots of P. pinaster plants. The response of the Gredos population to cold stress differed from that of Bajo Tiétar. Gredos plants showed a lower JA-basal level than Bajo Tiétar; under cold stress JA increased twofold at 72 h, while it decreased in Bajo Tiétar plants. The hydroxylates slightly increased in both populations due to cold stress treatment. Under water stress, plants from Gredos showed a remarkable JA-increase; thus the JA-response was much more prominent under water stress than under cold stress. In contrast, no change was found in JA-level in Bajo Tiétar plants under water stress. The level of JA-precursor, OPDA, was very low in control plants from Gredos and Bajo Tiétar. Under water stress OPDA increased only in plants from Bajo Tiétar. Therefore, we inform here of a different JAs-accumulation pattern after the stress treatment in P. pinaster from two provenances, and suggest a possible correlation with adaptations to diverse ecological conditions.

Previous experiments with tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Samsun NN) plants revealed that jasmonic acid methyl ester (JAME) induces the expression of a cytoplasmic/nuclear lectin in leaf cells and provided the first evidence that jasmonates affect the expression of carbohydrate-binding proteins in plant cells. To corroborate the induced accumulation of relatively large amounts of a cytoplasmic/nuclear lectin, a detailed study was performed on the induction of the lectin in both intact tobacco plants and excised leaves. Experiments with different stress factors demonstrated that the lectin is exclusively induced by exogeneously applied jasmonic acid and JAME, and to a lesser extent by insect herbivory. The lectin concentration depends on leaf age and the position of the tissue in the leaf. JAME acts systemically in intact plants but very locally in excised leaves. Kinetic analyses indicated that the lectin is synthesized within 12 h exposure time to JAME, reaching a maximum after 60 h. After removal of JAME, the lectin progressively disappears from the leaf tissue. The JAME-induced accumulation of an abundant nuclear/cytoplasmic lectin is discussed in view of the possible role of this lectin in the plant.

The accumulation of apocarotenoids in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) roots suggests a dramatic reorganization of the plastids responsible for the biosynthesis of these compounds. This review describes the cytological and biochemical characterization of this phenomenon. The results presented suggest that plastids are key organelles for the establishment of the symbiotic interface of the AM symbiosis. In addition, a complex interplay of various plant cell components during the different functional phases of this interface is suggested. Arbuscule degradation appears to be of particular interest, as it correlates with the formation of the most extensive plastid structures and with apocarotenoid accumulation.

Oxygenated polyunsaturated fatty acids synthesized via the lipoxygenase pathway play a role in plant responses to pathogen attack. In solanaceous plants, the preferential stimulation of the 9-lipoxygenase pathway in response to pathogen infection leads to the formation of the divinyl ether-containing polyunsaturated fatty acids colneleic and colnelenic acid, as well as hydroxy and trihydroxy polyunsaturated fatty acids. To functionally assess the role of divinyl ethers, transgenic potato plants were generated which express an RNA interference construct directed against the pathogen-inducible 9-divinyl ether synthase. Efficient reduction of 9-divinyl ether synthase transcript accumulation correlated with reduced levels of colneleic and colnelenic acid. However, in response to infection with virulent Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight disease, no significant differences in pathogen biomass could be detected suggesting that the levels of antimicrobial divinyl ethers are not critical for defense against Phytophthora infestans in a compatible interaction.