In plant cells, plastids form elongated extensions called stromules, the regulation and purposes of which remain unclear. Here, we quantitatively explore how different stromule structures serve to enhance the ability of a plastid to interact with other organelles: increasing the effective space for interaction and biomolecular exchange between organelles. Interestingly, electron microscopy and confocal imaging showed that the cytoplasm in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana epidermal cells is extremely thin (around 100 nm in regions without organelles), meaning that inter-organelle interactions effectively take place in 2D. We combine these imaging modalities with mathematical modeling and new in planta experiments to demonstrate how different stromule varieties (single or multiple, linear or branching) could be employed to optimize different aspects of inter-organelle interaction capacity in this 2D space. We found that stromule formation and branching provide a proportionally higher benefit to interaction capacity in 2D than in 3D. Additionally, this benefit depends on optimal plastid spacing. We hypothesize that cells can promote the formation of different stromule architectures in the quasi-2D cytoplasm to optimize their interaction interface to meet specific requirements. These results provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying the transition from low to high stromule numbers, the consequences for interaction with smaller organelles, how plastid access and plastid to nucleus signaling are balanced and the impact of plastid density on organelle interaction.

Hypoxia in tumors contributes to chemotherapy resistance, worsened by acidosis driven by carbonic anhydrases (hCA IX and XII). Targeting these enzymes can mitigate acidosis, thus enhancing tumor sensitivity to cytotoxic drugs. Herein, novel 4-(pyrazolyl)benzenesulfonamide ureas (SH7a−t) were developed and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against hCA IX and XII. They showed promising results (hCA IX: KI =15.9−67.6 nM, hCA XII: KI = 16.7−65.7 nM). Particularly, SH7s demonstrated outstanding activity (KIs = 15.9 nM for hCA IX and 55.2 nM for hCA XII) and minimal off-target kinase inhibition over a panel of 258 kinases. In NCI anticancer screening, SH7s exhibited broad-spectrum activity with an effective growth inhibition full panel GI50 (MG-MID) value of 3.5 μM and a subpanel GI50 (MG-MID) range of 2.4−6.3 μM. Furthermore, SH7s enhanced the efficacy of Taxol and 5-fluorouracil in cotreatment regimens under hypoxic conditions in HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells, indicating its potential as a promising anticancer agent.

Ru(II)‐arene compounds are being investigated as anticancer agents due to the biocompatibility of ruthenium and their structural diversity. Two newly synthesized Ru(II) complexes, [RuCl(η6‐p‐cymene)(3‐DNPH)] (chlorido(η6‐p‐cymene)(3‐nitrophenylhydrazine‐k2N,N′)ruthenium(II)) (1) and [RuCl(η6‐p‐cymene)(3‐CNPH)] (chlorido(3‐chlorophenylhydrazine‐k2N,N′)(η6‐p‐cymene)ruthenium(II)) (2), are experimentally (IR, NMR) and theoretically (B3LYP/6‐31+G(d,p)(H,C,N,Cl)/LanL2DZ(Ru)) characterized. Experimental and theoretical values of 1H and 13C chemical shifts and position of the most intense vibrational bands showed high correlation coefficients and low mean absolute errors, proving the predicted structure and applicability of the selected level of theory. Cell viability studies performed on MDA‐MB‐468, BT‐474, and PC3 cells using MTT and CV assay indicated the activity of the second complex similar to the activity of cisplatin towards BT‐474 breast cancer cells. The spectrofluorimetric measurements of Bovine Serum Albumin showed the binding process‘s spontaneity of complexes and protein, with a binding energy of around −30 kJ mol−1. Detailed molecular docking analysis allowed the elucidation of the binding mechanism through specific intermolecular interactions. Both compounds showed a higher affinity towards BSA than naproxen and cisplatin. Molecular docking simulations proved the spontaneity of the complexes binding to DNA. Based on these promising results, further biological examinations of these compounds are advised.Graphical Abstract The cytotoxicity, protein binding affinity, interactions with DNA, spectral and structural features of two new Ru(II) compounds, [RuCl(η6-p-cymene)(3-DNPH)] chlorido(η6-p-cymene)(3-nitrophenylhydrazine-k2N,N′)ruthenium(II) and [RuCl(η6-p-cymene)(3-CNPH)] chlorido(3-chlorophenylhydrazine-k2N,N′)(η6-p-cymene)ruthenium(II), are examined experimentally and theoretically.

The intracellular colonization of plant roots by the beneficial fungal endophyte Serendipita indica follows a biphasic strategy, including a host cell death phase that enables successful colonization of Arabidopsis thaliana roots. How host cell death is initiated and controlled is largely unknown. Here, we show that two fungal enzymes, the ecto-50-nucleotidase SiE5NT and the nuclease SiNucA, act synergistically in the apoplast at the onset of cell death to produce deoxyadenosine (dAdo). The uptake of extracellular dAdo but not the structurally related adenosine activates cell death via the equilibrative nucleoside transporter ENT3. We identified a previously uncharacterized Toll-like interleukin 1 receptor (TIR)-nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptor (NLR) protein, ISI (induced by S. indica), as an intracellular factor that affects host cell death, fungal colonization, and growth promotion. Our data show that the combined activity of two fungal apoplastic enzymes promotes the production of a metabolite that engages TIR-NLR-modulated pathways to induce plant cell death, providing a link to immunometabolism in plants.Graphical abstract

Arabidopsis primary root growth response to phosphate (Pi) deficiency is mainly controlled by changes in apoplastic iron (Fe). Upon Pi deficiency, apoplastic Fe deposition in the root apical meristem activates pathways leading to the arrest of meristem maintenance and inhibition of cell elongation. Here, we report that a member of the uncharacterized cytochrome b561 and DOMON domain (CYBDOM) protein family, named CRR, promotes iron reduction in an ascorbate-dependent manner and controls apoplastic iron deposition. Under low Pi, the crr mutant shows an enhanced reduction of primary root growth associated with increased apoplastic Fe in the root meristem and a reduction in meristematic cell division. Conversely, CRR overexpression abolishes apoplastic Fe deposition rendering primary root growth insensitive to low Pi. The crr single mutant and crr hyp1 double mutant, harboring a null allele in another member of the CYDOM family, shows increased tolerance to high-Fe stress upon germination and seedling growth. Conversely, CRR overexpression is associated with increased uptake and translocation of Fe to the shoot and results in plants highly sensitive to Fe excess. Our results identify a ferric reductase implicated in Fe homeostasis and developmental responses to abiotic stress, and reveal a biological role for CYBDOM proteins in plants.

Due to the oncoming climate changes, various environmental stresses (drought, salinity, heavy-metals, low or high temperatures, etc.) might dramatically affect crop yields and the quality of produced foods. Therefore, to meet the growing food demand of the human population, improvement of stress tolerance of the currently cultured crops is required. The knowledge of the molecular underlying mechanisms provides a versatile instrument to correct plant metabolism via chemical tools and to thereby increase their adaptive potential. This will preserve crop productivity and quality under abiotic stress conditions. Endogenously produced nitric oxide (NO) is one of the key signaling factors activating stress tolerance mechanisms in plants. Thus, the application of synthetic NO donors as stress-protective phytoeffectors might support maintaining plant growth and productivity under stressful conditions. Sydnone imines (sydnonimines) are a class of clinically established mesoionic heterocyclic NO donors which represent a promising candidate group for such phytoeffectors. Therefore, here, we provide an overview of the current progress in the application of sydnone imines as exogenous NO donors in plants, with a special emphasis on their potential as herbicides as well as herbicide antidotes, growth stimulants and stress protectors triggering plant tolerance mechanisms. We specifically address the structure–activity relationships in the context of the growth modulating activity of sydnone imines. Growth stimulating or antidote effects are typical for 4-α-hydroxybenzyl derivatives of sydnone imines containing an alkyl substituent in position N-3. The nature of the substituent of the N-6 atom has a significant influence on the activity profile and the intensity of the effect. Nevertheless, further investigations are necessary to establish reliable structure–activity relationships (SAR). Consequently, sydnone imines might be considered promising phytoeffector candidates, which are expected to exert either protective effects on plants growing under unfavorable conditions, or herbicidal ones, depending on the exact structure.

The genomes of many plants, animals, and fungi frequently comprise dispensable B chromosomes that rely upon various chromosomal drive mechanisms to counteract the tendency of non-essential genetic elements to be purged over time. The B chromosome of rye – a model system for nearly a century – undergoes targeted nondisjunction during first pollen mitosis, favouring segregation into the generative nucleus, thus increasing their numbers over generations. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying this process are poorly understood. Here, using a newly-assembled, ~430 Mb-long rye B chromosome pseudomolecule, we identify five candidate genes whose role as trans-acting moderators of the chromosomal drive is supported by karyotyping, chromosome drive analysis and comparative RNA-seq. Among them, we identify DCR28, coding a microtubule-associated protein related to cell division, and detect this gene also in the B chromosome of Aegilops speltoides. The DCR28 gene family is neo-functionalised and serially-duplicated with 15 B chromosome-located copies that are uniquely highly expressed in the first pollen mitosis of rye.

In recent years, peptides have gained significant relevance due to their therapeutic properties. The surge in peptide production and synthesis has generated vast amounts of data, enabling the creation of comprehensive databases and information repositories. Advances in sequencing techniques and artificial intelligence have further accelerated the design of tailor-made peptides. However, leveraging these techniques requires versatile and continuously updated storage systems, along with tools that facilitate peptide research and the implementation of machine learning for predictive systems. This work introduces Peptipedia v2.0, one of the most comprehensive public repositories of peptides, supporting biotechnological research by simplifying peptide study and annotation. Peptipedia v2.0 has expanded its collection by over 45% with peptide sequences that have reported biological activities. The functional biological activity tree has been revised and enhanced, incorporating new categories such as cosmetic and dermatological activities, molecular binding, and antiageing properties. Utilizing protein language models and machine learning, more than 90 binary classification models have been trained, validated, and incorporated into Peptipedia v2.0. These models exhibit average sensitivities and specificities of 0.877±0.0530 and 0.873±0.054, respectively, facilitating the annotation of more than 3.6 million peptide sequences with unknown biological activities, also registered in Peptipedia v2.0. Additionally, Peptipedia v2.0 introduces description tools based on structural and ontological properties and user-friendly machine learning tools to facilitate the application of machine learning strategies to study peptide sequences. Database URL: https://peptipedia.cl/

Herein, this work reports an efficient acephate adsorption using chitosan (CS) incorporating varying amounts of magnetite. A co-precipitation methodology was employed for the functionalization of chitosan with iron nanoparticles, using Fe2+ as the sole iron source and with a low energy requirement. The adsorbents were characterized by FTIR, XRD, VSM, and nitrogen porosimetry techniques. The CS•Fe3O4 1:1 NPs showed the highest acephate removal percentage (74.96 %) at pH 9 and ambient temperatures. The adsorption process exhibited high dependencies on pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of adsorbate, and ionic strength. Sips and pseudo-second-order kinetics models best adjusted the experimental data, suggesting that the process occurs on a heterogeneous surface. Thermodynamic evaluation showed that the adsorption was exothermic, favorable, and predominately through chemical interactions. Finally, the CS•Fe3O4 showed no significant decrease after several cycles of adsorption/desorption, avoiding centrifugation-filtration steps.

RNA‐guided endonucleases originating from the bacterial CRISPR/Cas system are a versatile tool for targeted gene editing. To determine the functional relevance of a gene of interest, deletion of the entire open reading frame (ORF) by two independent double‐strand breaks (DSBs) is particularly attractive. This strategy greatly benefits from high editing efficiency, which is strongly influenced by the Cas endonuclease version used. We developed two reporter switch‐on assays, for quantitative comparison and optimization of Cas constructs. The assays are based on four components: (i) A reporter gene, the mRNA of which carries a hairpin (HP) loop targeted by (ii) the endoribonuclease Csy4. Cleavage of the mRNA at the HP loop by Csy4 abolishes the translation of the reporter. Csy4 was used as the target for full deletion. (iii) A Cas system targeting sites flanking the Csy4 ORF with a 20‐bp spacer either side to preferentially detect full‐deletion events. Loss of functional Csy4 would lead to reporter gene expression, allowing indirect quantification of Cas‐mediated deletion events. (iv) A reference gene for normalization. We tested these assays on Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and Lotus japonicus calli induced on hypocotyl sections, using Firefly luciferase and mCitrine as reporter genes and Renilla luciferase and hygromycin phosphotransferase II as reference genes, respectively. We observed a >90% correlation between reporter expression and full Csy4 deletion events, demonstrating the validity of these assays. The principle of using the Csy4–HP module as Cas target should be applicable to other editing goals including single DSBs in all organisms.