The continued high rates of using antibiotics in healthcare and livestock, without sufficient new compounds reaching the market, has led to a dramatic increase in antimicrobial resistance, with multidrug-resistant bacteria emerging as a major public health threat worldwide. Because the vast majority of antiinfectives are natural products or have originated from them, we assessed the predictive power of plant molecular phylogenies and species distribution modeling in the search for clades and areas which promise to provide a higher probability of delivering new antiinfective compound leads. Our approach enables taxonomically and spatially targeted bioprospecting and supports the battle against the global antimicrobial crisis.

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Two new furoquinoline alkaloids, maculine B (1) and kokusaginine B (2) and one new dihydrooxazole alkaloid, veprisazole (3), along with four known compounds namely, N13-methyl-3-methoxyrutaecarpine (4), flindersiamine (5), skimmianine (6) and tilianin (7) were isolated from the methanol extract of the stem bark of Araliopsis soyauxii Engl. by various chromatographic methods. Their structures were determined using spectrometry and spectroscopic techniques including NMR and MS. The cytotoxicity of the new compounds compared to that of doxorubicin, the reference anticancer compound, was determined on a panel of nine cancer cell lines including sensitive and drug resistant phenotypes. The three previously undescribed alkaloids displayed selective activities. Maculine B (1), the most active one among the newly described compounds, exhibited IC50 below 30 μM against CCRF-CEM leukemia and U87MG glioblastoma cells.

Twenty compounds were isolated from the hydroethanolic extract of the stems of Siolmatra brasiliensis, five flavonoids, two lignans, one glucosyl phytosterol, seven nor-cucurbitacins, one new phenolic derivative named siolmatrin (1) and four new dammarane-type saponins named siolmatrosides II-V (2–5), the structures of the compounds were assigned by means of 1D and 2D NMR experiments and HRESIMS of the natural compounds and some acetyl derivatives. The effects of the crude hydroethanolic extract (SbExt) and the ethyl acetate fraction (SbEtAc) of Siolmatra brasiliensis stems on the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) were also investigated. In the in vitro model system of protein glycation using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and glucose, addition of SbExt or SbEtAc inhibited the formation of fluorescent AGEs, in parallel to minor levels of fructosamine (SbEtAc) and markers of tyrosine and tryptophan oxidation (SbExt and SbEtAc). Protein crosslinking, which represents changes of late stages of protein glycation, was reduced in the presence of SbExt and SbEtAc. Siolmatra brasiliensis stems seem to be a promising source of compounds having ability to prevent glycoxidation changes, arising as an interesting option to be studied as a complementary therapy for complications of diabetes.

In nature, plants must respond to multiple stresses simultaneously, which likely demands cross-talk between stress-response pathways to minimize fitness costs. Here we provide genetic evidence that biotic and abiotic stress responses are differentially prioritized in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves of different ages to maintain growth and reproduction under combined biotic and abiotic stresses. Abiotic stresses, such as high salinity and drought, blunted immune responses in older rosette leaves through the phytohormone abscisic acid signaling, whereas this antagonistic effect was blocked in younger rosette leaves by PBS3, a signaling component of the defense phytohormone salicylic acid. Plants lacking PBS3 exhibited enhanced abiotic stress tolerance at the cost of decreased fitness under combined biotic and abiotic stresses. Together with this role, PBS3 is also indispensable for the establishment of salt stress- and leaf age-dependent phyllosphere bacterial communities. Collectively, our work reveals a mechanism that balances trade-offs upon conflicting stresses at the organism level and identifies a genetic intersection among plant immunity, leaf microbiota, and abiotic stress tolerance.

Little is known how patterns of cross-over (CO) numbers and distribution during meiosis are established. Here, we reveal that cyclin-dependent kinase A;1 (CDKA;1), the homolog of human Cdk1 and Cdk2, is a major regulator of meiotic recombination in Arabidopsis. Arabidopsis plants with reduced CDKA;1 activity experienced a decrease of class I COs, especially lowering recombination rates in centromere-proximal regions. Interestingly, this reduction of type I CO did not affect CO assurance, a mechanism by which each chromosome receives at least one CO, resulting in all chromosomes exhibiting similar genetic lengths in weak loss-of-function cdka;1 mutants. Conversely, an increase of CDKA;1 activity resulted in elevated recombination frequencies. Thus, modulation of CDKA;1 kinase activity affects the number and placement of COs along the chromosome axis in a dose-dependent manner.

Heteromannan (HM) is one of the most ancient cell wall polymers in the plant kingdom, consisting of β-(1–4)-linked backbones of glucose (Glc) and mannose (Man) units. Despite the widespread distribution of HM polysaccharides, their biosynthesis remains mechanistically unclear. HM is elongated by glycosyltransferases (GTs) from the cellulose synthase-like A (CSLA) family. MANNAN-SYNTHESIS RELATED (MSR) putative GTs have also been implicated in (gluco)mannan synthesis, but their roles have been difficult to decipher in planta and in vitro. To further characterize the products of the HM synthases and accessory proteins, we chose a synthetic biology approach to synthesize plant HM in yeast. The expression of a CSLA protein in Pichia pastoris led to the abundant production of plant HM: up to 30% of glycans in the yeast cell wall. Based on sequential chemical and enzymatic extractions, followed by detailed structural analyses, the newly produced HM polymers were unbranched and could be larger than 270 kDa. Using CSLAs from different species, we programmed yeast cells to produce an HM backbone composed exclusively of Man or also incorporating Glc. We demonstrate that specific MSR cofactors were indispensable for mannan synthase activity of a coffee CSLA or modulated a functional CSLA enzyme to produce glucomannan instead of mannan. Therefore, this powerful platform yields functional insight into the molecular machinery required for HM biosynthesis in plants.

In the search for bioactive natural products from the African flora, three previously undescribed compounds including one stilbene-coumarin derivative (1), one coumarin-carbinol (2) and one fatty glycoside (3) were isolated from the stem bark and leaves of Monotes kerstingii, together with sixteen known compounds (4–19). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated based on their NMR and MS spectroscopic data and by comparison of these data with those previously reported in the literature. Compounds 1–19 were screened for anthelmintic and antimicrobial activity. None of the compounds exhibited significant anthelmintic activity. However, compounds 4, 5, 8 and 14 displayed interesting antibacterial activity against B. subtilis at a concentration of 100 μM with respective inhibition percentages of 99, 79, 71 and 100%, respectively, compared to erythromycin used as positive control. In addition, at the same concentration, compound 6 showed remarkable antifungal activity against Septoria tritici with 93.6% growth inhibition and was found to be more active than the positive controls epoconazole and terbinafine displaying 76.6 and 84.3%, respectively.

Pyrofomins A-D, four polyoxygenated sesquiterpenoids have been isolated from the methanolic extract of the fruit bodies of Pyrofomes demidoffii. Their structures are elucidated by IR, HR-FTICR-MS, and 2D NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the cedrane carbon skeleton of pyrofomin A (1) is confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The sesquiterpenoids 1–4 show neither cytotoxicity against KB cells nor antimicrobial activity.

A new dihydroflavonol–flavonol biflavonoid derivative, named ericoside was isolated from the ethanol extract of the whole plant of Erica mannii along with the known flavonoid, taxifolin 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside; and two readily available sterols (sitosterol, sitosterol 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside). The isolation was performed using chromatographic methods and the structure of purified molecules were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques (e.g. MS, NMR) and by comparison with literature data. The crude ethanol extract, ericoside, and taxifolin 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside were tested against ten Gram-negative bacteria including multidrug resistant clinical isolates using a broth microdilution method. The crude ethanol extract showed no noteworthy activity. Of the purified compounds, ericoside displayed moderate activity against the resistant Escherichia coli AG100 with a MIC of 64 μg/mL.