Publikationen - Molekulare Signalverarbeitung

For the first time in 25 years, a new pathway for biosynthesis of jasmonic acid (JA) has been identified. JA production takes place via 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) including reduction by OPDA reductases (OPRs). A loss-of-function allele, opr3-3, revealed an OPR3-independent pathway converting OPDA to JA.

Stress-induced changes in phytohormone metabolite profiles have rapid effects on plant metabolic activity and growth. The jasmonates (JAs) are a group of fatty acid-derived stress response regulators with roles in numerous developmental processes. To elucidate their dual regulatory effects, which overlap with those of other important defence-signalling plant hormones such as salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), we have developed a highly efficient single-step clean-up procedure for their enrichment from complex plant matrices that enables their sensitive quantitative analysis using hyphenated mass spectrometry technique. The rapid extraction of minute quantities of plant material (less than 20 mg fresh weight, FW) into cold 10% methanol followed by one-step reversed-phase polymer-based solid phase extraction significantly reduced matrix effects and increased the recovery of labile JA analytes. This extraction and purification protocol was paired with a highly sensitive and validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) method and used to simultaneously profile sixteen stress-induced phytohormones in minute plant material samples, including endogenous JA, several of its biosynthetic precursors and derivatives, as well as SA, ABA and IAA.

Pflanzen müssen gegen vielfältige biotische und abiotische Umwelteinflusse eine Abwehr aufbauen. Aber gleichzeitig müssen sie wachsen und sich vermehren. Jasmonate sind neben anderen Hormonen ein zentrales Signal bei der Etablierung von Abwehrmechanismen, aber auch Signal von Entwicklungsprozessen wie Blüten‐ und Trichombildung, sowie der Hemmung von Wachstum. Biosynthese und essentielle Komponenten der Signaltransduktion von JA und seinem biologisch aktiven Konjugat JA‐Ile sind gut untersucht. Der Rezeptor ist ein Proteinkomplex, der “JA‐Ile‐Wahrnehmung” mit proteasomalem Abbau von Repressorproteinen verbindet. Dadurch können positiv agierende Transkriptionsfaktoren wirksam werden und vielfältige Genexpressionsänderungen auslösen. Dies betrifft die Bildung von Abwehrproteinen, Enzymen der JA‐Biosynthese und Sekundärstoffbildung, und Proteinen von Signalketten und Entwicklungsprozessen. Die Kenntnisse zur JA‐Ile‐Wirkung werden in Landwirtschaft und Biotechnologie genutzt.

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.

Jasmonic acid (JA) is an important regulator of plant development and stress responses. Several enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of JA from α-linolenic acid have been characterized. The final biosynthesis steps are the β-oxidation of 12-oxo-phytoenoic acid. We analyzed JA biosynthesis in the Arabidopsis mutants pex6, affected in peroxisome biogenesis, and aim1, disrupted in fatty acid β-oxidation. Upon wounding, these mutants exhibit reduced JA levels compared to wild type. pex6 accumulated the precursor OPDA. Feeding experiments with deuterated OPDA substantiate this accumulation pattern, suggesting the mutants are impaired in the β-oxidation of JA biosynthesis at different steps. Decreased expression of JA-responsive genes, such as VSP1, VSP2, AtJRG21 and LOX2, following wounding in the mutants compared to the wild type reflects the reduced JA levels of the mutants. By use of these additional mutants in combination with feeding experiments, the necessity of functional peroxisomes for JA-biosynthesis is confirmed. Furthermore an essential function of one of the two multifunctional proteins of fatty acid β-oxidation (AIM1) for wound-induced JA formation is demonstrated for the first time. These data confirm that JA biosynthesis occurs via peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation machinery.