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.

Free amino acids (FAAs), the major constituents of the natural moisturizing factor (NMF), are very important for maintaining the moisture balance of human skin and their deficiency results in dry skin conditions. There is a great interest in the identification and use of nature-based sources of these molecules for such cosmeceutical applications. The objective of the present study was, therefore, to investigate the FAA contents of selected Ethiopian plant and fungi species; and select the best sources so as to use them for the stated purpose. About 59 different plant species and oyster mushroom were included in the study and the concentrations of 27 FAAs were analyzed. Each sample was collected, lyophilized, extracted using aqueous solvent, derivatized with Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl chloride (Fmoc-Cl) prior to solid-phase extraction and quantified using Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometric (LC-ESI–MS/MS) system. All the 27 FAAs were detected in most of the samples. The dominant FAAs that are part of the NMF were found at sufficiently high concentration in the mushroom and some of the plants. This indicates that FAAs that could be included in the preparations for the management of dry skin condition can be obtained from a single natural resource and the use of these resources for the specified purpose have both economic and therapeutic advantage in addition to fulfilling customer needs.

Microbial transglutaminase (MTG, EC 2.3.2.13) of Streptomyces mobaraensis is widely used in industry for its ability to synthesize isopeptide bonds between the proteinogenic side chains of glutamine and lysine. The activated wild-type enzyme irreversibly denatures at 60 °C with a pseudo-first-order kinetics and a half-life time (t1/2) of 2 min. To increase the thermoresistance of MTG for higher temperature applications, we generated 31 variants based on previous results obtained by random mutagenesis, DNA shuffling and saturation mutagenesis. The best variant TG16 with a specific combination of five of seven substitutions (S2P, S23Y, S24 N, H289Y, K294L) shows a 19-fold increased half-life at 60 °C (t1/2 = 38 min). As measured by differential scanning fluorimetry, the transition point of thermal unfolding was increased by 7.9 °C. Also for the thermoresistant variants, it was shown that inactivation process follows a pseudo-first-order reaction which is accompanied by irreversible aggregation and intramolecular self-crosslinking of the enzyme. Although the mutations are mostly located on the surface of the enzyme, kinetic constants determined with the standard substrate CBZ-Gln-Gly-OH revealed a decrease in KM from 8.6 mM (± 0.1) to 3.5 mM (± 0.1) for the recombinant wild-type MTG and TG16, respectively. The improved performance of TG16 at higher temperatures is exemplary demonstrated with the crosslinking of the substrate protein β-casein at 60 °C. Using molecular dynamics simulations, it was shown that the increased thermoresistance is caused by a higher backbone rigidity as well as increased hydrophobic interactions and newly formed hydrogen bridges.

Plant cell walls are sophisticated carbohydrate-rich structures representing the immediate contact surface with the extracellular environment, often serving as the first barrier against biotic and abiotic stresses. Notably, a variety of perturbations in plant cell walls result in upregulated jasmonate (JA) production, a phytohormone with essential roles in defense and growth responses. Hence, cell wall-derived signals can initiate intracellular JA-mediated responses and the elucidation of the underlying signaling pathways could provide novel insights into cell wall maintenance and remodeling, as well as advance our understanding on how is JA biosynthesis initiated. This Mini Review will describe current knowledge about cell wall-derived damage signals and their effects on JA biosynthesis, as well as provide future perspectives.

A new method for the determination of amino acids is presented. It combines established methods for the derivatization of primary and secondary amino groups with 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl chloride (Fmoc-Cl) with the subsequent amino acid specific detection of the derivatives by LC–ESI–MS/MS using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The derivatization proceeds within 5 min, and the resulting amino acid derivatives can be rapidly purified from matrix by solid-phase extraction (SPE) on HR-X resin and separated by reversed-phase HPLC. The Fmoc derivatives yield several amino acid specific fragment ions which opened the possibility to select amino acid specific MRM transitions. The method was applied to all 20 proteinogenic amino acids, and the quantification was performed using l-norvaline as standard. A limit of detection as low as 1 fmol/µl with a linear range of up to 125 pmol/µl could be obtained. Intraday and interday precisions were lower than 10 % relative standard deviations for most of the amino acids. Quantification using l-norvaline as internal standard gave very similar results compared to the quantification using deuterated amino acid as internal standards. Using this protocol, it was possible to record the amino acid profiles of only a single root from Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and to compare it with the amino acid profiles of 20 dissected root meristems (200 μm).

Recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) induces multiple defense mechanisms to limit pathogen growth. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis thaliana tandem zinc finger protein 9 (TZF9) is phosphorylated by PAMP-responsive mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and is required to trigger a full PAMP-triggered immune response. Analysis of a tzf9 mutant revealed attenuation in specific PAMP-triggered reactions such as reactive oxygen species accumulation, MAPK activation and, partially, the expression of several PAMP-responsive genes. In accordance with these weaker PAMP-triggered responses, tzf9 mutant plants exhibit enhanced susceptibility to virulent Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. Visualization of TZF9 localization by fusion to green fluorescent protein revealed cytoplasmic foci that co-localize with marker proteins of processing bodies (P-bodies). This localization pattern is affected by inhibitor treatments that limit mRNA availability (such as cycloheximide or actinomycin D) or block nuclear export (leptomycin B). Coupled with its ability to bind the ribohomopolymers poly(rU) and poly(rG), these results suggest involvement of TZF9 in post-transcriptional regulation, such as mRNA processing or storage pathways, to regulate plant innate immunity.

The formation of isoaspartate (isoAsp) from asparaginyl or aspartyl residues is a spontaneous post-translational modification of peptides and proteins. Due to isopeptide bond formation, the structure and possibly function of peptides and proteins is altered. IsoAsp modifications within the peptide chain have been reported for many cytosolic proteins. Amyloid peptides (Aβ) deposited in Alzheimer’s disease may carry an N-terminal isoAsp-modification. Here, we describe a quantitative investigation of isoAsp-formation from N-terminal Asn and Asp using model peptides similar to the Aβ N-terminus. The study is based on a newly developed separation of peptides using capillary electrophoresis (CE). 1H NMR was employed to validate the basic finding of N-terminal isoAsp-formation from Asp and Asn. Thereby, the isomerization of Asn at neutral pH (0.6 day−1, peptide NGEF) is approximately six times faster than that within the peptide chain (AANGEF). The difference in velocity between Asn and Asp isomerization is approximately 50-fold. In contrast to N-terminal Asn, Asp isomerization is significantly accelerated at acidic pH. The kinetic solvent isotope (kD2O/kH2O) effect of 2.46 suggests a rate-limiting proton transfer in isoAsp-formation. The proton inventory is consistent with transfer of one proton in the transition state, supporting the previous notion of rate-limiting deprotonation of the peptide backbone amide during succinimide-intermediate formation. The study provides evidence for a spontaneous N-terminal isoAsp-formation within peptides and might explain the accumulation of N-terminal isoAsp in amyloid deposits.

Covalent post-translational modification of proteins is the primary modulator of protein function in the cell. It greatly expands the functional potential of the proteome compared to the genome. In the past few years shotgun proteomics-based research, where the proteome is digested into peptides prior to mass spectrometric analysis has been prolific in this area. It has determined the kinetics of tens of thousands of sites of covalent modification on an equally large number of proteins under various biological conditions and uncovered a transiently active regulatory network that extends into diverse branches of cellular physiology. In this review, we discuss this work in light of the concept of protein speciation, which emphasizes the entire post-translationally modified molecule and its interactions and not just the modification site as the functional entity. Sometimes, particularly when considering complex multisite modification, all of the modified molecular species involved in the investigated condition, the protein species must be completely resolved for full understanding. We present a mathematical technique that delivers a good approximation for shotgun proteomics data.

Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) plants have short and long glandular trichomes. There is evidence that tobacco trichomes play several roles in the defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. cDNA libraries were constructed from control and cadmium (Cd)-treated leaf trichomes. Almost 2,000 expressed sequence tag (EST) cDNA clones were sequenced to analyze gene expression in control and Cd-treated leaf trichomes. Genes for stress response as well as for primary metabolism scored highly, indicating that the trichome is a biologically active and stress-responsive tissue. Reverse transcription–PCR (RT–PCR) analysis demonstrated that antipathogenic T-phylloplanin-like proteins, glutathione peroxidase and several classes of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins were expressed specifically or dominantly in trichomes. Cysteine-rich PR proteins, such as non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) and metallocarboxypeptidase inhibitors, are candidates for the sequestration of metals. The expression of osmotin and thaumatin-like proteins was induced by Cd treatment in both leaves and trichomes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed that glutathione levels in tip cells of both long and short trichomes were higher than those in other types of leaf cells, indicating the presence of an active sulfur-dependent protective system in trichomes. Our results revealed that the trichome-specific transcriptome approach is a powerful tool to investigate the defensive functions of trichomes against both abiotic and biotic stress. Trichomes are shown to be an enriched source of useful genes for molecular breeding towards stress-tolerant plants.

The induced defense response in plants towards herbivores is mainly regulated by jasmonates and leads to the accumulation of so-called jasmonate-induced proteins. Recently, a jasmonate (JA) inducible lectin called Nicotiana tabacum agglutinin or NICTABA was discovered in tobacco (N. tabacum cv Samsun) leaves. Tobacco plants also accumulate the lectin after insect attack by caterpillars. To study the functional role of NICTABA, the accumulation of the JA precursor 12-oxophytodienoic acid (OPDA), JA as well as different JA metabolites were analyzed in tobacco leaves after herbivory by larvae of the cotton leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis) and correlated with NICTABA accumulation. It was shown that OPDA, JA as well as its methyl ester can trigger NICTABA accumulation. However, hydroxylation of JA and its subsequent sulfation and glucosylation results in inactive compounds that have lost the capacity to induce NICTABA gene expression. The expression profile of NICTABA after caterpillar feeding was recorded in local as well as in systemic leaves, and compared to the expression of several genes encoding defense proteins, and genes encoding a tobacco systemin and the allene oxide cyclase, an enzyme in JA biosynthesis. Furthermore, the accumulation of NICTABA was quanti-fied after S. littoralis herbivory and immunofluorescence microscopy was used to study the localization of NICTABA in the tobacco leaf.