Orosomucoid proteins limit endoplasmic reticulum stress in plants.

Sphingolipids are cell membrane components and signaling molecules that induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Orosomucoid proteins (ORMs) negatively regulate serine palmitoyltransferase activity, thus helping maintain proper sphingolipid levels in humans, yeast, and plants. In this report, we explored the roles of ORMs in regulating ER stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. Loss of ORM1 and ORM2 function caused constitutive activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), as did treatment with the ceramide synthase inhibitor Fumonisin B1 (FB1) or ceramides. FB1 treatment induced the transcription factor bZIP28 to relocate from the ER membrane to the nucleus. The transcription factor WRKY75 positively regulates the UPR and physically interacted with bZIP28. We also found that the orm mutants showed impaired ER-associated degradation (ERAD), blocking the degradation of misfolded MILDEW RESISTANCE LOCUS-O 12 (MLO-12). ORM1 and ORM2 bind to EMS-MUTAGENIZED BRI1 SUPPRESSOR 7 (EBS7), a plant-specific component of the Arabidopsis ERAD complex, and regulate its stability. These data strongly suggest that ORMs in the ER membrane play vital roles in the UPR and ERAD pathways to prevent ER stress in Arabidopsis. Our results reveal that ORMs coordinate sphingolipid homeostasis with ER quality control and play a role in stress responses.

PlantMetSuite: A User-Friendly Web-Based Tool for Metabolomics Analysis and Visualisation.

The advancement of mass spectrometry technologies has revolutionised plant metabolomics research by enabling the acquisition of raw metabolomics data. However, the identification, analysis, and visualisation of these data require specialised tools. Existing solutions lack a dedicated plant-specific metabolite database and pose usability challenges. To address these limitations, we developed PlantMetSuite, a web-based tool for comprehensive metabolomics analysis and visualisation. PlantMetSuite encompasses interactive bioinformatics tools and databases specifically tailored to plant metabolomics data, facilitating upstream-to-downstream analysis in metabolomics and supporting integrative multi-omics investigations. PlantMetSuite can be accessed directly through a user's browser without the need for installation or programming skills. The tool is freely available and will undergo regular updates and expansions to incorporate additional libraries and newly published metabolomics analysis methods. The tool's significance lies in empowering researchers with an accessible and customisable platform for unlocking plant metabolomics insights.

Arabidopsis alkaline ceramidase ACER functions in defense against insect herbivory.

Plant sphingolipids are important membrane components and bioactive molecules in development and defense responses. However, the function of sphingolipids in plant defense, especially against herbivores, is not fully understood. Here, we report that Spodoptera exigua feeding affects sphingolipid metabolism in Arabidopsis, resulting in increased levels of sphingoid long-chain bases, ceramides, and hydroxyceramides. Insect-induced ceramide and hydroxyceramide accumulation is dependent on the jasmonate signaling pathway. Loss of the Arabidopsis alkaline ceramidase ACER increases ceramides and decreases long-chain base levels in plants; in this work, we found that loss of ACER enhances plant resistance to S. exigua and improves response to mechanical wounding. Moreover, acer-1 mutants exhibited more severe root-growth inhibition and higher anthocyanin accumulation than wild-type plants in response to methyl jasmonate treatment, indicating that loss of ACER increases sensitivity to jasmonate and that ACER functions in jasmonate-mediated root growth and secondary metabolism. Transcript levels of ACER were also negatively regulated by jasmonates, and this process involves the transcription factor MYC2. Thus, our findings reveal that ACER is involved in mediating jasmonate-related plant growth and defense and that jasmonates function in regulating the expression of ACER.

Jasmonates modulate sphingolipid metabolism and accelerate cell death in the ceramide kinase mutant acd5.

Sphingolipids are structural components of the lipid bilayer that acts as signaling molecules in many cellular processes, including cell death. Ceramides, key intermediates in sphingolipid metabolism, are phosphorylated by the ceramide kinase ACCELERATED CELL DEATH5 (ACD5). The loss of ACD5 function leads to ceramide accumulation and spontaneous cell death. Here, we report that the jasmonate (JA) pathway is activated in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) acd5 mutant and that methyl JA treatment accelerates ceramide accumulation and cell death in acd5. Moreover, the double mutants of acd5 with jasmonate resistant1-1 and coronatine insensitive1-2 exhibited delayed cell death, suggesting that the JA pathway is involved in acd5-mediated cell death. Quantitative sphingolipid profiling of plants treated with methyl JA indicated that JAs influence sphingolipid metabolism by increasing the levels of ceramides and hydroxyceramides, but this pathway is dramatically attenuated by mutations affecting JA pathway proteins. Furthermore, we showed that JAs regulate the expression of genes encoding enzymes in ceramide metabolism. Together, our findings show that JAs accelerate cell death in acd5 mutants, possibly by modulating sphingolipid metabolism and increasing ceramide levels.