The Formation of a Camalexin Biosynthetic Metabolon.

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) efficiently synthesizes the antifungal phytoalexin camalexin without the apparent release of bioactive intermediates, such as indole-3-acetaldoxime, suggesting that the biosynthetic pathway of this compound is channeled by the formation of an enzyme complex. To identify such protein interactions, we used two independent untargeted coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) approaches with the biosynthetic enzymes CYP71B15 and CYP71A13 as baits and determined that the camalexin biosynthetic P450 enzymes copurified with these enzymes. These interactions were confirmed by targeted co-IP and Förster resonance energy transfer measurements based on fluorescence lifetime microscopy (FRET-FLIM). Furthermore, the interaction of CYP71A13 and Arabidopsis P450 Reductase1 was observed. We detected increased substrate affinity of CYP79B2 in the presence of CYP71A13, indicating an allosteric interaction. Camalexin biosynthesis involves glutathionylation of the intermediary indole-3-cyanohydrin, which is synthesized by CYP71A12 and especially CYP71A13. FRET-FLIM and co-IP demonstrated that the glutathione transferase GSTU4, which is coexpressed with Trp- and camalexin-specific enzymes, is physically recruited to the complex. Surprisingly, camalexin concentrations were elevated in knockout and reduced in GSTU4-overexpressing plants. This shows that GSTU4 is not directly involved in camalexin biosynthesis but rather plays a role in a competing mechanism.

Analysis of Arabidopsis glutathione-transferases in yeast.

The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana encodes 54 functional glutathione transferases (GSTs), classified in seven clades. Although plant GSTs have been implicated in the detoxification of xenobiotics, such as herbicides, extensive redundancy within this large gene family impedes a functional analysis in planta. In this study, a GST-deficient yeast strain was established as a system for analyzing plant GSTs that allows screening for GST substrates and identifying substrate preferences within the plant GST family. To this end, five yeast genes encoding GSTs and GST-related proteins were simultaneously disrupted. The resulting yeast quintuple mutant showed a strongly reduced conjugation of the GST substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and 4-chloro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-Cl). Consistently, the quintuple mutant was hypersensitive to CDNB, and this phenotype was complemented by the inducible expression of Arabidopsis GSTs. The conjugating activity of the plant GSTs was assessed by in vitro enzymatic assays and via analysis of exposed yeast cells. The formation of glutathione adducts with dinitrobenzene was unequivocally verified by stable isotope labeling and subsequent accurate ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry (ICR-FTMS). Analysis of Arabidopsis GSTs encompassing six clades and 42 members demonstrated functional expression in yeast by using CDNB and NBD-Cl as model substrates. Subsequently, the established yeast system was explored for its potential to screen the Arabidopsis GST family for conjugation of the fungicide anilazine. Thirty Arabidopsis GSTs were identified that conferred increased levels of glutathionylated anilazine. Efficient anilazine conjugation was observed in the presence of the phi, tau, and theta clade GSTs including AtGSTF2, AtGSTF4, AtGSTF6, AtGSTF8, AtGSTF10, and AtGSTT2, none of which had previously been known to contribute to fungicide detoxification. ICR-FTMS analysis of yeast extracts allowed the simultaneous detection and semiquantification of anilazine conjugates as well as catabolites.

Proteomic analysis of latex from the rubber-producing plant Taraxacum brevicorniculatum.

Many plants produce latex, a specialized, metabolically active cytoplasm. This is generally regarded as a defensive trait but latex may also possess additional functions. We investigated the role of latex in the dandelion species Taraxacum brevicorniculatum that contains considerable amounts of high-quality natural rubber by carrying out a comprehensive analysis of the latex proteome. We developed reliable protocols for the preparation of protein samples for one-dimensional gel electrophoresis, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and subsequent mass spectrometry analysis, which led to 278 unique identifications. A gene ontology classification system based on comparisons with known Arabidopsis thaliana root proteins showed that dandelion proteins involved in lipid metabolism and transport were enriched in the latex proteome, whereas those involved in stress responses were not. We also found that proteins involved in rubber biosynthesis were distributed among different fractions of the latex proteome.

Laticifer-specific cis-prenyltransferase silencing affects the rubber, triterpene, and inulin content of Taraxacum brevicorniculatum.

Certain Taraxacum species, such as Taraxacum koksaghyz and Taraxacum brevicorniculatum, produce large amounts of high-quality natural rubber in their latex, the milky cytoplasm of specialized cells known as laticifers. This high-molecular mass biopolymer consists mainly of poly(cis-1,4-isoprene) and is deposited in rubber particles by particle-bound enzymes that carry out the stereospecific condensation of isopentenyl diphosphate units. The polymer configuration suggests that the chain-elongating enzyme (rubber transferase; EC 2.5.1.20) is a cis-prenyltransferase (CPT). Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of transgenic T. brevicorniculatum plants in which the expression of three recently isolated CPTs known to be associated with rubber particles (TbCPT1 to -3) was heavily depleted by laticifer-specific RNA interference (RNAi). Analysis of the CPT-RNAi plants by nuclear magnetic resonance, size-exclusion chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry indicated a significant reduction in rubber biosynthesis and a corresponding 50% increase in the levels of triterpenes and the main storage carbohydrate, inulin. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the laticifers in CPT-RNAi plants contained fewer and smaller rubber particles than wild-type laticifers. We also observed lower activity of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, the key enzyme in the mevalonate pathway, reflecting homeostatic control of the isopentenyl diphosphate pool. To our knowledge, this is the first in planta demonstration of latex-specific CPT activity in rubber biosynthesis.