Overexpression of the class D MADS-box gene Sl-AGL11 impacts fleshy tissue differentiation and structure in tomato fruits.

MADS-box transcription factors are key elements of the genetic networks controlling flower and fruit development. Among these, the class D clade gathers AGAMOUS-like genes which are involved in seed, ovule, and funiculus development. The tomato genome comprises two class D genes, Sl-AGL11 and Sl-MBP3, both displaying high expression levels in seeds and in central tissues of young fruits. The potential effects of Sl-AGL11 on fruit development were addressed through RNAi silencing and ectopic expression strategies. Sl-AGL11-down-regulated tomato lines failed to show obvious phenotypes except a slight reduction in seed size. In contrast, Sl-AGL11 overexpression triggered dramatic modifications of flower and fruit structure that include: the conversion of sepals into fleshy organs undergoing ethylene-dependent ripening, a placenta hypertrophy to the detriment of locular space, starch and sugar accumulation, and an extreme softening that occurs well before the onset of ripening. RNA-Seq transcriptomic profiling highlighted substantial metabolic reprogramming occurring in sepals and fruits, with major impacts on cell wall-related genes. While several Sl-AGL11-related phenotypes are reminiscent of class C MADS-box genes (TAG1 and TAGL1), the modifications observed on the placenta and cell wall and the Sl-AGL11 expression pattern suggest an action of this class D MADS-box factor on early fleshy fruit development.

Genome-wide identification, phylogenetic analysis, expression profiling, and protein-protein interaction properties of TOPLESS gene family members in tomato.

Members of the TOPLESS gene family emerged recently as key players in gene repression in several mechanisms, especially in auxin perception. The TOPLESS genes constitute, in 'higher-plant' genomes, a small multigenic family comprising four to 11 members. In this study, this family was investigated in tomato, a model plant for Solanaceae species and fleshy fruits. Six open reading frames predicted to encode topless-like proteins (SlTPLs) containing the canonical domains (LisH, CTLH, and two WD40 repeats) were identified in the tomato genome. Nuclear localization was confirmed for all members of the SlTPL family with the exception SlTPL6, which localized at the cytoplasm and was excluded from the nucleus. SlTPL genes displayed distinctive expression patterns in different tomato organs, with SlTPL1 showing the highest levels of transcript accumulation in all tissues tested except in ripening fruit where SlTPL3 and SlTPL4 were the most prominently expressed. To gain insight into the specificity of the different TOPLESS paralogues, a protein-protein interaction map between TOPLESS and auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) proteins was built using a yeast two-hybrid approach. The PPI map enabled the distinction of two patterns: TOPLESS isoforms interacting with the majority of Aux/IAA, and isoforms with limited capacity for interaction with these protein partners. Interestingly, evolutionary analyses of the TOPLESS gene family revealed that the highly expressed isoforms (SlTPL1, SlTPL3, and SlTPL4) corresponded to the three TPL-related genes undergoing the strongest purifying selection, while the selection was much weaker for SlTPL6, which was expressed at a low level and encoded a protein lacking the capacity to interact with Aux/IAAs.

Class I TCP in fruit development: much more than growth.

Fruit development can be viewed as the succession of three main steps consisting of the fruit initiation, growth and ripening. These processes are orchestrated by different factors, notably the successful fertilization of flowers, the environmental conditions and the hormones whose action is coordinated by a large variety of transcription factors. Among the different transcription factor families, TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1, CYCLOIDEA, PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR (TCP) family has received little attention in the frame of fruit biology despite its large effects on several developmental processes and its action as modulator of different hormonal pathways. In this respect, the comprehension of TCP functions in fruit development remains an incomplete puzzle that needs to be assembled. Building on the abundance of genomic and transcriptomic data, this review aims at collecting available TCP expression data to allow their integration in the light of the different functional genetic studies reported so far. This reveals that several Class I TCP genes, already known for their involvement in the cell proliferation and growth, display significant expression levels in developing fruit, although clear evidence supporting their functional significance in this process remains scarce. The extensive expression data compiled in our study provide convincing elements that shed light on the specific involvement of Class I TCP genes in fruit ripening, once these reproductive organs acquire their mature size. They also emphasize their putative role in the control of specific biological processes such as fruit metabolism and hormonal dialogue.

The plant short-chain dehydrogenase (SDR) superfamily: genome-wide inventory and diversification patterns.

BACKGROUND: Short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs) form one of the largest and oldest NAD(P)(H) dependent oxidoreductase families. Despite a conserved 'Rossmann-fold' structure, members of the SDR superfamily exhibit low sequence similarities, which constituted a bottleneck in terms of identification. Recent classification methods, relying on hidden-Markov models (HMMs), improved identification and enabled the construction of a nomenclature. However, functional annotations of plant SDRs remain scarce. RESULTS: Wide-scale analyses were performed on ten plant genomes. The combination of hidden Markov model (HMM) based analyses and similarity searches led to the construction of an exhaustive inventory of plant SDR. With 68 to 315 members found in each analysed genome, the inventory confirmed the over-representation of SDRs in plants compared to animals, fungi and prokaryotes. The plant SDRs were first classified into three major types - 'classical', 'extended' and 'divergent' - but a minority (10% of the predicted SDRs) could not be classified into these general types ('unknown' or 'atypical' types). In a second step, we could categorize the vast majority of land plant SDRs into a set of 49 families. Out of these 49 families, 35 appeared early during evolution since they are commonly found through all the Green Lineage. Yet, some SDR families - tropinone reductase-like proteins (SDR65C), 'ABA2-like'-NAD dehydrogenase (SDR110C), 'salutaridine/menthone-reductase-like' proteins (SDR114C), 'dihydroflavonol 4-reductase'-like proteins (SDR108E) and 'isoflavone-reductase-like' (SDR460A) proteins - have undergone significant functional diversification within vascular plants since they diverged from Bryophytes. Interestingly, these diversified families are either involved in the secondary metabolism routes (terpenoids, alkaloids, phenolics) or participate in developmental processes (hormone biosynthesis or catabolism, flower development), in opposition to SDR families involved in primary metabolism which are poorly diversified. CONCLUSION: The application of HMMs to plant genomes enabled us to identify 49 families that encompass all Angiosperms ('higher plants') SDRs, each family being sufficiently conserved to enable simpler analyses based only on overall sequence similarity. The multiplicity of SDRs in plant kingdom is mainly explained by the diversification of large families involved in different secondary metabolism pathways, suggesting that the chemical diversification that accompanied the emergence of vascular plants acted as a driving force for SDR evolution.

Interaction of two MADS-box genes leads to growth phenotype divergence of all-flesh type of tomatoes.

All-flesh tomato cultivars are devoid of locular gel and exhibit enhanced firmness and improved postharvest storage. Here, we show that SlMBP3 is a master regulator of locular tissue in tomato fruit and that a deletion at the gene locus underpins the All-flesh trait. Intriguingly, All-flesh varieties lack the deleterious phenotypes reported previously for SlMBP3 under-expressing lines and which preclude any potential commercial use. We resolve the causal factor for this phenotypic divergence through the discovery of a natural mutation at the SlAGL11 locus, a close homolog of SlMBP3. Misexpressing SlMBP3 impairs locular gel formation through massive transcriptomic reprogramming at initial phases of fruit development. SlMBP3 influences locule gel formation by controlling cell cycle and cell expansion genes, indicating that important components of fruit softening are determined at early pre-ripening stages. Our findings define potential breeding targets for improved texture in tomato and possibly other fleshy fruits.

Identification and characterization of plant glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase.

GPX-PDE (glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase; EC 3.1.4.46) is a relatively poorly characterized enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of various glycerophosphodiesters (glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoethanolamine, glycerophosphoglycerol, glycerophosphoserine and bis-glycerophosphoglycerol), releasing sn-glycerol 3-phosphate and the corresponding alcohol. In a previous study, we demonstrated the existence of a novel GPX-PDE in the cell walls and vacuoles of plant cells. Since no GPX-PDE had been identified in any plant organism, the purification of GPX-PDE from carrot cell walls was attempted. After extraction of cell wall proteins from carrot cell suspension cultures with CaCl2, GPX-PDE was purified up to 2700-fold using, successively, ammonium sulphate precipitation, gel filtration and concanavalin A-Sepharose. Internal sequence analysis of a 55 kDa protein identified in the extract following 2700-fold purification revealed strong similarity to the primary sequence of GLPQ, a bacterial GPX-PDE. To confirm the identity of plant GPX-PDE, an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA similar to that encoding the bacterial GPX-PDE was cloned and overexpressed in a bacterial expression system, and was used to raise antibodies against the putative Arabidopsis thaliana GPX-PDE. Immunochemical assays performed on carrot cell wall proteins extracted by CaCl2 treatment showed a strong correlation between GPX-PDE activity and detection of the 55 kDa protein, validating the identity of the plant GPX-PDE. Finally, various properties of the purified enzyme were investigated. GPX-PDE is a multimeric enzyme, specific for glycerophosphodiesters, exhibiting a K(m) of 36 microM for glycerophosphocholine and active within a wide pH range (from 4 to 10). Since these properties are similar to those of GLPQ, the bacterial GPX-PDE, the similarities between plant and bacterial enzymes are also discussed.

Functional characterization of SlscADH1, a fruit-ripening-associated short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase of tomato.

A tomato short-chain dehydrogenase-reductase (SlscADH1) is preferentially expressed in fruit with a maximum expression at the breaker stage while expression in roots, stems, leaves and flowers is very weak. It represents a potential candidate for the formation of aroma volatiles by interconverting alcohols and aldehydes. The SlscADH1 recombinant protein produced in Escherichia coli exhibited dehydrogenase-reductase activity towards several volatile compounds present in tomato flavour with a strong preference for the NAD/NADH co-factors. The strongest activity was observed for the reduction of hexanal (K(m)=0.175mM) and phenylacetaldehyde (K(m)=0.375mM) in the presence of NADH. The oxidation process of hexanol and 1-phenylethanol was much less efficient (K(m)s of 2.9 and 23.0mM, respectively), indicating that the enzyme preferentially acts as a reductase. However activity was observed only for hexanal, phenylacetaldehyde, (E)-2-hexenal and acetaldehyde and the corresponding alcohols. No activity could be detected for other aroma volatiles important for tomato flavour, such as methyl-butanol/methyl-butanal, 5-methyl-6-hepten-2-one/5-methyl-6-hepten-2-ol, citronellal/citronellol, neral/nerol, geraniol. In order to assess the function of the SlscADH1 gene, transgenic plants have been generated using the technique of RNA interference (RNAi). Constitutive down-regulation using the 35S promoter resulted in the generation of dwarf plants, indicating that the SlscADH1 gene, although weakly expressed in vegetative tissues, had a function in regulating plant development. Fruit-specific down-regulation using the 2A11 promoter had no morphogenetic effect and did not alter the aldehyde/alcohol balance of the volatiles compounds produced by the fruit. Nevertheless, SlscADH1-inhibited fruit unexpectedly accumulated higher concentrations of C5 and C6 volatile compounds of the lipoxygenase pathway, possibly as an indirect effect of the suppression of SlscADH1 on the catabolism of phospholipids and/or integrity of membranes.

Predicting the substrate specificity of a glycosyltransferase implicated in the production of phenolic volatiles in tomato fruit.

The volatile compounds that constitute the fruit aroma of ripe tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) are often sequestered in glycosylated form. A homology-based screen was used to identify the gene SlUGT5, which is a member of UDP-glycosyltransferase 72 family and shows specificity towards a range of substrates, including flavonoid, flavanols, hydroquinone, xenobiotics and chlorinated pollutants. SlUGT5 was shown to be expressed primarily in ripening fruit and flowers, and mapped to chromosome I in a region containing a QTL that affected the content of guaiacol and eugenol in tomato crosses. Recombinant SlUGT5 protein demonstrated significant activity towards guaiacol and eugenol, as well as benzyl alcohol and methyl salicylate; however, the highest in vitro activity and affinity was shown for hydroquinone and salicyl alcohol. NMR analysis identified isosalicin as the only product of salicyl alcohol glycosylation. Protein modelling and substrate docking analysis were used to assess the basis for the substrate specificity of SlUGT5. The analysis correctly predicted the interactions with SlUGT5 substrates, and also indicated that increased hydrogen bonding, due to the presence of a second hydrophilic group in methyl salicylate, guaiacol and hydroquinone, appeared to more favourably anchor these acceptors within the glycosylation site, leading to increased stability, higher activities and higher substrate affinities.

The Pks13/FadD32 crosstalk for the biosynthesis of mycolic acids in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The last steps of the biosynthesis of mycolic acids, essential and specific lipids of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and related bacteria, are catalyzed by proteins encoded by the fadD32-pks13-accD4 cluster. Here, we produced and purified an active form of the Pks13 polyketide synthase, with a phosphopantetheinyl (P-pant) arm at both positions Ser-55 and Ser-1266 of its two acyl carrier protein (ACP) domains. Combination of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of protein tryptic digests and radiolabeling experiments showed that, in vitro, the enzyme specifically loads long-chain 2-carboxyacyl-CoA substrates onto the P-pant arm of its C-terminal ACP domain via the acyltransferase domain. The acyl-AMPs produced by the FadD32 enzyme are specifically transferred onto the ketosynthase domain after binding to the P-pant moiety of the N-terminal ACP domain of Pks13 (N-ACP(Pks13)). Unexpectedly, however, the latter step requires the presence of active FadD32. Thus, the couple FadD32-(N-ACP(Pks13)) composes the initiation module of the mycolic condensation system. Pks13 ultimately condenses the two loaded fatty acyl chains to produce alpha-alkyl beta-ketoacids, the precursors of mycolic acids. The developed in vitro assay will constitute a strategic tool for antimycobacterial drug screening.

The dual function of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis FadD32 required for mycolic acid biosynthesis.

Mycolic acids are major and specific lipids of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell envelope. Their synthesis requires the condensation by Pks13 of a C(22)-C(26) fatty acid with the C(50)-C(60) meromycolic acid activated by FadD32, a fatty acyl-AMP ligase essential for mycobacterial growth. A combination of biochemical and enzymatic approaches demonstrated that FadD32 exhibits substrate specificity for relatively long-chain fatty acids. More importantly, FadD32 catalyzes the transfer of the synthesized acyl-adenylate onto specific thioester acceptors, thus revealing the protein acyl-ACP ligase function. Therefore, FadD32 might be the prototype of a group of M. tuberculosis polyketide-synthase-associated adenylation enzymes possessing such activity. A substrate analog of FadD32 inhibited not only the enzyme activity but also mycolic acid synthesis and mycobacterial growth, opening an avenue for the development of novel antimycobacterial agents.

Partial redundancy in the synthesis of the D-arabinose incorporated in the cell wall arabinan of Corynebacterineae.

The major cell wall carbohydrate of Corynebacterineae is arabinogalactan (AG), a branched polysaccharide that is essential for the physiology of these bacteria. Decaprenylphosphoryl-D-arabinose (DPA), the lipid donor of D-arabinofuranosyl residues of AG, is synthesized through a series of unique biosynthetic steps, the last one being the epimerization of decaprenylphosphoryl-beta-D-ribose (DPR) into DPA, which is believed to proceed via a sequential oxidation-reduction mechanism. Two proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Rv3790 and Rv3791) have been shown to catalyse this epimerization in an in vitro system. The present study addressed the exact function of these proteins through the inactivation of the corresponding orthologues in Corynebacterium glutamicum (NCgl0187 and NCgl0186, respectively) and the analysis of their in vivo effects on AG biosynthesis. We showed that NCgl0187 is essential, whereas NCgl0186 is not. Deletion of NCgl0186 led to a mutant possessing an AG that contained half the arabinose and rhamnose, and less corynomycolates linked to AG but more trehalose mycolates, compared with the parental strain. A candidate gene that may encode a protein functionally similar to NCgl0186 was identified in both C. glutamicum (NCgl1429) and M. tuberculosis (Rv2073c). While the deletion of NCgl1429 had no effect on AG biosynthesis of the mutant, the gene could complement the mycolate defect of the AG of the NCgl0186 mutant, strongly supporting the concept that the two proteins play a similar function in vivo. Consistent with this, the NCgl1429 gene appeared to be essential in the NCgl0186-inactivated mutant. A detailed bioinformatics analysis showed that NCgl1429, NCgl0186, Rv3791 and Rv2073c could constitute, with 52 other proteins belonging to the actinomycetales, a group of closely related short-chain reductases/dehydrogenases (SDRs) with atypical motifs. We propose that the epimerization of DPR to DPA involves three enzymes that catalyse two distinct steps, each being essential for the viability of the bacterial cells.

Down-regulation of cinnamoyl-CoA reductase in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) induces dramatic changes in soluble phenolic pools.

Health-beneficial properties of many secondary plant metabolites have created much interest into the control of their biosynthesis in crop species. Phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, hydroxycinnamates, and tannins, make up an important group of such phytonutrients. They are formed via the phenylpropanoid pathway and share common precursors with lignin, an insoluble cell wall-associated polymer. In this study, the aim was to reduce lignin biosynthesis so as to enhance the availability of these precursors and, thereby, stimulate the production of soluble, potentially health-promoting, phenolic compounds in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). First two tomato genes encoding cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR), a key enzyme in the formation of lignin monomers, were identified and characterized. Transgenic plants exhibiting a reduced lignin content were subsequently obtained through an RNAi strategy targeting one of these genes. As anticipated, the total level of soluble phenolics was higher in stems and leaves of the transformants as compared with control plants. This was correlated with an increased antioxidant capacity of the corresponding plant extracts. Analysis of the soluble phenolic fraction by HPLC-MS revealed that vegetative organs of CCR down-regulated plants contained higher amounts of chlorogenic acid and rutin, and accumulated new metabolites undetectable in the wild type, such as N-caffeoyl putrescine and kaempferol rutinoside. In fruits, CCR down-regulation triggered the moderate accumulation of two new compounds in the flesh, but the total phenolic content was not affected. Although the prospects of exploiting such a strategy for crop improvement are limited, the results provide further insight into the control of the phenylpropanoid pathway in the Solanaceae.

Glycerophosphocholine metabolism in higher plant cells. Evidence of a new glyceryl-phosphodiester phosphodiesterase.

Glycerophosphocholine (GroPCho) is a diester that accumulates in different physiological processes leading to phospholipid remodeling. However, very little is known about its metabolism in higher plant cells. (31)P-Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and biochemical analyses performed on carrot (Daucus carota) cells fed with GroPCho revealed the existence of an extracellular GroPCho phosphodiesterase. This enzymatic activity splits GroPCho into sn-glycerol-3-phosphate and free choline. In vivo, sn-glycerol-3-phosphate is further hydrolyzed into glycerol and inorganic phosphate by acid phosphatase. We visualized the incorporation and the compartmentation of choline and observed that the major choline pool was phosphorylated and accumulated in the cytosol, whereas a minor fraction was incorporated in the vacuole as free choline. Isolation of plasma membranes, culture medium, and cell wall proteins enabled us to localize this phosphodiesterase activity on the cell wall. We also report the existence of an intracellular glycerophosphodiesterase. This second activity is localized in the vacuole and hydrolyzes GroPCho in a similar fashion to the cell wall phosphodiesterase. Both extra- and intracellular phosphodiesterases are widespread among different plant species and are often enhanced during phosphate deprivation. Finally, competition experiments on the extracellular phosphodiesterase suggested a specificity for glycerophosphodiesters (apparent K(m) of 50 microM), which distinguishes it from other phosphodiesterases previously described in the literature.