Four genes encoding MYB28, a major transcriptional regulator of the aliphatic glucosinolate pathway, are differentially expressed in the allopolypoloid Brassica juncea

Glucosinolates are Capparales-specific secondary metabolites that have immense potential in human health and agriculture. Unlike Arabidopsis thaliana, our knowledge about glucosinolate regulators in the Brassica crops is sparse. In the current study, four MYB28 homologues were identified (BjuMYB28-1,-2,-3,-4) from the polyploid Brassica juncea, and the effects of allopolyploidization on the divergence of gene sequence, structure, function, and expression were assessed. The deduced protein sequences of the four BjuMYB28 genes showed 76.1–83.1% identity with the Arabidopsis MYB28. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the four BjuMYB28 proteins have evolved via the hybridization and duplication processes forming the B. juncea genome (AABB) from B. rapa (AA) and B. nigra (BB), while retaining high levels of sequence conservation. Mutant complementation and over-expression studies in A. thaliana showed that all four BjuMYB28 genes encode functional MYB28 proteins and resulted in similar aliphatic glucosinolate composition and content. Detailed expression analysis using qRT-PCR assays and promoter-GUS lines revealed that the BjuMYB28 genes have both tissue- and cell-specific expression partitioning in B. juncea. The two B-genome origin BjuMYB28 genes had more abundant transcripts during the early stages of plant development than the A-genome origin genes. However, with the onset of the reproductive phase, expression levels of all four BjuMYB28 increased significantly, which may be necessary for producing and maintaining high amounts of aliphatic glucosinolates during the later stages of plant development. Taken together, our results suggest that the four MYB28 genes are differentially expressed and regulated in B. juncea to play discrete though overlapping roles in controlling aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis

A peroxisomal beta-oxidative pathway contributes to the formation of C₆-C₁ aromatic volatiles in poplar

Benzenoids (C(6)–C(1) aromatic compounds) play important roles in plant defense and are often produced upon herbivory. Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) produces a variety of volatile and nonvolatile benzenoids involved in various defense responses. However, their biosynthesis in poplar is mainly unresolved. We showed feeding of the poplar leaf beetle (Chrysomela populi) on P. trichocarpa leaves led to increased emission of the benzenoid volatiles benzaldehyde, benzylalcohol, and benzyl benzoate. The accumulation of salicinoids, a group of nonvolatile phenolic defense glycosides composed in part of benzenoid units, was hardly affected by beetle herbivory. In planta labeling experiments revealed that volatile and nonvolatile poplar benzenoids are produced from cinnamic acid (C(6)–C(3)). The biosynthesis of C(6)–C(1) aromatic compounds from cinnamic acid has been described in petunia (Petunia hybrida) flowers where the pathway includes a peroxisomal-localized chain shortening sequence, involving cinnamate-CoA ligase (CNL), cinnamoyl-CoA hydratase/dehydrogenase (CHD), and 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (KAT). Sequence and phylogenetic analysis enabled the identification of small CNL, CHD, and KAT gene families in P. trichocarpa. Heterologous expression of the candidate genes in Escherichia coli and characterization of purified proteins in vitro revealed enzymatic activities similar to those described in petunia flowers. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of the CNL subfamily in gray poplar (Populus x canescens) resulted in decreased emission of C(6)–C(1) aromatic volatiles upon herbivory, while constitutively accumulating salicinoids were not affected. This indicates the peroxisomal β-oxidative pathway participates in the formation of volatile benzenoids. The chain shortening steps for salicinoids, however, likely employ an alternative pathway

The features of Drosophila core promoters revealed by statistical analysis

BACKGROUND: Experimental investigation of transcription is still a very labor- and time-consuming process. Only a few transcription initiation scenarios have been studied in detail. The mechanism of interaction between basal machinery and promoter, in particular core promoter elements, is not known for the majority of identified promoters. In this study, we reveal various transcription initiation mechanisms by statistical analysis of 3393 nonredundant Drosophila promoters. RESULTS: Using Drosophila-specific position-weight matrices, we identified promoters containing TATA box, Initiator, Downstream Promoter Element (DPE), and Motif Ten Element (MTE), as well as core elements discovered in Human (TFIIB Recognition Element (BRE) and Downstream Core Element (DCE)). Promoters utilizing known synergetic combinations of two core elements (TATA_Inr, Inr_MTE, Inr_DPE, and DPE_MTE) were identified. We also establish the existence of promoters with potentially novel synergetic combinations: TATA_DPE and TATA_MTE. Our analysis revealed several motifs with the features of promoter elements, including possible novel core promoter element(s). Comparison of Human and Drosophila showed consistent percentages of promoters with TATA, Inr, DPE, and synergetic combinations thereof, as well as most of the same functional and mutual positions of the core elements. No statistical evidence of MTE utilization in Human was found. Distinct nucleosome positioning in particular promoter classes was revealed. CONCLUSION: We present lists of promoters that potentially utilize the aforementioned elements/combinations. The number of these promoters is two orders of magnitude larger than the number of promoters in which transcription initiation was experimentally studied. The sequences are ready to be experimentally tested or used for further statistical analysis. The developed approach may be utilized for other species

An All-Cryogenic THz Transmission Spectrometer

This paper describes a THz transmission spectrometer for the spectral range of 2-65 cm^-1 (100 GHz to 2 THz) with a spectral resolution of at least 1.8 cm^-1 (50 GHz) where the source, sample, and detector are all fully contained in a cryogenic environment. Cyclotron emission from a two-dimensional electron gas heated with an electrical current serves as a magnetic field tunable source. The spectrometer is demonstrated at 4.2 K by measuring the resonant cyclotron absorption of a second two dimensional electron gas. Unique aspects of the spectrometer are that 1) an ultra-broadband detector is used and 2) the emitter is run quasi-continuously with a chopping frequency of only 1 Hz. Since optical coupling to room temperature components is not necessary, this technique is compatible with ultra-low temperature (sub 100 mK) operation.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Author affiliation and funding acknowledgements clarifie

Considerable enhancement of the critical current in a superconducting film by magnetized magnetic strip

We show that a magnetic strip on top of a superconducting strip magnetized in a specified direction may considerably enhance the critical current in the sample. At fixed magnetization of the magnet we observed diode effect - the value of the critical current depends on the direction of the transport current. We explain these effects by a influence of the nonuniform magnetic field induced by the magnet on the current distribution in the superconducting strip. The experiment on a hybrid Nb/Co structure confirmed the predicted variation of the critical current with a changing value of magnetization and direction of the transport current.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

The biosynthesis of thymol, carvacrol, and thymohydroquinone in Lamiaceae proceeds via cytochrome P450s and a short-chain dehydrogenase

Thymol and carvacrol are phenolic monoterpenes found in thyme, oregano, and several other species of the Lamiaceae. Long valued for their smell and taste, these substances also have antibacterial and anti-spasmolytic properties. They are also suggested to be precursors of thymohydroquinone and thymoquinone, monoterpenes with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor activities. Thymol and carvacrol biosynthesis has been proposed to proceed by the cyclization of geranyl diphosphate to γ-terpinene, followed by a series of oxidations via p-cymene. Here, we show that γ-terpinene is oxidized by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) of the CYP71D subfamily to produce unstable cyclohexadienol intermediates, which are then dehydrogenated by a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) to the corresponding ketones. The subsequent formation of the aromatic compounds occurs via keto–enol tautomerisms. Combining these enzymes with γ-terpinene in in vitro assays or in vivo in Nicotiana benthamiana yielded thymol and carvacrol as products. In the absence of the SDRs, only p-cymene was formed by rearrangement of the cyclohexadienol intermediates. The nature of these unstable intermediates was inferred from reactions with the γ-terpinene isomer limonene and by analogy to reactions catalyzed by related enzymes. We also identified and characterized two P450s of the CYP76S and CYP736A subfamilies that catalyze the hydroxylation of thymol and carvacrol to thymohydroquinone when heterologously expressed in yeast and N. benthamiana. Our findings alter previous views of thymol and carvacrol formation, identify the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of these phenolic monoterpenes and thymohydroquinone in the Lamiaceae, and provide targets for metabolic engineering of high-value terpenes in plants