1
|
Quiñones CO, Gesto-Borroto R, Wilson RV, Hernández-Madrigal SV, Lorence A. Alternative pathways leading to ascorbate biosynthesis in plants: lessons from the last 25 years. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:2644-2663. [PMID: 38488689 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
l-Ascorbic acid (AsA) is an antioxidant with important roles in plant stress physiology, growth, and development. AsA also plays an essential role in human health, preventing scurvy. Humans do not synthesize AsA, which needs to be supplied via a diet rich in fresh produce. Research efforts have provided progress in the elucidation of a complex metabolic network with at least four routes leading to AsA formation in plants. In this review, three alternative pathways, namely the d-galacturonate, the l-gulose, and the myo-inositol pathways, are presented with the supporting evidence of their operation in multiple plant species. We critically discuss feeding studies using precursors and their conversion to AsA in plant organs, and research where the expression of key genes encoding enzymes involved in the alternative pathways showed >100% AsA content increase in the transgenics and in many cases accompanied by enhanced tolerance to multiple stresses. We propose that the alternative pathways are vital in AsA production in response to stressful conditions and to compensate in cases where the flux through the d-mannose/l-galactose pathway is reduced. The genes and enzymes that have been characterized so far in these alternative pathways represent important tools that are being used to develop more climate-tolerant crops.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cherryl O Quiñones
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, PO Box 639, State University, AR 72467, USA
| | - Reinier Gesto-Borroto
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, PO Box 639, State University, AR 72467, USA
| | - Rachael V Wilson
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, PO Box 639, State University, AR 72467, USA
| | - Sara V Hernández-Madrigal
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, PO Box 639, State University, AR 72467, USA
| | - Argelia Lorence
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, PO Box 639, State University, AR 72467, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Arkansas State University, PO Box 419, State University, AR 72467, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Corpas FJ, González-Gordo S, Palma JM. Ascorbate peroxidase in fruits and modulation of its activity by reactive species. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:2716-2732. [PMID: 38442039 PMCID: PMC11066807 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is one of the enzymes of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle and is the key enzyme that breaks down H2O2 with the aid of ascorbate as an electron source. APX is present in all photosynthetic eukaryotes from algae to higher plants and, at the cellular level, it is localized in all subcellular compartments where H2O2 is generated, including the apoplast, cytosol, plastids, mitochondria, and peroxisomes, either in soluble form or attached to the organelle membranes. APX activity can be modulated by various post-translational modifications including tyrosine nitration, S-nitrosation, persulfidation, and S-sulfenylation. This allows the connection of H2O2 metabolism with other relevant signaling molecules such as NO and H2S, thus building a complex coordination system. In both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, APX plays a key role during the ripening process and during post-harvest, since it participates in the regulation of both H2O2 and ascorbate levels affecting fruit quality. Currently, the exogenous application of molecules such as NO, H2S, H2O2, and, more recently, melatonin is seen as a new alternative to maintain and extend the shelf life and quality of fruits because they can modulate APX activity as well as other antioxidant systems. Therefore, these molecules are being considered as new biotechnological tools to improve crop quality in the horticultural industry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francisco J Corpas
- Group of Antioxidants, Free Radicals and Nitric Oxide in Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Salvador González-Gordo
- Group of Antioxidants, Free Radicals and Nitric Oxide in Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - José M Palma
- Group of Antioxidants, Free Radicals and Nitric Oxide in Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Granada, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tong P, Liao G, Lu D, Zhou X, Zhang W, Xu Q, Wu C, Wang J. ZjHXK5 and ZjHXK6 negatively regulate the sugar metabolism of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1335120. [PMID: 38410733 PMCID: PMC10895003 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1335120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Hexokinase (HXK) plays a crucial role in plants, catalyzing the phosphorylation of hexose substances, which is one of the key steps in sugar metabolism and energy production. While HXK genes have been well-studied in model plants, the evolutionary and functional characteristics of HXK gene family in jujube is unknow. In this study, the HXK gene family members were identified by bioinformatics methods, the key members regulating glucose metabolism were identified by transcriptome data, and finally the function of the key genes was verified by instantaneous and stable genetic transformation. Our results showed that seven HXK genes were identified in the jujube genome, all of which were predict located in the chloroplast and contain Hexokinase-1 (PF00349) and Hexokinase-2 (PF03727) conserved domains. Most of HXK proteins were transmembrane protein with stable, lipid-soluble, hydrophilic. The secondary structure of ZjHXK proteins main α-helix, and contains two distinct tertiary structure. All ZjHXK genes contain nine exons and eight introns. Predictions of cis-regulatory elements indicate that the promoter region of ZjHXK contains a large number of MeJA responsive elements. Finally, combined with the analysis of the relationship between the expression and glucose metabolism, found that ZjHXK5 and ZjHXK6 may the key genes regulating sugar metabolism. Transient overexpression of ZjHXK5 and ZjHXK6 on jujube, or allogeneic overexpression of ZjHXK5 and ZjHXK6 on tomato would significantly reduce the content of total sugar and various sugar components. Transient silencing of ZjHXK5 and ZjHXK6 genes results in a significant increase in sucrose and total sugar content. Interestingly, the expression of ZjHXK5 and ZjHXK6 were also affected by methyl jasmonate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Panpan Tong
- College of Life Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, China
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of High Efficiency and Superior Quality Cultivation and Fruit Deep Processing Technology on Characteristic Fruit Trees, Alar, Xinjiang, China
| | - Guanglian Liao
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dengyang Lu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, China
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of High Efficiency and Superior Quality Cultivation and Fruit Deep Processing Technology on Characteristic Fruit Trees, Alar, Xinjiang, China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhou
- College of Life Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, China
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of High Efficiency and Superior Quality Cultivation and Fruit Deep Processing Technology on Characteristic Fruit Trees, Alar, Xinjiang, China
| | - Wang Zhang
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qiang Xu
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Cuiyun Wu
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of High Efficiency and Superior Quality Cultivation and Fruit Deep Processing Technology on Characteristic Fruit Trees, Alar, Xinjiang, China
- College of Horticulture and Forestry, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jiangbo Wang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of High Efficiency and Superior Quality Cultivation and Fruit Deep Processing Technology on Characteristic Fruit Trees, Alar, Xinjiang, China
- College of Horticulture and Forestry, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Jia D, Gao H, He Y, Liao G, Lin L, Huang C, Xu X. Kiwifruit Monodehydroascorbate Reductase 3 Gene Negatively Regulates the Accumulation of Ascorbic Acid in Fruit of Transgenic Tomato Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17182. [PMID: 38139009 PMCID: PMC10742914 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Ascorbic acid is a potent antioxidant and a crucial nutrient for plants and animals. The accumulation of ascorbic acid in plants is controlled by its biosynthesis, recycling, and degradation. Monodehydroascorbate reductase is deeply involved in the ascorbic acid cycle; however, the mechanism of monodehydroascorbate reductase genes in regulating kiwifruit ascorbic acid accumulation remains unclear. Here, we identified seven monodehydroascorbate reductase genes in the genome of kiwifruit (Actinidia eriantha) and they were designated as AeMDHAR1 to AeMDHAR7, following their genome identifiers. We found that the relative expression level of AeMDHAR3 in fruit continued to decline during development. The over-expression of kiwifruit AeMDHAR3 in tomato plants improved monodehydroascorbate reductase activity, and, unexpectedly, ascorbic acid content decreased significantly in the fruit of the transgenic tomato lines. Ascorbate peroxidase activity also increased significantly in the transgenic lines. In addition, a total of 1781 differentially expressed genes were identified via transcriptomic analysis. Three kinds of ontologies were identified, and 106 KEGG pathways were significantly enriched for these differently expressed genes. Expression verification via quantitative real-time PCR analysis confirmed the reliability of the RNA-seq data. Furthermore, APX3, belonging to the ascorbate and aldarate metabolism pathway, was identified as a key candidate gene that may be primarily responsible for the decrease in ascorbic acid concentration in transgenic tomato fruits. The present study provides novel evidence to support the feedback regulation of ascorbic acid accumulation in the fruit of kiwifruit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dongfeng Jia
- College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; (D.J.); (H.G.); (Y.H.); (G.L.); (L.L.)
- Institute of Kiwifruit, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Huan Gao
- College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; (D.J.); (H.G.); (Y.H.); (G.L.); (L.L.)
- Institute of Kiwifruit, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Yanqun He
- College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; (D.J.); (H.G.); (Y.H.); (G.L.); (L.L.)
- Institute of Kiwifruit, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Guanglian Liao
- College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; (D.J.); (H.G.); (Y.H.); (G.L.); (L.L.)
- Institute of Kiwifruit, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Liting Lin
- College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; (D.J.); (H.G.); (Y.H.); (G.L.); (L.L.)
- Institute of Kiwifruit, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Chunhui Huang
- College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; (D.J.); (H.G.); (Y.H.); (G.L.); (L.L.)
- Institute of Kiwifruit, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Xiaobiao Xu
- College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; (D.J.); (H.G.); (Y.H.); (G.L.); (L.L.)
- Institute of Kiwifruit, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| |
Collapse
|