Publications by authors named "Zhizhuo Xu"

Natural pyrethrins have high application value, and are widely used as a green pesticide in crop pest prevention and control. Pyrethrins are mainly extracted from the flower heads of ; however, the natural content is low. Therefore, it is essential to understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying the synthesis of pyrethrins through identification of key transcription factors.

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Pyrethrins, synthesized in the perennial plant , are a class of terpene mixtures with high insecticidal activity and low human toxicity, which are widely used in plant-derived pesticides. Numerous studies have identified multiple pyrethrins biosynthesis enzymes, which can be enhanced by exogenous hormones such as methyl jasmonate (MeJA). However, the mechanism by which hormone signaling regulates pyrethrins biosynthesis and the potential involvement of certain transcription factors (TFs) remain unclear.

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Pyrethrins constitute a class of terpene derivatives with high insecticidal activity and are mainly synthesized in the capitula of the horticulturally important plant, Treatment of with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in the field induces pyrethrin biosynthesis, but the mechanism linking MeJA with pyrethrin biosynthesis remains unclear. In this study, we explored the transcription factors involved in regulating MeJA-induced pyrethrin biosynthesis. A single spray application of MeJA to leaves rapidly upregulated the expression of most known pyrethrin biosynthesis genes and subsequently increased the total pyrethrin content in the leaf.

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Article Synopsis
  • Pyrethrins, found in the pyrethrum plant, are insecticides made up of terpenes, yet the role of MYB transcription factors in their production is not well understood.
  • Research identified a specific MYB gene, TcMYB8, which influences pyrethrin levels and is responsive to various plant hormones.
  • Overexpressing TcMYB8 boosts pyrethrin-related gene activity and increases insecticide levels, while silencing it does the opposite, revealing its crucial role in regulating pyrethrin biosynthesis.
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Pyrethrum () is one of the most important industrial crops for the extraction of pyrethrins, which are natural insecticidal compounds. Progress in pyrethrum molecular breeding with the objective of increasing pyrethrin content has been slow for lack of a suitable gene transfer system. Regeneration recalcitrance is a crucial barrier to establishing a genetic transformation system in pyrethrum.

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Background: Traditional CRISPR/Cas9 systems that rely on U6 or U3 snRNA promoters (RNA polymerase III-dependent promoters) can only achieve constitutive gene editing in plants, hampering the functional analysis of specifically expressed genes. Ribozyme-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 systems increase the types of promoters which can be used to transcribe sgRNA. Therefore, such systems allow specific gene editing; for example, transcription of the artificial gene Ribozyme-sgRNA-Ribozyme (RGR) is initiated by an RNA polymerase II-dependent promoter.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Findings reveal that pyrethrin gene expression peaks in flower buds and accumulates in fully blossomed flowers, while volatile terpene levels remain low throughout development.
  • * The research suggests that the plant relies on its large, colorful flowers to attract pollinators rather than using volatile terpenes, contributing to our understanding of plant defense strategies versus pollination efforts.
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