Gibberellin-induced parthenocarpy in fruits of a prickly pear mutant.

A parthenocarpic fruit mutant of prickly pear was isolated, revealing the role of GAs in parthenocarpic fruit development which is controlled by the GID-GA20ox/GA2ox genetic system modulating GA biosynthesis/regulation. We explored the intricate dynamics of parthenocarpic fruit development in prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae) through the investigation of fruits of the Beer Sheva1 (BS1) a parthenocarpic mutant and its revertant non-parthenocarpic stems. BS1 fruits, characterized by parthenocarpy and enlarged unfertilized ovules, provide a unique model for investigating the regulatory mechanisms underlying fruit development in prickly pear.

Regio- and Stereoselective Synthesis of Nitro-fatty Acids as NRF2 Pathway Activators Working under Ambient or Hypoxic Conditions.

Nitro-fatty acids (NOFAs) are endogenously produced electrophiles and NRF2 activators with therapeutic potential. We developed a synthetic protocol combining a Henry reaction and base-promoted β-elimination, yielding ultrapure regio/stereoisomers of nitro-stearic (NOSA), nitro-oleic (NOOA), and conjugated/-allylic nitro-linoleic (NOLA) acids. These were tested for NRF2 pathway activation in bone marrow cells under different oxygen conditions.

Brassinolide and BZR1 are up-regulated in a parthenocarpic mutant of prickly pear.

Parthenocarpic fruit development in prickly pear involves up-regulation of the transcription factor BZR1 and increased levels of brassinolide in developing ovules. We explored the complex process of parthenocarpic fruit development in prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae) by comparing the fruits of the parthenocarpic Beer Sheva1 (BS1) mutant and revertant non-parthenocarpic fruits. The mutant plants produce flowers with enlarged ovules that develop into degenerated seed-like stony structures.

Integration of multi-omics data and deep phenotyping provides insights into responses to single and combined abiotic stress in potato.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is highly water and space efficient but susceptible to abiotic stresses such as heat, drought, and flooding, which are severely exacerbated by climate change. Our understanding of crop acclimation to abiotic stress, however, remains limited. Here, we present a comprehensive molecular and physiological high-throughput profiling of potato (Solanum tuberosum, cv.

Divergent control of seed germination by cytokinins in weedy broomrapes and witchweeds.

Broomrapes (Phelipanche and Orobanche spp.) and witchweeds (Striga spp.) are parasitic weeds that are increasingly threatening crops worldwide.

Multiple mutations in polyketide synthase led to disruption of Psittacofulvin production across diverse parrot species.

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are crucial multidomain enzymes in diverse natural product biosynthesis. Parrots use a type I PKS to produce a unique pigment called psittacofulvin in their feathers. In domesticated budgerigars and lovebirds, the same amino acid substitution (R644W) within malonyl/acetyltransferase (MAT) domain of this enzyme has been shown to cause the blue phenotype with no psittacofulvin pigmentation, proposing a strong evolutionary constraint on the mechanism.

Correction of aberrant splicing of ELP1 pre-mRNA by kinetin derivatives - A structure activity relationship study.

Familial dysautonomia is a debilitating congenital neurodegenerative disorder with no causative therapy. It is caused by a homozygous mutation in ELP1 gene, resulting in the production of the transcript lacking exon 20. The compounds studied as potential treatments include the clinical candidate kinetin, a plant hormone from the cytokinin family.

A decoy receptor derived from alternative splicing fine-tunes cytokinin signaling in Arabidopsis.

Hormone perception and signaling pathways have a fundamental regulatory function in the physiological processes of plants. Cytokinins, a class of plant hormones, regulate cell division and meristem maintenance. The cytokinin signaling pathway is well established in the model plant Arabidopsisthaliana.

Caffeine-Legal Natural Stimulant with Open Research Perspective: Spectroscopic and Theoretical Characterization.

Caffeine is an alkaloid with a purine structure and has been well known for centuries due to its presence in popular drinks-tea and coffee. However, the structural and spectroscopic parameters of this compound, as well as its chemical and biological activities, are still not fully known. In this study, for the first time, we report on the measured oxygen-17 NMR spectra of this stimulant.

Karrikinolide1 (KAR), a Bioactive Compound from Smoke, Improves the Germination of Morphologically Dormant L. Seeds by Reducing Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) Levels.

Smoke-water (SW) and Karrikinolide1 (KAR) release dormancy and improve seed germination in many plant species. Therefore, we tested SW (1:2500 /) and KAR (10 M) to break the morphological dormancy of celery cultivar ( L.).

Latest Developments of the Julia-Kocienski Olefination Reaction: Mechanistic Considerations.

Since its discovery, the Julia-Kocienski olefination reaction has over past 30 years become one of the key C-C connective methods that is used in late-stage natural product synthesis. The reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions, with a wide substrate scope and functional group tolerance range and with high () selectivity. In this focused review, we discuss the reaction from a mechanistic point of view and disclose key features that play an important role in reaction selectivity.

Enantioselective β-Selective Addition of Isoxazolidin-5-ones to Allenoates Catalyzed by Quaternary Ammonium Salts.

The enantioselective addition of isoxazolidin-5-ones to the β-carbon of allenoates has been carried out by using a novel spirobiindane-based quaternary ammonium salt catalyst. This protocol, which proceeds under classical liquid-solid phase-transfer conditions, gives access to unprecedented highly functionalized β-amino acid derivatives with good enantioselectivities and in high yields, and further manipulations of these products have been carried out as well.

ARP2/3 complex associates with peroxisomes to participate in pexophagy in plants.

Actin-related protein (ARP2/3) complex is a heteroheptameric protein complex, evolutionary conserved in all eukaryotic organisms. Its conserved role is based on the induction of actin polymerization at the interface between membranes and the cytoplasm. Plant ARP2/3 has been reported to participate in actin reorganization at the plasma membrane during polarized growth of trichomes and at the plasma membrane-endoplasmic reticulum contact sites.

Synthetic and analytical routes to the L-amino acid conjugates of cis-OPDA and their identification and quantification in plants.

Cis-(+)-12-oxophytodienoic acid (cis-(+)-OPDA) is a bioactive jasmonate, a precursor of jasmonic acid, which also displays signaling activity on its own. Modulation of cis-(+)-OPDA actions may be carried out via biotransformation leading to metabolites of various functions. This work introduces a methodology for the synthesis of racemic cis-OPDA conjugates with amino acids (OPDA-aa) and their deuterium-labeled analogs, which enables the unambiguous identification and accurate quantification of these compounds in plants.

Saponins of Selected Triterpenoids as Potential Therapeutic Agents: A Review.

Saponins represent important natural derivatives of plant triterpenoids that are secondary plant metabolites. Saponins, also named glycoconjugates, are available both as natural and synthetic products. This review is focused on saponins of the oleanane, ursane, and lupane types of triterpenoids that include several plant triterpenoids displaying various important pharmacological effects.

Growth-Promoting Characteristics of Fungal and Bacterial Endophytes Isolated from a Drought-Tolerant Mint Species (E. Mey. ex Benth.) N. E. Br.

Endophytes are primarily endosymbiotic bacteria and fungi that colonize the interior tissues of their host plant. They enhance the host plant's growth and attenuate adverse effects of biological stress. Endophytic species of many indigenous plants are an untapped resource of plant growth-promoting microorganisms that can mitigate abiotic stress effects.

Cytokinins and auxins in organs of aquatic carnivorous plants: what do they reflect?

Background And Aims: Aquatic carnivorous plants have typical rootless linear shoots bearing traps and exhibit steep physiological polarity with rapid apical growth. The aim was to analyse auxin and cytokinin metabolites in traps, leaves/shoots and shoot apices in several species of genera Aldrovanda and Utricularia to elucidate how the hormonal profiles reflect the specific organ functions and polarity.

Methods: The main auxin and cytokinin metabolites were analysed in miniature samples (>2 mg dry weight) of different organs of Aldrovanda vesiculosa and six Utricularia species using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

Selected plant triterpenoids and their amide derivatives in cancer treatment: A review.

Medicinal plants have been used to treat different diseases throughout the human history namely in traditional medicine. Most of the plants mentioned in this review article belong among them, including those that are widely spread in the nature, counted frequently to be food and nutrition plants and producing pharmacologically important secondary metabolites. Triterpenoids represent an important group of plant secondary metabolites displaying emerging pharmacological importance.

Carbon dioxide expanded liquid: an effective solvent for the extraction of quercetin from South African medicinal plants.

Background: Quercetin is one of the most important bioflavonoids having positive effects on the biological processes and human health. Typically, it is extracted from plant matrices using conventional methods such as maceration, sonication, infusion, and Soxhlet extraction with high solvent consumption. Our study aimed to optimize the environmentally friendly carbon dioxide-based method for the extraction of quercetin from quince fruit with an emphasis on extraction yield, repeatability, and short extraction time.

Structure-activity relationships of oomycete elicitins uncover the role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in triggering plant defense responses.

Elicitins are proteinaceous elicitors that induce the hypersensitive response and plant resistance against diverse phytopathogens. Elicitin recognition by membrane receptors or high-affinity sites activates a variety of fast responses including the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO), leading to induction of plant defense genes. Beta-cryptogein (CRY) is a basic β-elicitin secreted by the oomycete Phytophthora cryptogea that shows high necrotic activity in some plant species, whereas infestin 1 (INF1) secreted by the oomycete P.

The Phenolics and Antioxidant Properties of Black and Purple versus White Eggplant Cultivars.

The total phenolic content, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, antioxidant capacity and α-amylase inhibitory activity of black (Aydin Siyahi), purple (Kadife Kemer) and white (Trabzon Kadife) eggplants grown in Turkey were subjected to a comparative investigation. The black cultivar exhibited the highest total phenolic (17,193 and 6552 mg gallic acid equivalent/kg fw), flavonoid (3019 and 1160 quercetin equivalent/kg fw) and anthocyanin (1686 and 6167 g delphinidin-3--glucoside equivalent/kg fw) contents in crude extracts of the peel and pulp. The majority of the caffeic acid was identified in the ester (2830 mg/kg fw) and ester-bound (2594 mg/kg fw) forms in the peel of 'Kadife Kemer' and in the glycoside form (611.

Deciphering the oxylipin signatures of necrotrophic infection in plants. A commentary on: Differential modulation of the lipoxygenase cascade during typical and latent Pectobacterium atrosepticum infections.

This article comments on: Vladimir Y. Gorshkov, Yana Y. Toporkova, Ivan D.

Post-Embryonic Lateral Organ Development and Adaxial-Abaxial Polarity Are Regulated by the Combined Effect of and in Shoots.

The development of above-ground lateral organs is initiated at the peripheral zone of the shoot apical meristem (SAM). The coordination of cell fate determination and the maintenance of stem cells are achieved through a complex regulatory network comprised of transcription factors. Two AP2/ERF transcription factor family genes, and , regulate cotyledon and flower formation and de novo organogenesis in tissue culture.