scholarly journals Characterizing the serotonin biosynthesis pathway upon aphid infestation in Setaria viridis leaves

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuma Dangol ◽  
Beery Yaakov ◽  
Georg Jander ◽  
Susan R Strickler ◽  
Vered Tzin

ABSTRACTSetaria viridis (green foxtail millet), a short life-cycle C4 plant in the Gramineae, serves as a resilient crop that provides good yield even in dry and marginal land. Although S. viridis has been studied extensively in the last decade, its defense responses, in particular the chemical defensive metabolites that protect it against insect herbivory, are unstudied. To characterize S. viridis defense responses, we conducted transcriptomic and metabolomic assays of plants infested with aphids and caterpillars. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated massive transcriptomic changes that involve genes from amino acid biosynthesis and degradation, secondary metabolites and phytohormone biosynthesis. The Trp-derived metabolite serotonin was notably induced by insect feeding. Through comparisons with known rice serotonin biosynthetic genes, we identified several predicted S. viridis Trp decarboxylases and cytochrome P450 genes that were up-regulated in response to insect feeding. The function of one Trp decarboxylase was validated by ectopic expression and detection of tryptamine accumulation in Nicotiana tabacum. To validate the defensive properties of serotonin, we used an artificial diet assay to show reduced Rhopalosiphum padi aphid survival with increasing serotonin concentrations. This demonstrated that serotonin is a defensive metabolite in S. viridis and is fundamental for understanding the adaptation of it to biotic stresses.HIGHLIGHTA combined transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling of Setaria viridis leaves response to aphid and caterpillar infestation identifies the genes related to the biosynthesis of serotonin and their function in defense.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joon Hyuk Suh ◽  
Xixuan Tang ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Frederick G. Gmitter ◽  
Yu Wang

There have been efforts to develop citrus cultivars that are tolerant of Huanglongbing (HLB), a catastrophic phloem-limited disease. Previous studies demonstrated that continuous plant growth with phloem regeneration is one of the major characteristics of HLB tolerance. In this study, the metabolic mechanisms of HLB tolerance in citrus were elucidated using a multiple pathway-targeted metabolomic approach. Comparative analysis of healthy and infected HLB-tolerant and HLB-sensitive mandarin cultivars (Citrus reticulata) revealed differentially expressed metabolic responses among different groups. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated aspartate and glutamate metabolism, purine metabolism, and biosynthesis of plant hormones were upregulated in the tolerant group, except salicylic acid signaling. Catabolic pathways linked to energy-yielding metabolism were also upregulated in the tolerant group. These metabolisms and pathways were interconnected with each other, unveiling a pivotal metabolic network associated with HLB tolerance. In the network, auxins and cytokinins, the plant hormones responsible for plant growth and phloem regeneration, were accumulated. In addition, purine metabolites serving as energy carriers and nitrogen sources of plants were increased. Only salicylic acid-related metabolites for plant defense responses were decreased in the tolerant group. Our findings may evidence the strategy of HLB-tolerant cultivars that sustain plant growth and phloem formation rather than displaying direct plant defense to overcome the disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan M. Gyan ◽  
Beery Yaakov ◽  
Nati Weinblum ◽  
Anuradha Singh ◽  
Alon Cna’ani ◽  
...  

Tef (Eragrostis tef), a staple crop that originated in the Horn of Africa, has been introduced to multiple countries over the last several decades. Crop cultivation in new geographic regions raises questions regarding the molecular basis for biotic stress responses. In this study, we aimed to classify the insect abundance on tef crop in Israel, and to elucidate its chemical and physical defense mechanisms in response to insect feeding. To discover the main pests of tef in the Mediterranean climate, we conducted an insect field survey on three selected accessions named RTC-144, RTC-405, and RTC-406, and discovered that the most abundant insect order is Hemiptera. We compared the differences in Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera; Aphididae) aphid performance, preference, and feeding behavior between the three accessions. While the number of aphid progeny was lower on RTC-406 than on the other two, the aphid olfactory assay indicated that the aphids tended to be repelled from the RTC-144 accession. To highlight the variation in defense responses, we investigated the physical and chemical mechanisms. As a physical barrier, the density of non-granular trichomes was evaluated, in which a higher number of trichomes on the RTC-406 than on the other accessions was observed. This was negatively correlated with aphid performance. To determine chemical responses, the volatile and central metabolite profiles were measured upon aphid attack for 4 days. The volatile analysis exposed a rich and dynamic metabolic profile, and the central metabolism profile indicated that tef plants adjust their sugars and organic and amino acid levels. Overall, we found that the tef plants possess similar defense responses as other Poaceae family species, while the non-volatile deterrent compounds are yet to be characterized. A transcriptomic time-series analysis of a selected accession RTC-144 infested with aphids revealed a massive alteration of genes related to specialized metabolism that potentially synthesize non-volatile toxic compounds. This is the first report to reveal the variation in the defense mechanisms of tef plants. These findings can facilitate the discovery of insect-resistance genes leading to enhanced yield in tef and other cereal crops.


2004 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.A.J. Teulon ◽  
M.A.W. Stufkens ◽  
J.D. Fletcher

The flight activity of aphid pests of wheat potato lettuce and squash is currently monitored in New Zealand using 75 m suction traps However there has been little research comparing aphid suction trap catches with crop infestation levels The relationship between the average number of aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi) sampled from wheat plants and the average number of aphids caught in weekly 75 m suction trap samples was examined A significant positive relationship indicated that numbers of aphids caught in suction traps reflected the numbers of aphids infesting wheat fields In another experiment potato aphid flights (mostly Myzus persicae) caught in a 75 m suction trap were compared with a nearby windvane trap Aphid numbers in both traps reflected similar trends However the suction trap caught approximately 10 times more aphids than the windvane trap Thus 75 m suction traps provide a useful tool for assessing aphid infestation levels in crops


2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 1256
Author(s):  
XiaoDong JIA ◽  
XiuJie CHEN ◽  
Xin WU ◽  
JianKai XU ◽  
FuJian TAN ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 411-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Jun Wu ◽  
Xin-Bin Zhou ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Wei Mao

Aim and Objective: Cardiovascular disease is a serious threat to human health because of its high mortality and morbidity rates. At present, there is no effective treatment. In Southeast Asia, traditional Chinese medicine is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Quercetin is a flavonoid extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves. Basic experiments and clinical studies have shown that quercetin has a significant effect on the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, its precise mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to exploit the network pharmacological potential effects of quercetin on cardiovascular disease. Materials and Methods: In the present study, a novel network pharmacology strategy based on pharmacokinetic filtering, target fishing, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, compound-target-pathway network structured was performed to explore the anti- cardiovascular disease mechanism of quercetin. Results:: The outcomes showed that quercetin possesses favorable pharmacokinetic profiles, which have interactions with 47 cardiovascular disease-related targets and 12 KEGG signaling pathways to provide potential synergistic therapeutic effects. Following the construction of Compound-Target-Pathway (C-T-P) network, and the network topological feature calculation, we obtained top 10 core genes in this network which were AKT1, IL1B, TNF, IL6, JUN, CCL2, FOS, VEGFA, CXCL8, and ICAM1. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. These indicated that quercetin produced the therapeutic effects against cardiovascular disease by systemically and holistically regulating many signaling pathways, including Fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, TNF signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 1463-1472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nil Kiliç ◽  
Yasemin Ö. Islakoğlu ◽  
İlker Büyük ◽  
Bala Gür-Dedeoğlu ◽  
Demet Cansaran-Duman

Objective: Breast Cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in women. A common treatment strategy for BC is still not available because of its molecular heterogeneity and resistance is developed in most of the patients through the course of treatment. Therefore, alternative medicine resources as being novel treatment options are needed to be used for the treatment of BC. Usnic Acid (UA) that is one of the secondary metabolites of lichens used for different purposes in the field of medicine and its anti-proliferative effect has been shown in certain cancer types, suggesting its potential use for the treatment. Methods: Anti-proliferative effect of UA in BC cells (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, BT-474) was identified through MTT analysis. Microarray analysis was performed in cells treated with the effective concentration of UA and UA-responsive miRNAs were detected. Their targets and the pathways that they involve were determined using a miRNA target prediction tool. Results: Microarray experiments showed that 67 miRNAs were specifically responsive to UA in MDA-MB-231 cells while 15 and 8 were specific to BT-474 and MCF-7 cells, respectively. The miRNA targets were mostly found to play role in Hedgehog signaling pathway. TGF-Beta, MAPK and apoptosis pathways were also the prominent ones according to the miRNA enrichment analysis. Conclusion: The current study is important as being the first study in the literature which aimed to explore the UA related miRNAs, their targets and molecular pathways that may have roles in the BC. The results of pathway enrichment analysis and anti-proliferative effects of UA support the idea that UA might be used as a potential alternative therapeutic agent for BC treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinghong Shi ◽  
Hanxin Yao

Abstract Background Our study aimed to investigate signature RNAs and their potential roles in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) using a competing endogenous RNA regulatory network analysis. Methods Expression profiles of GSE55100, deposited from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 12 T1DM patients and 10 normal controls, were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus to uncover differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), mRNAs, and microRNAs (miRNAs). The ceRNA regulatory network was constructed, then functional and pathway enrichment analysis was conducted. AT1DM-related ceRNA regulatory network was established based on the Human microRNA Disease Database to carry out pathway enrichment analysis. Meanwhile, the T1DM-related pathways were retrieved from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). Results In total, 847 mRNAs, 41 lncRNAs, and 38 miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed. The ceRNA regulatory network consisted of 12 lncRNAs, 10 miRNAs, and 24 mRNAs. Two miRNAs (hsa-miR-181a and hsa-miR-1275) were screened as T1DM-related miRNAs to build the T1DM-related ceRNA regulatory network, in which genes were considerably enriched in seven pathways. Moreover, three overlapping pathways, including the phosphatidylinositol signaling system (involving PIP4K2A, INPP4A, PIP4K2C, and CALM1); dopaminergic synapse (involving CALM1 and PPP2R5C); and the insulin signaling pathway (involving CBLB and CALM1) were revealed by comparing with T1DM-related pathways in the CTD, which involved four lncRNAs (LINC01278, TRG-AS1, MIAT, and GAS5-AS1). Conclusion The identified signature RNAs may serve as important regulators in the pathogenesis of T1DM.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1821
Author(s):  
Ujjwal Mukund Mahajan ◽  
Ahmed Alnatsha ◽  
Qi Li ◽  
Bettina Oehrle ◽  
Frank-Ulrich Weiss ◽  
...  

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers. Developing biomarkers for early detection and chemotherapeutic response prediction is crucial to improve the dismal prognosis of PDAC patients. However, molecular cancer signatures based on transcriptome analysis do not reflect intratumoral heterogeneity. To explore a more accurate stratification of PDAC phenotypes in an easily accessible matrix, plasma metabolome analysis using MxP® Global Profiling and MxP® Lipidomics was performed in 361 PDAC patients. We identified three metabolic PDAC subtypes associated with distinct complex lipid patterns. Subtype 1 was associated with reduced ceramide levels and a strong enrichment of triacylglycerols. Subtype 2 demonstrated increased abundance of ceramides, sphingomyelin and other complex sphingolipids, whereas subtype 3 showed decreased levels of sphingolipid metabolites in plasma. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that sphingolipid-related pathways differ most among subtypes. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) implied PDAC subtypes differed in their metabolic programs. Interestingly, a reduced expression among related pathway genes in tumor tissue was associated with the lowest survival rate. However, our metabolic PDAC subtypes did not show any correlation to the described molecular PDAC subtypes. Our findings pave the way for further studies investigating sphingolipids metabolisms in PDAC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Yuan ◽  
Shenqiang Hu ◽  
Liang Li ◽  
Chunchun Han ◽  
Hehe Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite their important functions and nearly ubiquitous presence in cells, an understanding of the biology of intracellular lipid droplets (LDs) in goose follicle development remains limited. An integrated study of lipidomic and transcriptomic analyses was performed in a cellular model of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) function, to determine the effects of intracellular LDs on follicle development in geese. Results Numerous internalized LDs, which were generally spherical in shape, were dispersed throughout the cytoplasm of granulosa cells (GCs), as determined using confocal microscopy analysis, with altered SCD expression affecting LD content. GC lipidomic profiling showed that the majority of the differentially abundant lipid classes were glycerophospholipids, including PA, PC, PE, PG, PI, and PS, and glycerolipids, including DG and TG, which enriched glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid, and glycerolipid metabolisms. Furthermore, transcriptomics identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), some of which were assigned to lipid-related Gene Ontology slim terms. More DEGs were assigned in the SCD-knockdown group than in the SCD-overexpression group. Integration of the significant differentially expressed genes and lipids based on pathway enrichment analysis identified potentially targetable pathways related to glycerolipid/glycerophospholipid metabolism. Conclusions This study demonstrated the importance of lipids in understanding follicle development, thus providing a potential foundation to decipher the underlying mechanisms of lipid-mediated follicle development.


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