Defu Chen

Expression of γ-tocopherol methyltransferase gene from Brassica napus increased α-tocopherol content in soybean seed

A cDNA encoding γ-tocopherol methyltransferase from Brassica napus (BnTMT) was overexpressed in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] under the control of seed-specific promoter of Arabidopsis fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) or soybean glycinin G1. Two and three transgenic plants were selected, respectively, after Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blots confirmed that BnTMT was single-copy integrated into the genome of transgenic plants. RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of BnTMT was higher in the immature cotyledons than in the mature cotyledons, while no expression was detected in the leaves. Moreover, the expression level under the control of FAE1 was higher than that of G1. HPLC analysis indicated that the seed-specific expression of BnTMT resulted in 11.1-fold and 18.9-fold increase in α- and β-tocopherol content, respectively, in T2 seed. These results suggested that introducing BnTMT into soybean can be used to increase the vitamin E composition in seeds.

Evaluation of the agronomic performance of atrazine-tolerant transgenic japonica rice parental lines for utilization in hybrid seed production.

Currently, the purity of hybrid seed is a crucial limiting factor when developing hybrid japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.). To chemically control hybrid seed purity, we transferred an improved atrazine chlorohydrolase gene (atzA) from Pseudomonas ADP into hybrid japonica parental lines (two maintainers, one restorer), and Nipponbare, by using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. We subsequently selected several transgenic lines from each genotype by using PCR, RT-PCR, and germination analysis. In the presence of the investigated atrazine concentrations, particularly 150 µM atrazine, almost all of the transgenic lines produced significantly larger seedlings, with similar or higher germination percentages, than did the respective controls. Although the seedlings of transgenic lines were taller and gained more root biomass compared to the respective control plants, their growth was nevertheless inhibited by atrazine treatment compared to that without treatment. When grown in soil containing 2 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg atrazine, the transgenic lines were taller, and had higher total chlorophyll contents than did the respective controls; moreover, three of the strongest transgenic lines completely recovered after 45 days of growth. After treatment with 2 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg of atrazine, the atrazine residue remaining in the soil was 2.9–7.0% or 0.8–8.7% respectively, for transgenic lines, and 44.0–59.2% or 28.1–30.8%, respectively, for control plants. Spraying plants at the vegetative growth stage with 0.15% atrazine effectively killed control plants, but not transgenic lines. Our results indicate that transgenic atzA rice plants show tolerance to atrazine, and may be used as parental lines in future hybrid seed production.

Proteomic Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Dunaliella salina Ds-26-16 Gene Enhancing Salt Tolerance in Escherichia coli

We previously screened the novel gene Ds-26-16 from a 4 M salt-stressed Dunaliella salina cDNA library and discovered that this gene conferred salt tolerance to broad-spectrum organisms, including E. coli (Escherichia coli), Haematococcus pluvialis and tobacco. To determine the mechanism of this gene conferring salt tolerance, we studied the proteome of E. coli overexpressing the full-length cDNA of Ds-26-16 using the iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification) approach. A total of 1,610 proteins were identified, which comprised 39.4% of the whole proteome. Of the 559 differential proteins, 259 were up-regulated and 300 were down-regulated. GO (gene ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) enrichment analyses identified 202 major proteins, including those involved in amino acid and organic acid metabolism, energy metabolism, carbon metabolism, ROS (reactive oxygen species) scavenging, membrane proteins and ABC (ATP binding cassette) transporters, and peptidoglycan synthesis, as well as 5 up-regulated transcription factors. Our iTRAQ data suggest that Ds-26-16 up-regulates the transcription factors in E. coli to enhance salt resistance through osmotic balance, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress protection. Changes in the proteome were also observed in E. coli overexpressing the ORF (open reading frame) of Ds-26-16. Furthermore, pH, nitric oxide and glycerol content analyses indicated that Ds-26-16 overexpression increases nitric oxide content but has no effect on glycerol content, thus confirming that enhanced nitric oxide synthesis via lower intercellular pH was one of the mechanisms by which Ds-26-16 confers salt tolerance to E. coli.

Identifying functional residues in Arabidopsis thaliana zeta class glutathione S -transferase through screening inactive point mutants

The functional residues of z-class glutathione S-transferase were identified by screening inactive point mutants from a random mutagenesis library. First, a random mutant library was constructed using error-prone polymerase chain reaction, and then candidate inactive mutants were screened by a high-throughput colorimetric assay. Twenty-five mutants were obtained, and 12 that formed inclusion bodies were discarded. The remaining 13 mutants that expressed soluble protein were used for accurate quantification of enzymatic activity and sequencing. The mutants W15R, C19Y, R22H/K83E, P61S, S73P, S109P, and Q112R were found to have activity lower than 1% of the wild-type and were considered as “inactive mutants”, whereas the mutants K83E, Q102R, and L147F still have a large fraction of the activity and were thus considered as “partially inactivated mutants”. Molecular modeling experiments disclosed that mutations resulting in inactivation of the enzyme were found in or near the binding pocket, whereas mutations resulting in partial inactivation were distant from both substrates. The role of the residue Ser73 in the enzyme was verified by site-directed mutagenesis. The result suggested that screening inactive point mutants from a random mutagenesis library is an efficient way of identifying functional residues in enzymes.

Characterization of Ser73 in Arabidopsis thaliana Glutathione S-transferase zeta class.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are ubiquitous detoxifying superfamily enzymes. The zeta class GST from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtGSTZ) can efficiently degrade dichloroacetic acid (DCA), which is a common carcinogenic contaminant in drinking water. Ser73 in AtGSTZ is a conserved residue at Glutathione binding site (G-site). Compared with the equivalent residues in other GSTs, the catalytic and structural properties of Ser73 were poorly investigated. In this article, site-saturation mutagenesis was performed to characterize the detailed role of Ser73. The DCA dechlorinating (DCA-DC) activity showed that most of the mutants had less than 3% of the wild-type activity, except S73T and S73A showing 43.48% and 21.62% of the wild-type activity, respectively, indicating that position 73 in AtGSTZ showed low mutational substitutability. Kinetic experiments revealed that mutants S73T, S73A, and S73G showed low binding affinity and catalytic efficiency toward DCA, 1.8-, 3.1-, and 10.7-fold increases in K(m)(DCA) values and 4.0-, 9.6-, and 34.1-fold decreases in K(cat-)(DCA)/K(m)(DCA) values, respectively, compared to the wild type. Thermostability and refolding experiments showed that the wild type maintained more thermostability and recovered activity. These results demonstrated the important role of Ser73 in catalytic activity and structural stability of the enzyme. Such properties of Ser73 could be particularly crucial to the molecular evolution of AtGSTZ and might, therefore, help explain why Ser73 is conserved in all GSTs. This conclusion might provide insights into the directed evolution of the DCA-DC activity of AtGSTZ.

Specific roles of tocopherols and tocotrienols in seed longevity and germination tolerance to abiotic stress in transgenic rice

Tocopherols and tocotrienols are lipophilic antioxidants that are abundant in plant seeds. Although their roles have been extensively studied, our understanding of their functions in rice seeds is still limited. In this study, on the basis of available RNAi rice plants constitutively silenced for homogentisate phytyltransferase (HPT) and tocopherol cyclase (TC), we developed transgenic plants that silenced homogentisate geranylgeranyl transferase (HGGT). All the RNAi plants showed significantly reduced germination percentages and a higher proportion of abnormal seedlings than the control plants, with HGGT transgenics showing the most severe phenotype. The accelerated aging phenotype corresponded well with the amount of H2O2 accumulated in the embryo, glucose level, and ion leakage, but not with the amount of O(2-) accumulated in the embryo and lipid hydroperoxides levels in these genotypes. Under abiotic stress conditions, HPT and TC transgenics showed lower germination percentage and seedling growth than HGGT transgenics, while HGGT transgenics showed almost the same status as the wild type. Therefore, we proposed that tocopherols in the germ may protect the embryo from reactive oxygen species under both accelerated aging and stress conditions, whereas tocotrienols in the pericarp may exclusively help in reducing the metabolic activity of the seed during accelerated aging.

Evolution of the Catalytic Activity of Arabidopsis thaliana Glutathione Transferase Zeta Class-1 by Saturation Mutagenesis

Saturation mutagenesis was performed on three non-catalytic residues, Asn71, Leu108, and Gly177, in and near the active site of Arabidopsis thaliana GSTZ-1 (AtGSTZ-1). Forty unique mutants with more than 10% activity increases, were obtained. Of these, 12 resulted in large activity improvement and were purified for further characterization. Remarkably, 11 of them contained mutations at Leu108, suggesting that Leu108 plays an important role in dichloroacetic acid-dechlorinating (DCA-DC) activity. Kinetic analysis revealed that multiple mutations at these residues increased k cat/K m toward DCA and GSH by as much as 2.2- and 5.8-fold, respectively. Since the catalytic residues were not involved in mutagenesis, the activity enhancements were presumably due to structural change in the active site rather than to a change in catalysis. Our results also suggest that the specific shape of the active site in AtGSTZ-1 is essential to its unique DCA-DC activity.

Catalytic improvement and structural analysis of atrazine chlorohydrolase by site-saturation mutagenesis

To improve the catalytic activity of atrazine chlorohydrolase (AtzA), amino acid residues involved in substrate binding (Gln71) and catalytic efficiency (Val12, Ile393, and Leu395) were targeted to generate site-saturation mutagenesis libraries. Seventeen variants were obtained through Haematococcus pluvialis-based screening, and their specific activities were 1.2–5.2-fold higher than that of the wild type. For these variants, Gln71 tended to be substituted by hydrophobic amino acids, Ile393 and Leu395 by polar ones, especially arginine, and Val12 by alanine, respectively. Q71R and Q71M significantly decreased the Km by enlarging the substrate-entry channel and affecting N-ethyl binding. Mutations at sites 393 and 395 significantly increased the kcat/Km, probably by improving the stability of the dual β-sheet domain and the whole enzyme, owing to hydrogen bond formation. In addition, the contradictory relationship between the substrate affinity improvement by Gln71 mutation and the catalytic efficiency improvement by the dual β-sheet domain modification was discussed. Graphical abstract Structrual modification in AtzA variants.

Directed Evolution of Insoluble Arabidopsis thaliana Zeta Class Glutathione S-Transferase Mutants for Higher Solubility in Escherichia coli

Expression of recombinant protein in Escherichia coli (E.coli) is generally considered as one of the ideal systems to produce proteins for industrial production.However,the majority of proteins usually fail to fold into their native state and accumulate as insoluble inclusion bodies with no bio- logical activity in E.coli(Yang et al.,2003).Although