Petra Majovsky

Multiomics of tomato glandular trichomes reveals distinct features of central carbon metabolism supporting high productivity of specialized metabolites

Multi-omics and stable isotope labeling applied to tomato glandular trichomes reveal unique features for the supply of energy, reducing power and carbon in these metabolic cell factories. Glandular trichomes are metabolic cell factories with the capacity to produce large quantities of secondary metabolites. Little is known about the connection between central carbon metabolism and metabolic productivity for secondary metabolites in glandular trichomes. To address this gap in our knowledge, we performed comparative metabolomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and 13C-labeling of type VI glandular trichomes and leaves from a cultivated (Solanum lycopersicum LA4024) and a wild (Solanum habrochaites LA1777) tomato accession. Specific features of glandular trichomes that drive the formation of secondary metabolites could be identified. Tomato type VI trichomes are photosynthetic but acquire their carbon essentially from leaf sucrose. The energy and reducing power from photosynthesis are used to support the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, while the comparatively reduced Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle activity may be involved in recycling metabolic CO2. Glandular trichomes cope with oxidative stress by producing high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, oxylipins, and glutathione. Finally, distinct mechanisms are present in glandular trichomes to increase the supply of precursors for the isoprenoid pathways. Particularly, the citrate-malate shuttle supplies cytosolic acetyl-CoA and plastidic glycolysis and malic enzyme support the formation of plastidic pyruvate. A model is proposed on how glandular trichomes achieve high metabolic productivity.

Comparative expression profiling reveals a role of the root apoplast in local phosphate response

BackgroundPlant adaptation to limited phosphate availability comprises a wide range of responses to conserve and remobilize internal phosphate sources and to enhance phosphate acquisition. Vigorous restructuring of root system architecture provides a developmental strategy for topsoil exploration and phosphate scavenging. Changes in external phosphate availability are locally sensed at root tips and adjust root growth by modulating cell expansion and cell division. The functionally interacting Arabidopsis genes, LOW PHOSPHATE RESPONSE 1 and 2 (LPR1/LPR2) and PHOSPHATE DEFICIENCY RESPONSE 2 (PDR2), are key components of root phosphate sensing. We recently demonstrated that the LOW PHOSPHATE RESPONSE 1 - PHOSPHATE DEFICIENCY RESPONSE 2 (LPR1-PDR2) module mediates apoplastic deposition of ferric iron (Fe3+) in the growing root tip during phosphate limitation. Iron deposition coincides with sites of reactive oxygen species generation and triggers cell wall thickening and callose accumulation, which interfere with cell-to-cell communication and inhibit root growth.ResultsWe took advantage of the opposite phosphate-conditional root phenotype of the phosphate deficiency response 2 mutant (hypersensitive) and low phosphate response 1 and 2 double mutant (insensitive) to investigate the phosphate dependent regulation of gene and protein expression in roots using genome-wide transcriptome and proteome analysis. We observed an overrepresentation of genes and proteins that are involved in the regulation of iron homeostasis, cell wall remodeling and reactive oxygen species formation, and we highlight a number of candidate genes with a potential function in root adaptation to limited phosphate availability. Our experiments reveal that FERRIC REDUCTASE DEFECTIVE 3 mediated, apoplastic iron redistribution, but not intracellular iron uptake and iron storage, triggers phosphate-dependent root growth modulation. We further highlight expressional changes of several cell wall-modifying enzymes and provide evidence for adjustment of the pectin network at sites of iron accumulation in the root.ConclusionOur study reveals new aspects of the elaborate interplay between phosphate starvation responses and changes in iron homeostasis. The results emphasize the importance of apoplastic iron redistribution to mediate phosphate-dependent root growth adjustment and suggest an important role for citrate in phosphate-dependent apoplastic iron transport. We further demonstrate that root growth modulation correlates with an altered expression of cell wall modifying enzymes and changes in the pectin network of the phosphate-deprived root tip, supporting the hypothesis that pectins are involved in iron binding and/or phosphate mobilization.

Targeted Proteomics Analysis of Protein Degradation in Plant Signaling on an LTQ-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer

Targeted proteomics has become increasingly popular recently because of its ability to precisely quantify selected proteins in complex cellular backgrounds. Here, we demonstrated the utility of an LTQ-Orbitrap Velos Pro mass spectrometer in targeted parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) despite its unconventional dual ion trap configuration. We evaluated absolute specificity (>99%) and sensitivity (100 amol on column in 1 μg of total cellular extract) using full and mass range scans as survey scans together with data-dependent (DDA) and targeted MS/MS acquisition. The instrument duty cycle was a critical parameter limiting sensitivity, necessitating peptide retention time scheduling. We assessed synthetic peptide and recombinant peptide standards to predict or experimentally determine target peptide retention times. We applied optimized PRM to protein degradation in signaling regulation, an area that is receiving increased attention in plant physiology. We quantified relative abundance of selected proteins in plants that are mutant for enzymatic components of the N-end rule degradation (NERD) pathway such as the two tRNA-arginyl-transferases ATE1 and ATE2 and the two E3 ubiquitin ligases PROTEOLYSIS1 and 6. We found a number of upregulated proteins, which might represent degradation targets. We also targeted FLAGELLIN SENSITIVE2 (FLS2), a pattern recognition receptor responsible for pathogen sensing, in ubiquitin ligase mutants to assay the attenuation of plant immunity by degradation of the receptor.

Characterization of Chloroplast Protein Import without Tic56, a Component of the 1-Megadalton Translocon at the Inner Envelope Membrane of Chloroplasts

Plastids import a significant number of proteins in the absence of the chloroplast inner envelope membrane translocon subunit. We report on the characterization of Tic56, a unique component of the recently identified 1-MD translocon at the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts (TIC) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) comprising Tic20, Tic100, and Tic214. We isolated Tic56 by copurification with Tandem Affinity Purification-tagged Toc159 in the absence of precursor protein, indicating spontaneous and translocation-independent formation of the translocon at the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts (TOC) and TIC supercomplexes. Tic56 mutant plants have an albino phenotype and are unable to grow without an external carbon source. Using specific enrichment of protein amino termini, we analyzed the tic56-1 and plastid protein import2 (toc159) mutants to assess the in vivo import capacity of plastids in mutants of an outer and inner envelope component of the anticipated TOC-TIC supercomplex. In both mutants, we observed processing of several import substrates belonging to various pathways. Our results suggest that despite the severe developmental defects, protein import into Tic56-deficient plastids is functional to a considerable degree, indicating the existence of alternative translocases at the inner envelope membrane.

Changes in PUB22 Ubiquitination Modes Triggered by MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE3 Dampen the Immune Response

The E3 ligase PUB22 is phosphorylated by MPK3, thereby inhibiting its autoubiquitination activity, allowing PUB22 to accumulate and dampen the immune response. Crosstalk between posttranslational modifications, such as ubiquitination and phosphorylation, play key roles in controlling the duration and intensity of signaling events to ensure cellular homeostasis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of negative feedback loops remain poorly understood. Here, we uncover a pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana by which a negative feedback loop involving the E3 ubiquitin ligase PUB22 that dampens the immune response is triggered by MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE3 (MPK3), best known for its function in the activation of signaling. PUB22’s stability is controlled by MPK3-mediated phosphorylation of residues localized in and adjacent to the E2 docking domain. We show that phosphorylation is critical for stabilization by inhibiting PUB22 oligomerization and, thus, autoubiquitination. The activity switch allows PUB22 to dampen the immune response. This regulatory mechanism also suggests that autoubiquitination, which is inherent to most single unit E3s in vitro, can function as a self-regulatory mechanism in vivo.

Variation in auxin sensing guides AUX/IAA transcriptional repressor ubiquitylation and destruction

Auxin is a small molecule morphogen that bridges SCFTIR1/AFB-AUX/IAA co-receptor interactions leading to ubiquitylation and proteasome-dependent degradation of AUX/IAA transcriptional repressors. Here, we systematically dissect auxin sensing by SCFTIR1-IAA6 and SCFTIR1-IAA19 co-receptor complexes, and assess IAA6/IAA19 ubiquitylation in vitro and IAA6/IAA19 degradation in vivo. We show that TIR1-IAA19 and TIR1-IAA6 have distinct auxin affinities that correlate with ubiquitylation and turnover dynamics of the AUX/IAA. We establish a system to track AUX/IAA ubiquitylation in IAA6 and IAA19 in vitro and show that it occurs in flexible hotspots in degron-flanking regions adorned with specific Lys residues. We propose that this signature is exploited during auxin-mediated SCFTIR1-AUX/IAA interactions. We present evidence for an evolving AUX/IAA repertoire, typified by the IAA6/IAA19 ohnologues, that discriminates the range of auxin concentrations found in plants. We postulate that the intrinsic flexibility of AUX/IAAs might bias their ubiquitylation and destruction kinetics enabling specific auxin responses.

Assessment of Label-Free Quantification in Discovery Proteomics and Impact of Technological Factors and Natural Variability of Protein Abundance

We evaluated the state of label-free discovery proteomics focusing especially on technological contributions and contributions of naturally occurring differences in protein abundance to the intersample variability in protein abundance estimates in this highly peptide-centric technology. First, the performance of popular quantitative proteomics software, Proteome Discoverer, Scaffold, MaxQuant, and Progenesis QIP, was benchmarked using their default parameters and some modified settings. Beyond this, the intersample variability in protein abundance estimates was decomposed into variability introduced by the entire technology itself and variable protein amounts inherent to individual plants of the Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 accession. The technical component was considerably higher than the biological intersample variability, suggesting an effect on the degree and validity of reported biological changes in protein abundance. Surprisingly, the biological variability, protein abundance estimates, and protein fold changes were recorded differently by the software used to quantify the proteins, warranting caution in the comparison of discovery proteomics results. As expected, ∼99% of the proteome was invariant in the isogenic plants in the absence of environmental factors; however, few proteins showed substantial quantitative variability. This naturally occurring variation between individual organisms can have an impact on the causality of reported protein fold changes.

Immobilized metal affinity chromatography on collapsed Langmuir-Blodgett iron(III) stearate films and iron(III) oxide nanoparticles for bottom-up phosphoproteomics.

Phosphorylation is the enzymatic reaction of site-specific phosphate transfer from energy-rich donors to the side chains of serine, threonine, tyrosine, and histidine residues in proteins. In living cells, reversible phosphorylation underlies a universal mechanism of intracellular signal transduction. In this context, analysis of the phosphoproteome is a prerequisite to better understand the cellular regulatory networks. Conventionally, due to the low contents of signaling proteins, selective enrichment of proteolytic phosphopeptides by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) is performed prior to their LC-MS or -MS/MS analysis. Unfortunately, this technique still suffers from low selectivity and compromised analyte recoveries. To overcome these limitations, we propose IMAC systems comprising stationary phases based on collapsed Langmuir-Blodgett films of iron(III) stearate (FF) or iron(III) oxide nanoparticles (FO) and mobile phases relying on ammonia, piperidine and heptadecafluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Experiments with model phosphopeptides and phosphoprotein tryptic digests showed superior binding capacity, selectivity and recovery for both systems in comparison to the existing commercial analogs. As evidenced by LC-MS/MS analysis of the HeLa phosphoproteome, these features of the phases resulted in increased phosphoproteome coverage in comparison to the analogous commercially available phases, indicating that our IMAC protocol is a promising chromatographic tool for in-depth phosphoproteomic research.

Fingerprinting Desmosine-Containing Elastin Peptides

AbstractElastin is a vital protein of the extracellular matrix of jawed vertebrates and provides elasticity to numerous tissues. It is secreted in the form of its soluble precursor tropoelastin, which is subsequently cross-linked in the course of the elastic fiber assembly. The process involves the formation of the two tetrafunctional amino acids desmosine (DES) and isodesmosine (IDES), which are unique to elastin. The resulting high degree of cross-linking confers remarkable properties, including mechanical integrity, insolubility, and long-term stability to the protein. These characteristics hinder the structural elucidation of mature elastin. However, MS2 data of linear and cross-linked peptides released by proteolysis can provide indirect insights into the structure of elastin. In this study, we performed energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation experiments of DES, IDES, their derivatives, and DES-/IDES-containing peptides to determine characteristic product ions. It was found that all investigated compounds yielded the same product ion clusters at elevated collision energies. Elemental composition determination using the exact masses of these ions revealed molecular formulas of the type CxHyN, suggesting that the pyridinium core of DES/IDES remains intact even at relatively high collision energies. The finding of these specific product ions enabled the development of a similarity-based scoring algorithm that was successfully applied on LC-MS/MS data of bovine elastin digests for the identification of DES-/IDES-cross-linked peptides. This approach facilitates the straightforward investigation of native cross-links in elastin. Graphical Abstractᅟ

Combined 15N-Labeling and TandemMOAC Quantifies Phosphorylation of MAP Kinase Substrates Downstream of MKK7 in Arabidopsis

Reversible protein phosphorylation is a widespread posttranslational modification that plays a key role in eukaryotic signal transduction. Due to the dynamics of protein abundance, low stoichiometry and transient nature of protein phosphorylation, the detection and accurate quantification of substrate phosphorylation by protein kinases remains a challenge in phosphoproteome research. Here, we combine tandem metal-oxide affinity chromatography (tandemMOAC) with stable isotope 15N metabolic labeling for the measurement and accurate quantification of low abundant, transiently phosphorylated peptides by mass spectrometry. Since tandemMOAC is not biased toward the enrichment of acidophilic, basophilic, or proline-directed kinase substrates, the method is applicable to identify targets of all these three types of protein kinases. The MKK7-MPK3/6 module, for example, is involved in the regulation of plant development and plant basal and systemic immune responses, but little is known about downstream cascade components. Using our here described phosphoproteomics approach we identified several MPK substrates downstream of the MKK7-MPK3/6 phosphorylation cascade in Arabidopsis. The identification and validation of dynamin-related protein 2 as a novel phosphorylation substrate of the MKK7-MPK3/6 module establishes a novel link between MPK signaling and clathrin-mediated vesicle trafficking.