Response of leaf carbon metabolism and dry matter accumulation to density and row spacing in two rapeseed(Brassica napus L.)genotypes with differing plant architectures

Biological yield indicates the potential for increasing yield.Leaf carbon metabolism plays an important role in the biomass accumulation of rapeseed(Brassica napus L.).Field experiments with the hybrid HZ62(with a conventional plant architecture)grown in 2016–2017,and HZ62 and accession 1301(with a compact plant architecture)grown in 2017–2018 were conducted to characterize the physiological and proteomic responses of leaf photosynthetic carbon metabolism to density and row spacing configurations.The densities were set at 15×10;ha^(-1)(D1),30×10^(4)ha^(-1)(D2),and 45×10^(4)ha^(-1)(D3)(main plot),with row spacings of 15 cm(R15),25 cm(R25),and 35 cm(R35)(subplot).Individual and plant population biomass accumulation was greatest at R25,R15,and R15 for D1,D2,and D3,respectively,for both genotypes.In comparison with D1 R25,the individual aboveground biomass of HZ62 decreased by60.2%,whereas the population biomass increased by 31.9%,and the individual biomass of genotype1301 decreased by 54.0%and the population biomass increased by 53.9%at D3 R15.Leaf carbon metabolic enzymes varied between genotypes at flowering stage.In contrast to D1 R25,at D3 R15 the activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase(Rubisco)and sucrose phosphate synthase(SPS)and the contents of starch,sucrose and soluble sugars in leaves were significantly decreased in HZ62 and increased in genotype 1301.The activities of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase(FBPase)decreased,in consistency with the abundance of fructose-bisphosphate aldolase in HZ62.In contrast,sucrose synthase(Su Sy)activity appeared to decrease in both genotypes,but a significant increase in abundance of a protein with sucrose synthase was found in the 1301 genotype by proteomic analysis.With increased density and reduced row spacing,the expression of most key proteins involved in carbon metabolism was elevated,and enzyme activity and carbon assimilate content were increased in 1301,whereas HZ62 showed the opposite trend,indicating that the compact plant type can accumulate more population biomass with denser planting.

Effects of Drought Stress on Key Enzymes of Carbon Metabolism, Photosynthetic Characteristics and Agronomic Traits of Soybean at the Flowering Stage under Different Soil Substrates

Soybean is an important legume food crop,and its seeds are rich in nutrients,providing humans and animals with edible oil and protein feed.However,soybean is sensitive to water requirements,and drought is an important factor limiting soybean yield and quality.This study used Heinong 84(drought resistant variety)and Hefeng 46(intermediate variety)as tested varieties planted in chernozem,albic,and black soils.The effects of drought stress on the activities of key enzymes in carbon metabolism and photosynthetic characteristics of soybean were studied during the flowering stage,most sensitive to water.(1)The activities of SS-1,6PGDH,and G6PDH enzymes in soybean leaves first increased and then decreased under drought stress.The enzyme activity was the highest under moderate drought stress and weakest in the blank group.(2)Drought stress increased Phi2,PhiNO,and Fm in soybean leaves and reached the highest value under severe drought;with the increase in drought stress,PhiNPQ and Fv/Fm of soybean leaves gradually decreased,reaching the lowest under severe drought.(3)With the increase in drought stress,F0 and Fs of soybean leaves showed a single peak curve,and the maximum was at moderate drought.(4)Correlation analysis showed that F0 was greatly affected by varieties and soil types;Fs,F0,and Fm soil varieties had a great influence,and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were affected differently under drought stress with different drought degrees.(5)Drought stress changed the agronomic traits and yield of soybean.With the increase of drought degree,plant height,node number of main stem,effective pod number,100-seed weight and total yield decreased continuously.(6)Drought stress affected the dry matter accumulation of soybean.With the increase of drought degree,the dry matter accumulation gradually decreased.Among them,the leaf was most seriously affected by drought,and SD decreased by about 55%compared with CK.Under the condition of black soil,the dry matter accumulation of soybean was least affected by drought.

Carbon Metabolism and Bioplastic Production by Halophilic Archaea

1 Introduction Haloarchaea represents a distinct group of Archaea that typically inhabits hypersaline environments,such as salt lakes and sea salterns.They are easy to culture and many haloarchaea are genetically tractable,hence they are excellent model systems for research of archaeal genetics,

Synergistic effects of carbon cycle metabolism and photosynthesis in Chinese cabbage under salt stress

Chinese cabbage(Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) has a long cultivation history and is one of the vegetable crops with the largest cultivation area in China. However, salt stress severely damages photosynthesis and hormone metabolism, nutritional balances, and results in ion toxicity in plants. To better understand the mechanisms of salt-induced growth inhibition in Chinese cabbage, RNA-seq and physiological index determination were conducted to explore the impacts of salt stress on carbon cycle metabolism and photosynthesis in Chinese cabbage. Here, we found that the number of thylakoids and grana lamellae and the content of starch granules and chlorophyll in the leaves of Chinese cabbage under salt stress showed a time-dependent response, first increasing and then decreasing. Chinese cabbage increased the transcript levels of genes related to the photosynthetic apparatus and carbon metabolism under salt stress, probably in an attempt to alleviate damage to the photosynthetic system and enhance CO_(2) fixation and energy metabolism. The transcription of genes related to starch and sucrose synthesis and degradation were also enhanced;this might have been an attempt to maintain intracellular osmotic pressure by increasing soluble sugar concentrations. Soluble sugars could also be used as potential reactive oxygen species(ROS) scavengers, in concert with peroxidase(POD)enzymes, to eliminate ROS that accumulate during metabolic processes. Our study characterizes the synergistic response network of carbon metabolism and photosynthesis under salt stress.

Combined effect of bicarbonate and water in photosynthetic oxygen evolution and carbon neutrality

Carbon neutrality is widely concerned and highly valued by many countries.Biosphere has always maintained the balance between oxidized organic substances and assimilated organic matter,resulting in netzero carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) emissions and maintaining its own carbon neutrality.Nature has set a good example for human beings to coordinate oxygen(O_(2)) balance and CO_(2)balance,and achieve carbon neutrality.How does photosynthetic oxygen evolution initiate carbon and water neutrality?My synthesis shows that photo system Ⅱ functions as carbonic anhydrase to catalyze the reaction of CO_(2)hydration under physiological conditions,and CO_(2)hydration coupled with chemical equilibrium,H^(+)+HCO_(3)^(-)→1/2O_(2)+2e^(-)+2H^(+)+CO_(2),occurs in a photosystem Ⅱ corecomplex.Meanwhile,I focused on the revisiting of four classical heavy oxygen(O^(18)) labeling experiments and found that bicarbonate can promote photo synthetic oxygen evolution,and that photo synthetic oxygen evolution can alternately come from bicarbonate and water,not only water.Bicarbonate photolysis and water photolysis account for half of the photo synthetic oxygen evolution respectively,which can well explain the bicarbonate effect,Dole effect and plants’ environmental adaptability.Photosynthetic oxygen evolution initiated the journey of water metabolism and carbon metabolism in nature,which led to the coupling as 1:1(mol/mol) stoichiometric relationship between the reduction of CO_(2)and oxidation of organic carbon,coordinated the evolution of the atmosphere,hydrosphere,lithosphere and biosphere,and realized "carbon neutrality" in the whole Earth system.

Effects of Sodium Nitroprussiate on the Metabolites and Key Enzyme Activities of Carbon-nitrogen Metabolism from Seed Germination to Seedling Period of Cherry Tomato

This study was conducted to elucidate the regulating mechanism of sodium nitroprussiate on seed germination and seedling growth of cherry tomato. After the treatment with different concentrations of sodium nitroprusside, the effects on the metabolites and key enzyme activities in carbon-nitrogen metabolism of cherry tomato cuhivar Zhuyun as an experimental material were investigated. The results showed that from seed germination to seedling period, the contents of starch and total nitrogen decreased, but the contents of soluble sugar, reducing sugar, sucrose and soluble protein increased firstly and then decreased; and free amino acids content increased gradually. Sodium nitroprusside made the contents of starch, sucrose and free amino acids higher than CK. From seed germination to seedling period in cherry tomato, the activities of amylase, glutamine synthetase （GS） and sucrose phosphate synthase （SPS） decreased; the activities of nitrate reductase （NR） and glutamate synthase （GOGAT） increased at first and decreased then; and the CK and the 0.25 mmol/L sodium nitroprusside treatments exhibited de- creased sucrose synthase （SS） activity, and the trend was increasing at first and decreasing then after the treatment with 0.50 and 1.00 mmol/L sodium nitroprus- side. Sodium nitroprusside treatment improved amylase activity; and the carbon-nitrogen ratio of the CK increased at first and decreased then, while the values of other treatments tended to decrease. In addition, sodium nitroprusside did not affect seed germination potential and germination rate, but significantly improved biomass accumulation, root length and height of seedlings. These data suggest that sodium nitroprusside could affect the conversion of starch and sugar accumulation, delay the decomposition of total nitrogen and soluble protein, and achieve the effects of accelerating the accumulation of free amino acids, and promoting seed germination and seedling growth, and 0.50 mmol/L sodium nitroprusside has the best effect.

Response of growth,metabolism and yield of Dendrocalamopsis oldhami to long-day photoperiod and fertilizer compensation

The effects of long-day photoperiod on growth,photo synthetic fluorescence,carbon and nitrogen metabolism,and yield of Dendrocalamopsis oldhami and the compensation effects of fertilization were investigated.A completely randomized design was used with two light factors(bamboo culms cultivated in solar greenhouse under long-day[Ls]and short-day[Ln]treatments);two organic nitrogen fertilizer levels(application of organic fertilizer[OF]and no organic fertilizer[NF]);and three nitrogen fertilizer levels(Low[N0],medium[N1]and high nitrogen[N2]).Leaf chlorophyll and fluorescence parameters(φPo,PIABS,and ETo/CSm)decreased and DIo/CSmincreased in Ls compared to Ln.Indole acetic acid(IAA)and gibberellic acid(GA3)levels decreased,whereas abscisic acid(ABA)increased.Leaf area decreased and leaf dry mass increased.The contents of carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related enzymes(nitrate reductase,glutamine synthetase,amylase,and sucrose synthase)and products(total nitrogen,organic carbon,soluble sugar,and starch)increased.Single bamboo shoot weight and diameter at breast height decreased,whereas shoot quantity and total yield increased.Fertilizer application significantly affected physiological growth and yield in the two light treatments,thus promoting carbon and nitrogen metabolism.TheφPo,PIABS,IAA,and GA3contents increased slightly,whereas ABA levels decreased.Shoot quantity,individual weight,and total yield improved.IA A,soluble sugar,and total yield to organic manure and light were lower than those of nitrogen levels(FN>FL,FO).Other indicators showed lower responses to different fertilization treatments than the light factor(FL>FN,FO).The ability of D.oldhami to alter its morphological and physiobiochemical traits and yield in response to variations in light applications may translate into high phenotypic plasticity.Fertilization significantly improved photoplasticity of D.oldhami.Under Ls,D.oldhami had high metabolic rates.was easily inhibited by light,and showed accelerated leaf senescence,and shoot quantity and total output increased.However,the quality of individual shoots decreased.Different fertilization treatments affected D.oldhami differently under the two light intensities.Ls sensitivity to nitrogen was higher.Fertilization could delay leaf dormancy and senescence under Ls treatment.Organic fertilizer addition could improve yield more effectively,with OFN1being the optimal fertilization level.

Effects of different doses of glucose and fructose on central metabolic pathways and intercellular wireless communication networks in humans

Fructose and glucose are often widely used in food processing and may contribute to many metabolic diseases.To observe the effects of different doses of glucose and fructose on human metabolism and cellular communication,volunteers were given low,medium,and high doses of glucose and fructose.Serum cytokines,glucose,lactate,nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NADH)and metabolic enzymes were assayed,and central carbon metabolic pathway networks and cytokine communication networks were constructed.The results showed that the glucose and fructose groups basically maintained the trend of decreasing catabolism and increasing anabolism with increasing dose.Compared with glucose,low-dose fructose decreased catabolism and increased anabolism,significantly enhanced the expression of the inflammatory cytokine interferon-γ(IFN-γ),macrophage-derived chemokine(MDC),induced protein-10(IP-10),and eotaxin,and significantly reduced the activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase(ICDH)and pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes(PDHC).Both medium and high doses of fructose increase catabolism and anabolism,and there are more cytokines and enzymes with significant changes.Furthermore,multiple cytokines and enzymes show strong relevance to metabolic regulation by altering the transcription and expression of enzymes in central carbon metabolic pathways.Therefore,excessive intake of fructose should be reduced to avoid excessive inflammatory responses,allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases.

Microbial community structure and functional metabolic diversity are associated with organic carbon availability in an agricultural soil

Exploration of soil environmental characteristics governing soil microbial community structure and activity may improve our understanding of biogeochemical processes and soil quality. The impact of soil environmental characteristics especially organic carbon availability after 15-yr different organic and inorganic fertilizer inputs on soil bacterial community structure and functional metabolic diversity of soil microbial communities were evaluated in a 15-yr fertilizer experiment in Changping County, Beijing, China. The experiment was a wheat-maize rotation system which was established in 1991 including four different fertilizer treatments. These treatments included： a non-amended control（CK）, a commonly used application rate of inorganic fertilizer treatment（NPK）; a commonly used application rate of inorganic fertilizer with swine manure incorporated treatment（NPKM）, and a commonly used application rate of inorganic fertilizer with maize straw incorporated treatment（NPKS）. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis（DGGE） of the 16 S r RNA gene was used to determine the bacterial community structure and single carbon source utilization profiles were determined to characterize the microbial community functional metabolic diversity of different fertilizer treatments using Biolog Eco plates. The results indicated that long-term fertilized treatments significantly increased soil bacterial community structure compared to CK. The use of inorganic fertilizer with organic amendments incorporated for long term（NPKM, NPKS） significantly promoted soil bacterial structure than the application of inorganic fertilizer only（NPK）, and NPKM treatment was the most important driver for increases in the soil microbial community richness（S） and structural diversity（H）. Overall utilization of carbon sources by soil microbial communities（average well color development, AWCD） and microbial substrate utilization diversity and evenness indices（H＇ and E） indicated that long-term inorganic fertilizer with organic amendments incorporated（NPKM, NPKS） could significantly stimulate soil microbial metabolic activity and functional diversity relative to CK, while no differences of them were found between NPKS and NPK treatments. Principal component analysis（PCA） based on carbon source utilization profiles also showed significant separation of soil microbial community under long-term fertilization regimes and NPKM treatment was significantly separated from the other three treatments primarily according to the higher microbial utilization of carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, polymers, phenolic compounds, and amino acid, while higher utilization of amines/amides differed soil microbial community in NPKS treatment from those in the other three treatments. Redundancy analysis（RDA） indicated that soil organic carbon（SOC） availability, especially soil microbial biomass carbon（Cmic） and Cmic/SOC ratio are the key factors of soil environmental characteristics contributing to the increase of both soil microbial community structure and functional metabolic diversity in the long-term fertilization trial. Our results showed that long-term inorganic fertilizer and swine manure application could significantly improve soil bacterial community structure and soil microbial metabolic activity through the increases in SOC availability, which could provide insights into the sustainable management of China＇s soil resource.

Effects of Mg on C and N Metabolism of Soybean at Different Nitrogen Supplying Levels

A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of magnesium on carbon and nitrogen metabolism of soybean at different nitrogen supplying levels. The results showed that the effects of magnesium at low nitrogen rate on N content, soluble protein, soluble sugar contents were not alike at different growth stage, although nodule dry weights raised, the yield and protein content of seeds decreased, however, the oil content was improved. The application of magnesium at medium and high nitrogen supplying levels promoted the uptake of N effectively, increased the soluble protein and soluble sugar contents, but the nodule dry weights of application magnesium at medium nitrogen supplying level decreased and the yield increased only a little despite the improved quality. Application of magnesium at high nitrogen supplying level raised nodule dry weights and soybean yield significantly, the quality of seeds was also improved.

Impact of dietary fat levels and fatty acid composition on milk fat synthesis in sows at peak lactation

Background Dietary fat is important for energy provision and immune function of lactating sows and their progeny.However,knowledge on the impact of fat on mammary transcription of lipogenic genes,de novo fat synthesis,and milk fatty acid(FA)output is sparse in sows.This study aimed to evaluate impacts of dietary fat levels and FA composition on these traits in sows.Forty second-parity sows(Danish Landrace×Yorkshire)were assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments from d 108 of gestation until weaning(d 28 of lactation):low-fat control diet(3%added animal fat);or 1 of 4 high-fat diets with 8%added fat:coconut oil(CO),fish oil(FO),sunflower oil(SO),or 4%octanoic acid plus 4%FO(OFO).Three approaches were taken to estimate de novo milk fat synthesis from glucose and body fat.Results Daily intake of FA was lowest in low-fat sows within fat levels(P<0.01)and in OFO and FO sows within highfat diets(P<0.01).Daily milk outputs of fat,FA,energy,and FA-derived carbon reflected to a large extent the intake of those.On average,estimates for de novo fat synthesis were 82 or 194 g/d from glucose according to method 1 or 2 and 255 g de novo+mobilized FA/d according to method 3.The low-fat diet increased mammary FAS expression(P<0.05)and de novo fat synthesis(method 1;P=0.13)within fat levels.The OFO diet increased de novo fat synthesis(method 1;P<0.05)and numerically upregulated mammary FAS expression compared to the other high-fat diets.Across diets,a daily intake of 440 g digestible FA minimized milk fat originating from glucose and mobilized body fat.Conclusions Sows fed diets with low-fat or octanoic acid,through upregulating FAS expression,increased mammary de novo fat synthesis whereas the milk FA output remained low in sows fed the low-fat diet or high-fat OFO or FO diets,indicating that dietary FA intake,dietary fat level,and body fat mobilization in concert determine de novo fat synthesis,amount and profiles of FA in milk.

Twice-split phosphorus application alleviates low-temperature impacts on wheat by improved spikelet development and setting

Extreme low-temperature incidents have become more frequent and severe as climate change intensifies.In HuangHuai-Hai wheat growing area of China,the late spring coldness occurring at the jointing-booting stage(the anther interval stage)has resulted in significant yield losses of winter wheat.This study attempts to develop an economical,feasible,and efficient cultivation technique for improving the low-temperature(LT)resistance of wheat by exploring the effects of twice-split phosphorus application(TSPA)on wheat antioxidant characteristics and carbon and nitrogen metabolism physiology under LT treatment at the anther interval stage using Yannong 19 as the experimental material.The treatments consisted of traditional phosphorus application and TSPA,followed by a-4℃ LT treatment and natural temperature(NT)control at the anther interval stage.Our analyses showed that,compared with the traditional application,the TSPA increased the net photosynthetic rate(P_(n)),stomatal conductance(Gs),and transpiration rate(T_(r))of leaves and reduced the intercellular carbon dioxide concentration(C_(i)).The activity of carbon and nitrogen metabolism enzymes in the young wheat spikes was also increased by the TSPA,which promoted the accumulation of soluble sugar(SS),sucrose(SUC),soluble protein(SP),and proline(Pro)in young wheat spike and reduced the toxicity of malondialdehyde(MDA).Due to the improved organic nutrition for reproductive development,the young wheat spikes exhibited enhanced LT resistance,which reduced the sterile spikelet number(SSN)per spike by 11.8%and increased the spikelet setting rate(SSR)and final yield by 6.0 and 8.4%,respectively,compared to the traditional application.The positive effects of split phosphorus application became more pronounced when the LT treatment was prolonged.

Metabolic diversity and seasonal variation of soil microbial communities in natural forested wetlands

This study explores the effects of vegetation and season on soil microorganisms and enzymatic activity of different wetlands in a temperate climate.Microbial carbon metabolism diversity was assessed using community-level physiological profiles(CLPP)with 31 different carbon substrates.CLPP indicated that significant interactions occur during carbon substrate metabolism of the microorganisms.Furthermore,the different types of vegetation present in the wetland ecosystem combined with the seasonal effects to influence microbial carbon metabolism and enzymatic activity.The most significant differences occurred to carbohydrates,carboxylic acids,and amino acids.The Mantel test confirmed positive correlations between soil enzymatic activities and microbial carbon metabolism.Soil microorganisms in Betula ovalifolia and Carex schmidtii wetlands used carbon substrates more efficiently in summer than those in other forested wetlands during other periods.Enzymatic activities also showed a similar trend as microbial carbon metabolism.The results demonstrate that microbial carbon metabolism patterns can be used as biological indicators in wetland ecological alterations due to vegetation type or to seasonal factors.

Transcriptomic analysis of biofilm formation by Bacillus cereus under different carbon source conditions

Background:Previous studies found differences in the utilization of different carbon sources during biofilm formation by Bacillus cereus.Illumina HiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the changes in gene transcript levels in Bacillus cereus biofilm bacteria under different carbon source conditions.Results:Compared with the control group,the number of differentially expressed genes in the glucose,maltose,lactose,and skim milksupplemented groups was 351,1136,133,and 487,respectively.The results showed that the pathways involved in the differentially expressed genes were mainly distributed in glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway,tricarboxylic acid cycle,amino acid metabolism,and fatty acid metabolism.The gene expression of enzymes related to acetoin synthesis from pyruvate was mostly upregulated in the glucose-supplemented group.The gene expression of enzymes related to pyruvate synthesis of branched-chain amino acids in the maltose-supplemented group was mostly upregulated.In the lactose-supplemented group,the gene expression of acetoin biosynthesis from pyruvate was upregulated.Pyruvate production through glycolysis pathway increased in the skim milk-supplemented group,but the metabolic capacity of the tricarboxylic acid cycle did not change significantly.Conclusion:The content of pyruvate stored by Bacillus cereus biofilm bacteria through glycolysis or pentose phosphate pathway increased,but the carbon flux into the tricarboxylic acid cycle did not increase,which suggested that carbon fluxes in the extracellular polysaccharide synthesis pathway of the biofilm may be increased,resulting in increased biofilm biomass formation.

Primary carbohydrate metabolism genes participate in heat-stress memory at the shoot apical meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana

In plants, the shoot apical meristem (SAM) is essential for the growth of aboveground organs. However, little is known about its molecular responses to abiotic stresses. Here, we show that the SAM of Arabidopsis thaliana displays an autonomous heat-stress (HS) memory of a previous non-lethal HS, allowing the SAM to regain growth after exposure to an otherwise lethal HS several days later. Using RNA sequencing, we identified genes participating in establishing the SAM's HS transcriptional memory, including the stem cell (SC) regulators CLAVATA1 (CLV1) and CLV3, HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 17.6A (HSP17.6A), and the primary carbohydrate metabolism gene FRUCTOSE-BISPHOSPHATE ALDOLASE 6 (FBA6). We demonstrate that sugar availability is essential for survival of plants at high temperature. HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A2 (HSFA2A) directly regulates the expression of HSP17.6A and FBA6 by binding to the heat-shock elements in their promoters, indicating that HSFA2 is required for transcriptional activation of SAM memory genes. Collectively, these findings indicate that plants have evolved a sophisticated protection mechanism to maintain SCs and, hence, their capacity to re-initiate shoot growth after stress release.

Integration of Carbon Assimilation Modes with Photosynthetic Light Capture in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is capable of using organic and inorganic carbon sources simultaneously, which requires the adjustment of photosynthetic activity to the prevailing mode of carbon assimilation. We obtained novel insights into the regulation of light-harvesting at photosystem II （PSII） following altered carbon source avail- ability. In C. reinhardtii, synthesis of PSll-associated light-harvesting proteins （LHCBMs） is controlled by the cytosolic RNA- binding protein NAB1, which represses translation of particular LHCBM isoform transcripts. This mechanism is fine-tuned via regulation of the nuclear NAB1 promoter, which is activated when linear photosynthetic electron flow is restricted by CO2- limitation in a photoheterotrophic context. In the wild-type, accumulation of NAB1 reduces the functional PSII antenna size, thus preventing a harmful overexcited state of PSII, as observed in a NABl-less mutant. We further demonstrate that trans- lation control as a newly identified long-term response to prolonged CO2-1imitation replaces LHCII state transitions as a fast response to PSII over-excitation. Intriguingly, activation of the long-term response is perturbed in state transition mutant stt7, suggesting a regulatory link between the long- and short-term response. We depict a regulatory circuit operating on distinct timescales and in different cellular compartments to fine-tune light-harvesting in photoheterotrophic eukaryotes.

New Insights into the Shikimate and Aromatic Amino Acids Biosynthesis Pathways in Plants

The aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan in plants are not only essential components of protein synthesis, but also serve as precursors for a wide range of secondary metabolites that are important for plant growth as well as for human nutrition and health. The aromatic amino acids are synthesized via the shikimate pathway followed by the branched aromatic amino acids biosynthesis pathway, with chorismate serving as a major intermediate branch point metabolite. Yet, the regulation and coordination of synthesis of these amino acids are still far from being understood. Recent studies on these pathways identified a number of alternative cross-regulated biosynthesis routes with unique evolutionary origins. Although the major route of Phe and Tyr biosynthesis in plants occurs via the intermediate metabolite arogenate, recent studies suggest that plants can also synthesize phenylalanine via the intermediate metabolite phenylpyruvate （PPY）, similarly to many microorganisms. Recent studies also identified a number of transcription factors regulating the expression of genes encoding enzymes of the shikimate and aromatic amino acids pathways as well as of multiple secondary metabolites derived from them in Arabidopsis and in other plant species. .

Metabolic and Phenotypic Responses of Greenhouse-Grown Maize Hybrids to Experimentally Controlled Drought Stress

Adaptation to abiotic stresses like drought is an important acquirement of agriculturally relevant crops like maize. Development of enhanced drought tolerance in crops grown in climatic zones where drought is a very dominant stress factor therefore plays an essential role in plant breeding. Previous studies demonstrated that corn yield potential and enhanced stress tolerance are associated traits. In this study, we analyzed six different maize hybrids for their ability to deal with drought stress in a greenhouse experiment. We were able to combine data from morphophysiological parameters measured under well-watered conditions and under water restriction with metabolic data from different organs. These different organs possessed distinct metabolite compositions, with the leaf blade displaying the most considerable metabolome changes following water deficiency. Whilst we could show a general increase in metabolite levels under drought stress, including changes in amino acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, and intermediates of the TCA cycle, these changes were not differential between maize hybrids that had previously been designated based on field trial data as either drought-tolerant or susceptible. The fact that data described here resulted from a greenhouse experiment with rather different growth conditions compared to natural ones in the field may explain why tolerance groups could not be confirmed in this study. We were, however, able to highlight several metabolites that displayed conserved responses to drought as well as metabolites whose levels correlated well with certain physiological traits.

The Metabolic Response of Arabidopsis Roots to Oxidative Stress is Distinct from that of Heterotrophic Cells in Culture and Highlights a Complex Relationship between the Levels of Transcripts, Metabolites, and Flux

Metabolic adjustments are a significant, but poorly understood, part of the response of plants to oxidative stress. In a previous study （Baxter et al., 2007）, the metabolic response of Arabidopsis cells in culture to induction of oxidative stress by menadione was characterized. An emergency survival strategy was uncovered in which anabolic primary metabolism was largely down-regulated in favour of catabolic and antioxidant metabolism. The response in whole plant tissues may be different and we have therefore investigated the response of Arabidopsis roots to menadione treatment, analyzing the transcriptome, metabolome and key metabolic fluxes with focus on primary as well as secondary metabolism. Using a redox-sensitive GFP, it was also shown that menadione causes redox perturbation, not just in the mitochondrion, but also in the cytosol and plastids of roots. In the first 30 min of treatment, the response was similar to the cell culture： there was a decrease in metabolites of the TCA cycle and amino acid biosynthesis and the transcriptomic response was dominated by up-regulation of DNA regulatory proteins. After 2 and 6 h of treatment, the response of the roots was different to the cell culture. Metabolite levels did not remain depressed, but instead recovered and, in the case of pyruvate, some amino acids and aliphatic glucosinolates showed a steady increase above control levels. However, no major changes in fluxes of central carbon metabolism were observed and metabolic transcripts changed largely independently of the corresponding metabolites. Together, the results suggest that root tissues can recover metabolic activity after oxidative inhibition and highlight potentially important roles for glycolysis and the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway.

Mild Reductions in Mitochondrial NAD- Dependent Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Activity Result in Altered Nitrate Assimilation and Piqmentation But Do Not Impact Growth

Transgenic tomato （Solanum lycopersicum） plants were generated expressing a fragment of the mitochon- drial NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase gene （SIIDH1） in the antisense orientation. The transgenic plants displayed a mild reduction in the activity of the target enzyme in the leaves but essentially no visible alteration in growth from the wild-type. Fruit size and yield were, however, reduced. These plants were characterized by relatively few changes in pho- tosynthetic parameters, but they displayed a minor decrease in maximum photosynthetic efficiency （Fv/Fm）. Furthermore, a clear reduction in flux through the tricarboxylic acid （TCA） cycle was observed in the transformants. Additionally, bio- chemical analyses revealed that the transgenic lines exhibited considerably altered metabolism, being characterized by slight decreases in the levels of amino acids, intermediates of the TCA cycle, photosynthetic pigments, starch, and NAD（P）H levels, but increased levels of nitrate and protein. Results from these studies show that even small changes in mitochon- drial NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity lead to noticeable alterations in nitrate assimilation and suggest the presence of different strategies by which metabolism is reprogrammed to compensate for this deficiency.