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Genome-wide association studies and expression-based quantitative trait loci analyses reveal roles of HCT2 in caffeoylquinic acid biosynthesis and its regulation by defense-responsive transcription factors in Populus

3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, also known as chlorogenic acid (CGA), functions as an intermediate in lignin biosynthesis in the phenylpropanoid pathway. It is widely distributed among numerous plant species and acts as an antioxidant in both plants and animals. Using GC-MS, we discovered consistent and extreme variation in CGA content across a population of 739 4-yr-old Populus… [Read More]

Climate-smart crops with enhanced photosynthesis

The potential of enhanced photosynthetic efficiency to help achieve the sustainable yield increases required to meet future demands for food and energy has spurred intense research towards understanding, modeling, and engineering photosynthesis. These current efforts, largely focused on the C3 model Arabidopsis thaliana or crop plants (e.g. rice, sorghum, maize, and wheat), could be intensified… [Read More]

Combining Promiscuous Acyl-CoA Oxidase and Enoyl-CoA Carboxylase/Reductases for Atypical Polyketide Extender Unit Biosynthesis

The incorporation of different extender units generates structural diversity in polyketides. There is significant interest in engineering substrate specificity of polyketide synthases (PKSs) to change their chemical structure. Efforts to change extender unit selectivity are hindered by the lack of simple screening methods and easily available atypical extender units. Here, we present a chemo-biosynthetic strategy… [Read More]

Brassinosteroids Modulate Meristem Fate and Differentiation of Unique Inflorescence Morphology in Setaria viridis

Inflorescence architecture is a key determinant of yield potential in many crops and is patterned by the organization and developmental fate of axillary meristems. In cereals, flowers and grain are borne from spikelets, which differentiate in the final iteration of axillary meristem branching. In Setaria spp, inflorescence branches terminate in either a spikelet or a… [Read More]

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming during the life cycle of Marchantia polymorpha

BACKGROUND: In plants, the existence and possible role of epigenetic reprogramming has been questioned because of the occurrence of stably inherited epialleles. Evidence suggests that epigenetic reprogramming does occur during land plant reproduction, but there is little consensus on the generality and extent of epigenetic reprogramming in plants. We studied DNA methylation dynamics during the… [Read More]

Specialized proteomic responses and an ancient photoprotection mechanism sustain marine green algal growth during phosphate limitation

Marine algae perform approximately half of global carbon fixation, but their growth is often limited by the availability of phosphate or other nutrients(1,2). As oceans warm, the area of phosphate-limited surface waters is predicted to increase, resulting in ocean desertification(3,4). Understanding the responses of key eukaryotic phytoplankton to nutrient limitation is therefore critical(5,6). We used… [Read More]