Biology subjects

Heitz, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Heitz, T..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Jasmonic Acid Oxidases (JAO) define a new branch in jasmonate metabolism towards 11OH-jasmonic acid and its glucosylated derivative

Jasmonates (JAs) occur in plants as a group of related compounds undergoing complex metabolic conversions that shape signatures unique to a given organ or physiological status. Previous studies have shown that several JAs result from direct or indirect catabolism of the master hormonal regulator jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile) that controls most jasmonate responses triggered by developmental or environmental cues. Hydroxylation of the precursor jasmonic acid (JA) by Jasmonic Acid Oxidases (JAO) holds a peculiar regulatory function, by attenuating basal JA-Ile formation and action, and promoting growth. Here we reinvestigated biochemically and genetically the nature and origins of hydroxy-JAs and their derivatives in Arabidopsis. Using refined analytical methods and pathway-impaired mutants, we show that JAO enzymes produce exclusively 11OH-JA and are preferentially recruited in response to fungal infection where 11-O-Glc-JA accumulates as its main glucosylated derivative. In contrast, mechanical wounding triggers the dominant formation of 12-OH-JA (and its derivatives 12-O-Glc-JA and 12-HSO4-JA) as a cleavage product of the JA-Ile catabolite 12OH-JA-Ile by the amido hydrolases IAR3 and ILL6. Our results identify the elusive 11OH-JA biosynthetic pathway and provide a revisited picture of JA metabolism where two separate enzyme systems lead to stress-modulated formation of hydroxy-JAs position isomers to attenuate signaling.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Rice JASMONIC ACID OXIDASES (OsJAO) control resting jasmonate metabolism to promote development and repress basal immune responses

Recent research has established that catabolic conversions within the jasmonate pathway have significant consequences on hormone signaling output. In dicotyledonous plants, the jasmonic acid oxidase (JAO) catabolic route is endowed with a regulatory function by diverting jasmonic acid (JA) towards hydroxylation, at the expense of its conjugation into the bioactive jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile) hormone. Here we functionally characterized the JAO pathway in rice (Oryza sativa) and demonstrate its prevalent function in promoting growth and attenuating JA responses in vegetative tissues. The rice genome contains four JAO-related homologs of which three generated hydroxy-JA in vitro and reverted the high defense phenotype when expressed in the Arabidopsis jao2-2 mutant. By generating and analyzing a series of single to quadruple rice jao mutants, we show the incremental effect of gradual JAO depletion on JA metabolism, basal defense levels, growth inhibition, fitness and global metabolic reprogramming. JAO-deficient lines were significantly growth-retarded at the juvenile stage, while recovering a near wild-type vegetative development after three months, where they exhibited a enhanced resistance to virulent and avirulent strains of Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of fungal blast disease. Our findings identify the JAO pathway as an integral component of rice JA homeostasis and an important determinant of the growth-defense tradeoff. They demonstrate its conserved regulatory function in monocots and open possibilities for modulating selectively basal JA responses in a major cereal crop. Natural variation in JAO activity could also be explored as a mechanism underlying varying levels of JA signaling output in rice.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Genetic analysis of the rice jasmonate receptors reveals specialized function for OsCOI2

O_LICOI1-mediated perception of jasmonate is critical for plant development and responses to environmental stresses. Monocots such as rice have two groups of COI genes due to gene duplication: OsCOI1a and OsCOI1b that are functionally equivalent to the dicotyledons COI1 on one hand and OsCOI2 whose function remains unclear. C_LIO_LIIn order to assess the function of OsCOI2 and its functional redundancy with COI1 genes, we developed a series of rice mutants in the 3 genes OsCOI1a, OsCOI1b and OsCOI2 by CRISPR Cas9 and characterized their phenotype and responses to jasmonate. C_LIO_LICharacterization of OsCOI2 uncovered important roles in root, leaf and flower development. In particular, we show that crown root growth inhibition by jasmonate relies on OsCOI2 and not OsCOI1a or OsCOI1b in rice, revealing a major function for the non-canonical OsCOI2 in jasmonate-dependent control of rice root growth. C_LIO_LICollectively, these results point to a specialized function of OsCOI2 in the regulation of plant development in rice and indicate that sub-functionalisation of jasmonate receptors has occurred in the monocot phylum. C_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Stress- and pathway-specific impacts of impaired jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile) catabolism on defense signaling and biotic stress resistance in Arabidopsis

Jasmonate (JA) synthesis and signaling are essential for plant defense upregulation upon herbivore or microbial attacks. Stress-induced accumulation of jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile), the bioactive hormonal form triggering major transcriptional changes, is often dynamic and transient, due to the existence of potent removal mechanisms. Two distinct but interconnected JA-Ile turnover pathways have been described in Arabidopsis, either via cytochrome P450 (CYP94)-mediated oxidation, or through deconjugation by the amidohydrolases (AH) IAR3 and ILL6. Their impact was not well known because of gene redundancy and compensation mechanisms when each pathway was partially impaired. Here we address the consequences of fully blocking either or both pathways on JA homeostasis and defense signaling in three mutant backgrounds: a double iar3 ill6 (2ah) mutant, a triple cyp94b1 b3 c1 mutant (3cyp), and a newly generated quintuple (5ko) mutant deficient in all known JA-Ile-degrading activities. These lines behaved very differently in response to either mechanical wounding, insect attack or fungal infection, highlighting the stress-specific contributions and impacts of JA-Ile catabolic pathways. Deconjugation and oxidative pathways contributed additively to JA-Ile removal upon wounding, but their genetic impairement had opposite impacts on Spodoptera littoralis larvae feeding: 2ah line was more resistant whereas 3cyp was more susceptible to insect attack. In contrast, 2ah, 5ko but not 3cyp overaccumulated JA-Ile upon inoculation by Botrytis cinerea, yet 3cyp was most resistant to the fungus. Despite of building-up unprecedented JA-Ile levels, 5ko displayed near WT levels of resistance in both bioassays. Molecular and metabolic analysis indicated that restrained JA-Ile catabolism resulted in enhanced defense and resistance levels only if genes encoding JAZ or JAM negative regulators were not simultaneously overstimulated. Our data demonstrate that despite of acting on a shared hormonal substrate, AH or/and CYP94 deficiency differentially impacts JA homeostasis, responses and tolerance to related biotic stresses.

plant biology↗