Biology subjects

Hennig, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Hennig, J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Extreme resistance to Potato Virus Y in potato carrying the Rysto gene is mediated by a TIR-NLR immune receptor

Potato virus Y (PVY) is a major potato pathogen that causes annual losses of billions of dollars. Control of its transmission requires extensive use of environmentally damaging insecticides. Rysto confers extreme resistance (ER) to PVY and is a valuable trait in resistance breeding programs. We isolated Rysto using Resistance gene enrichment sequencing (RenSeq) and PacBio SMRT (Pacific Biosciences Single-Molecule Real Time Sequencing). Rysto encodes a nucleotide binding-leucine rich repeat (NLR) protein with an N-terminal TIR domain, and is sufficient for PVY perception and extreme resistance in transgenic potato plants. We investigated the requirements for Rysto-dependent extreme resistance, and showed that Rysto function is temperature-independent and requires EDS1 and NRG1 proteins. Rysto may prove valuable for creating PVY-resistant cultivars of potato and other Solanaceae crops.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Nucleus- and plastid-targeted annexin 5 promotes reproductive development in Arabidopsis and is essential for pollen and embryo formation

BackgroundPollen development is a strictly controlled post-meiotic process during which microspores differentiate into microgametophytes and profound structural and functional changes occur in organelles. Annexin 5 is a calcium- and lipid-binding protein that is highly expressed in pollen grains and regulates pollen development and physiology. To gain further insights into the role of ANN5 in Arabidopsis development, we performed detailed phenotypic characterization of Arabidopsis plants with modified ANN5 levels. In addition, interaction partners and subcellular localization of ANN5 were analyzed to investigate potential functions of ANN5 at cellular level.\n\nResultsHere, we report that RNAi-mediated suppression of ANN5 results in formation of smaller pollen grains, enhanced pollen lethality, and delayed pollen tube growth. ANN5 RNAi knockdown plants also displayed aberrant development during the transition from the vegetative to generative phase and during embryogenesis, reflected by delayed bolting time and reduced embryo size, respectively. At the subcellular level, ANN5 was delivered to the nucleus, nucleolus, and cytoplasm, and was frequently localized in plastid nucleoids, suggesting a likely role in interorganellar communication. Furthermore, ANN5-YFP co-immunoprecipitated with RABE1b, a putative GTPase, and interaction in planta was confirmed in plastidial nucleoids using FLIM-FRET analysis.\n\nConclusionsOur findings let us to propose that ANN5 influences basal cell homeostasis via modulation of plastid activity during pollen maturation. We hypothesize that the role of ANN5 is to orchestrate the plastidial and nuclear genome activities via protein-protein interactions however not only in maturing pollen but also during the transition from the vegetative to the generative growth and embryo development.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Structural basis for EarP-mediated arginine glycosylation of translation elongation factor EF-P

Glycosylation is a universal strategy to post-translationally modify proteins. The recently discovered arginine rhamnosylation activates the polyproline specific bacterial translation elongation factor EF-P. EF-P is rhamnosylated on arginine 32 by the glycosyltransferase EarP. However, the enzymatic mechanism remains elusive. In the present study, we solved the crystal structure of EarP from Pseudomonas putida. The enzyme is composed of two opposing domains with Rossmann-folds, thus constituting a GT-B glycosyltransferase. While TDP-rhamnose is located within a highly conserved pocket of the C-domain, EarP recognizes the EF-P via its KOW-like N-domain. Based on our structural data combined with an in vitro /in vivo enzyme characterization, we propose a mechanism of inverting arginine glycosylation. As EarP is essential for pathogenicity in P. aeruginosa our study provides the basis for targeted inhibitor design.

biochemistry↗