IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v14y2023i1d10.1038_s41467-023-42587-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Coordinated regulation of the entry and exit steps of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis supports the dual lignin pathway in grasses

Author

Listed:
  • Jorge El-Azaz

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

  • Bethany Moore

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Morgridge Institute for Research)

  • Yuri Takeda-Kimura

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Yamagata University)

  • Ryo Yokoyama

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology)

  • Micha Wijesingha Ahchige

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology)

  • Xuan Chen

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Nanjing Agricultural University)

  • Matthew Schneider

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Cell Culture Company)

  • Hiroshi A. Maeda

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Abstract

Vascular plants direct large amounts of carbon to produce the aromatic amino acid phenylalanine to support the production of lignin and other phenylpropanoids. Uniquely, grasses, which include many major crops, can synthesize lignin and phenylpropanoids from both phenylalanine and tyrosine. However, how grasses regulate aromatic amino acid biosynthesis to feed this dual lignin pathway is unknown. Here we show, by stable-isotope labeling, that grasses produce tyrosine >10-times faster than Arabidopsis without compromising phenylalanine biosynthesis. Detailed in vitro enzyme characterization and combinatorial in planta expression uncovered that coordinated expression of specific enzyme isoforms at the entry and exit steps of the aromatic amino acid pathway enables grasses to maintain high production of both tyrosine and phenylalanine, the precursors of the dual lignin pathway. These findings highlight the complex regulation of plant aromatic amino acid biosynthesis and provide novel genetic tools to engineer the interface of primary and specialized metabolism in plants.

Suggested Citation

  • Jorge El-Azaz & Bethany Moore & Yuri Takeda-Kimura & Ryo Yokoyama & Micha Wijesingha Ahchige & Xuan Chen & Matthew Schneider & Hiroshi A. Maeda, 2023. "Coordinated regulation of the entry and exit steps of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis supports the dual lignin pathway in grasses," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-42587-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42587-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42587-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-023-42587-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yichun Qian & Joseph H. Lynch & Longyun Guo & David Rhodes & John A. Morgan & Natalia Dudareva, 2019. "Completion of the cytosolic post-chorismate phenylalanine biosynthetic pathway in plants," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xing-Qi Huang & Renqiuguo Li & Jianxin Fu & Natalia Dudareva, 2022. "A peroxisomal heterodimeric enzyme is involved in benzaldehyde synthesis in plants," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-42587-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.