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NADP(H) and NAD(H) are crucial energy molecules in plant metabolism. Here, via the use of circularly permutated fluorescent protein sensors, the authors demonstrate dynamic changes in NADPH and the NADH/NAD+ ratio during photosynthesis and photorespiration at the subcellular level in planta.

Efficient photosynthesis requires a balance of ATP and NADPH production/consumption in chloroplasts, and the exportation of reducing equivalents from chloroplasts is important for balancing stromal ATP/NADPH ratio. Here, we showed that the overexpression of purple acid phosphatase 2 on the outer membranes of chloroplasts and mitochondria can streamline the production and consumption of reducing equivalents in these two organelles, respectively. A higher capacity of consumption of reducing equivalents in mitochondria can indirectly help chloroplasts to balance the ATP/NADPH ratio in stroma and recycle NADP+, the electron acceptors of the linear electron flow (LEF). A higher rate of ATP and NADPH production from the LEF, a higher capacity of carbon fixation by the Calvin–Benson–Bassham (CBB) cycle and a greater consumption of NADH in mitochondria enhance photosynthesis in the chloroplasts, ATP production in the mitochondria and sucrose synthesis in the cytosol and eventually boost plant growth and seed yields in the overexpression lines.

The article analyzes the use of two concepts, propaganda and advertisement, in the 1930s in Sweden. The study focuses on uses in the advertisement business, which at that time was a heterogeneous field, including military staff, politicians as well as businessmen and artists. By adopting a conceptual history perspective inspired by Reinhart Koselleck, the author pinpoints the meanings that were ascribed to these two concepts in a 1930s’ context, the interdependency between the concepts and other keywords that were used in connection with them. The study reveals how the ambiguous and synonymous use of propaganda and advertisement served different purposes. In the 1930s, propaganda was a key concept of communication and used in manifold ways for selling goods and disseminating ideas. It was hard to avoid the term and propaganda was used to explain the newly introduced American marketing terminology. The field of advertisement was trying to colonize what previously had been labeled as “idea propaganda” and rename it “advertisement”. The relationship between the two concepts was further complicated by the uprising propaganda in totalitarian states before and during World War II. The commercial term public relations was used to legitimate the professional need for experienced admen in the Government agency founded to coordinate the work during the crisis of war.

For optimal plant growth, carbon and nitrogen availability needs to be tightly coordinated. Mitochondrial perturbations related to a defect in complex I in the Arabidopsis thalianafrostbite1 (fro1) mutant, carrying a point mutation in the 8-kD Fe-S subunit of NDUFS4 protein, alter aspects of fundamental carbon metabolism, which is manifested as stunted growth. During nitrate nutrition, fro1 plants showed a dominant sugar flux toward nitrogen assimilation and energy production, whereas cellulose integration in the cell wall was restricted. However, when cultured on NH4+ as the sole nitrogen source, which typically induces developmental disorders in plants (i.e., the ammonium toxicity syndrome), fro1 showed improved growth as compared to NO3− nourishing. Higher energy availability in fro1 plants was correlated with restored cell wall assembly during NH4+ growth. To determine the relationship between mitochondrial complex I disassembly and cell wall-related processes, aspects of cell wall integrity and sugar and reactive oxygen species signaling were analyzed in fro1 plants. The responses of fro1 plants to NH4+ treatment were consistent with the inhibition of a form of programmed cell death. Resistance of fro1 plants to NH4+ toxicity coincided with an absence of necrotic lesion in plant leaves.

Leaf senescence can be induced by stress or aging, sometimes in a synergistic manner. It is generally acknowledged that the ability to withstand senescence-inducing conditions can provide plants with stress resilience. Although the signaling and transcriptional networks responsible for a delayed senescence phenotype, often referred to as a functional stay-green trait, have been actively investigated, very little is known about the subsequent metabolic adjustments conferring this aptitude to survival. First, using the individually darkened leaf (IDL) experimental setup, we compared IDLs of wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) to several stay-green contexts, that is IDLs of two functional stay-green mutant lines, oresara1-2 (ore1-2) and an allele of phytochrome-interacting factor 5 (pif5), as well as to leaves from a WT plant entirely darkened (DP). We provide compelling evidence that arginine and ornithine, which accumulate in all stay-green contexts-likely due to the lack of induction of amino acids (AAs) transport-can delay the progression of senescence by fueling the Krebs cycle or the production of polyamines (PAs). Secondly, we show that the conversion of putrescine to spermidine (SPD) is controlled in an age-dependent manner. Thirdly, we demonstrate that SPD represses senescence via interference with ethylene signaling by stabilizing the ETHYLENE BINDING FACTOR1 and 2 (EBF1/2) complex. Taken together, our results identify arginine and ornithine as central metabolites influencing the stress- and age-dependent progression of leaf senescence. We propose that the regulatory loop between the pace of the AA export and the progression of leaf senescence provides the plant with a mechanism to fine-tune the induction of cell death in leaves, which, if triggered unnecessarily, can impede nutrient remobilization and thus plant growth and survival., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists.)

Some ecological restoration projects include elements of trial and error where new measures are repeatedly tried, evaluated, and modified until satisfactory results are achieved. Thereafter, the resulting methods may be applied on larger scales. A difficult step is judging whether developed "best-practice" methods have become reasonably ecologically functional or whether further experimentation "demonstration" methods can lead to yet better results. Here, we use a stream restoration project as a case study for evaluating methods and abiotic effects and outlining stakeholder support for demonstration restoration measures, rather than only using best-practice methods. Our work was located in the Vindel River system, a free-flowing river that is part of the Natura 2000 network. The river was exploited for timber floating from 1850-1976, and rapids in the main channel and tributaries below timberline were channelized to increase timber transport capacity. Several side channels in multi-channeled rapids were blocked and the flow was concentrated to a single channel from which boulders and large wood were removed. Hence, previously heterogeneous environments were replaced by more homogeneous systems with limited habitat for riverine species. The restoration project strives to alleviate the effects of fragmentation and channelization in affected rapids by returning coarse sediment from channel margins to the main channel. However, only smaller, angular sediment is available given blasting of large boulders, and large (old-growth) wood is largely absent; therefore, original levels of large boulders and large wood in channels cannot be achieved with standard restoration practices. In 10 demonstration sites, we compensated for this by adding large boulders and large wood (i.e., entire trees) from adjacent upland areas to previously best-practice restored reaches and compared their hydraulic characteristics with 10 other best-practice sites. The demonstration sites exhibited significantly reduced and more variable current velocities, and wider channels, but with less variation than pre-restoration. The ecological response to this restoration has not yet been studied, but potential outcomes are discussed.

Efficient photosynthesis requires a balance of ATP and NADPH production/consumption in chloroplasts, and the exportation of reducing equivalents from chloroplasts is important for balancing stromal ATP/NADPH ratio. Here, we showed that the overexpression of purple acid phosphatase 2 on the outer membranes of chloroplasts and mitochondria can streamline the production and consumption of reducing equivalents in these two organelles, respectively. A higher capacity of consumption of reducing equivalents in mitochondria can indirectly help chloroplasts to balance the ATP/NADPH ratio in stroma and recycle NADP + , the electron acceptors of the linear electron flow (LEF). A higher rate of ATP and NADPH production from the LEF, a higher capacity of carbon fixation by the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle and a greater consumption of NADH in mitochondria enhance photosynthesis in the chloroplasts, ATP production in the mitochondria and sucrose synthesis in the cytosol and eventually boost plant growth and seed yields in the overexpression lines., Competing Interests: AtPAP2 is the subject of US patent number 9,476,058., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Flavonoids represent a diverse group of plant specialised metabolites which are also discussed in the context of dietary health and inflammatory response. Numerous studies have revealed that flavonoids play a central role in plant acclimation to abiotic factors like low temperature or high light, but their structural and functional diversity frequently prevents a detailed mechanistic understanding. Further complexity in analysing flavonoid metabolism arises from the different subcellular compartments which are involved in biosynthesis and storage. In the present study, non-aqueous fractionation of Arabidopsis leaf tissue was combined with metabolomics and proteomics analysis to reveal the effects of flavonoid deficiencies on subcellular metabolism during cold acclimation. During the first 3 days of a 2-week cold acclimation period, flavonoid deficiency was observed to affect pyruvate, citrate and glutamate metabolism which indicated a role in stabilising C/N metabolism and photosynthesis. Also, tetrahydrofolate metabolism was found to be affected, which had significant effects on the proteome of the photorespiratory pathway. In the late stage of cold acclimation, flavonoid deficiency was found to affect protein stability, folding and proteasomal degradation, which resulted in a significant decrease in total protein amounts in both mutants. In summary, these findings suggest that flavonoid metabolism plays different roles in the early and late stages of plant cold acclimation and significantly contributes to establishing a new protein homeostasis in a changing environment., (© 2024 The Author(s). The Plant Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Plants rely on solar energy to synthesize ATP and NADPH for photosynthetic carbon fixation and all cellular need. Mitochondrial respiration is essential in plants, but this may be due to heterotrophic bottlenecks during plant development or because it is also necessary in photosynthetically active cells. In this study, we examined in vivo changes of cytosolic ATP concentration in response to light, employing a biosensing strategy in the moss Physcomitrium patens and revealing increased cytosolic ATP concentration caused by photosynthetic activity. Plants depleted of respiratory Complex I showed decreased cytosolic ATP accumulation, highlighting a critical role of mitochondrial respiration in light-dependent ATP supply of the cytosol. Consistently, targeting mitochondrial ATP production directly, through the construction of mutants deficient in mitochondrial ATPase (complex V), led to drastic growth reduction, despite only minor alterations in photosynthetic electron transport activity. Since P. patens is photoautotrophic throughout its development, we conclude that heterotrophic bottlenecks cannot account for the indispensable role of mitochondrial respiration in plants. Instead, our results support that mitochondrial respiration is essential for ATP provision to the cytosol in photosynthesizing cells. Mitochondrial respiration provides metabolic integration, ensuring supply of cytosolic ATP essential for supporting plant growth and development., (© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Thioredoxins (TRXs) are central to redox regulation, modulating enzyme activities to adapt metabolism to environmental changes. Previous research emphasized mitochondrial and microsomal TRX o1 and h2 influence on mitochondrial metabolism, including photorespiration and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Our study aimed to compare TRX-based regulation circuits towards environmental cues mainly affecting photorespiration. Metabolite snapshots, phenotypes and CO 2 assimilation were compared among single and multiple TRX mutants in the wild-type and the glycine decarboxylase T-protein knockdown (gldt1) background. Our analyses provided evidence for additive negative effects of combined TRX o1 and h2 deficiency on growth and photosynthesis. Especially metabolite accumulation patterns suggest a shared regulation mechanism mainly on mitochondrial dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (mtLPD1)-dependent pathways. Quantification of pyridine nucleotides, in conjunction with 13 C-labelling approaches, and biochemical analysis of recombinant mtLPD1 supported this. It also revealed mtLPD1 inhibition by NADH, pointing at an additional measure to fine-tune it's activity. Collectively, we propose that lack of TRX o1 and h2 perturbs the mitochondrial redox state, which impacts on other pathways through shifts in the NADH/NAD + ratio via mtLPD1. This regulation module might represent a node for simultaneous adjustments of photorespiration, the TCA cycle and branched chain amino acid degradation under fluctuating environmental conditions., (© 2024 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

CO 2 release in the light (R L ) and its presumed source, oxidative pentose phosphate pathways, were found to be insensitive to CO 2 concentration. The oxidative pentose phosphate pathways form glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) shunts that bypass the nonoxidative pentose phosphate reactions of the Calvin-Benson cycle. Using adenosine diphosphate glucose and uridine diphosphate glucose as proxies for labeling of G6P in the stroma and cytosol respectively, it was found that only the cytosolic shunt was active. Uridine diphosphate glucose, a proxy for cytosolic G6P, and 6-phosphogluconate (6PG) were significantly less labeled than Calvin-Benson cycle intermediates in the light. But ADP glucose, a proxy for stromal G6P, is labeled to the same degree as Calvin-Benson cycle intermediates and much greater than 6PG. A metabolically inert pool of sedoheptulose bisphosphate can slowly equilibrate keeping the label in sedoheptulose lower than in other stromal metabolites. Finally, phosphorylation of fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) in the cytosol can allow some unlabeled carbon in cytosolic F6P to dilute label in phosphenolpyruvate. The results clearly show that there is oxidative pentose phosphate pathway activity in the cytosol that provides a shunt around the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway reactions of the Calvin-Benson cycle and is not strongly CO 2 -sensitive., (© 2024 The Authors New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)