Glandular trichomes: from developmental aspects to metabolic engineering approaches.

Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGA) are sterol-derived neurotoxic defence substances present in several members of the Solanaceae. In the potato (Solanum tuberosum), high SGA levels may render tubers harmful for consumption. Tuber SGA levels depend on genetic factors, and can increase as a response to certain stresses and environmental conditions. To identify genes underlying the cultivar variation in tuber SGA levels, we investigated two potato cultivars differing in their SGA accumulation during wounding or light exposure; two known SGA-inducing treatments. Using microarray analysis coupled to sterol and SGA quantifications, we identified a small number of differentially expressed genes that were associated with increased SGA levels. Two of these genes, encoding distinct types of sterol Δ²⁴-reductases, were by sense/antisense expression in transgenic potato plants shown to have differing roles in sterol and SGA metabolism. The results show that an increased SGA level in potato tubers during both wounding and light exposure is mediated by coordinated expression of a set of key genes in isoprenoid and steroid metabolism, and suggest that differences in this expression underlie cultivar variations in SGA levels. These results may find use within potato breeding and quality assessment.

S-Carvone has been described as a negative regulator of mevalonic acid (MVA) production by interfering with 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) activity, a key player in isoprenoid biosynthesis. The impact of this monoterpene on the production of capsidiol in Nicotiana tabacum, an assumed MVA-derived sesquiterpenoid phytoalexin produced in response to elicitation by cellulase, was investigated. As expected, capsidiol production, as well as early stages of elicitation such as hydrogen peroxide production or stimulation of 5-epi-aristolochene synthase activity, were repressed. Despite the lack of capsidiol synthesis, apparent HMGR activity was boosted. Feeding experiments using (1-¹³C)Glc followed by analysis of labeling patterns by ¹³C-NMR, confirmed an MVA-dependent biosynthesis; however, treatments with fosmidomycin, an inhibitor of the MVA-independent 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) isoprenoid pathway, unexpectedly down-regulated the biosynthesis of this sesquiterpene as well. We postulated that S-carvone does not directly inhibit the production of MVA by inactivating HMGR, but possibly targets an MEP-derived isoprenoid involved in the early steps of the elicitation process. A new model is proposed in which the monoterpene blocks an MEP pathway–dependent protein geranylgeranylation necessary for the signaling cascade. The production of capsidiol was inhibited when plants were treated with some inhibitors of protein prenylation or by further monoterpenes. Moreover, S-carvone hindered isoprenylation of a prenylable GFP indicator protein expressed in N. tabacum cell lines, which can be chemically complemented with geranylgeraniol. The model was further validated using N. tabacum cell extracts or recombinant N. tabacum protein prenyltransferases expressed in Escherichia coli. Our study endorsed a reevaluation of the effect of S-carvone on plant isoprenoid metabolism.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) lyase (HMGL) is involved in branched-chain amino acid catabolism leading to acetyl-CoA production. Here, using bioinformatics analyses and protein sequence alignments, we found that in Arabidopsis thaliana a single gene encodes two HMGL isoforms differing in size (51 kDa, HMGL51 and 46 kDa, HMGL46). Similar to animal HMGLs, both isoforms comprised a C-terminal type 1 peroxisomal retention motif, and HMGL51 contained a mitochondrial leader peptide. We observed that only a shortened HMGL (35 kDa, HMGL35) is conserved across all kingdoms of life. Most notably, all plant HMGLs also contained a specific N-terminal extension (P100) that is located between the N-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence TP35 and HMGL35 and is absent in bacteria and other eukaryotes. Interestingly, using HMGL enzyme assays, we found that rather than HMGL46, homodimeric recombinant HMGL35 is the active enzyme catalyzing acetyl-CoA and acetoacetate synthesis when incubated with (S)-HMG-CoA. This suggested that the plant-specific P100 peptide may inactivate HMGL according to specific physiological requirements. Therefore, we investigated whether the P100 peptide in HMGL46 alters its activity, possibly by modifying the HMGL46 structure. We found that induced expression of a cytosolic HMGL35 version in A. thaliana delays germination and leads to rapid wilting and chlorosis in mature plants. Our results suggest that in plants, P100-mediated HMGL inactivation outside of peroxisomes or mitochondria is crucial, protecting against potentially cytotoxic effects of HMGL activity while it transits to these organelles.

Type-I protein prenylation, the post-translational modification of CaaX motif-containing proteins, relies on two substrates: the target protein and a mevalonate-derived prenyl diphosphate co-substrate, either farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) or geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP). Two enzymes, protein farnesyltransferase and type-I geranylgeranyltransferase, recognize and bind both co-substrates. Modifying potentially hundreds of distinct protein targets within a constrained timeframe poses a major regulatory challenge for the cell. However, the mechanisms controlling prenyltransferase activity, including substrate availability, enzyme specificity, and catalytic efficiency, remain poorly understood, particularly in plants. Plant prenylation systems exhibit distinctive features. The diversity of prenyl diphosphate donors is expanded by the plastidial methylerythritol phosphate pathway, which supplements the mevalonate pathway and may provide alternative prenyl groups beyond the canonical FPP and GGPP. Additionally, many CaaX-containing proteins are plant-specific, and post-transcriptional modifications generate multiple prenylatable isoforms, increasing substrate complexity. In this review, we examine the diversification of both prenyl diphosphate donors and protein substrates in plants, hypothesizing that such diversification may illuminate key mechanisms underlying the cellular regulation of protein prenylation.