TY - JOUR A1 - Schwender, Joerg A1 - Koenig, Christina A1 - Klapperstueck, Matthias A1 - Heinzel, Nicolas A1 - Munz, Eberhard A1 - Hebbelmann, Inga A1 - Hay, Jordan O. A1 - Denolf, Peter A1 - De Bodt, Stefanie A1 - Redestig, Henning A1 - Caestecker, Evelyne A1 - Jakob, Peter M. A1 - Borisjuk, Ljudmilla A1 - Rolletschek, Hardy T1 - Transcript abundance on its own cannot be used to infer fluxes in central metabolism JF - Frontiers in Plant Science N2 - An attempt has been made to define the extent to which metabolic flux in central plant metabolism is reflected by changes in the transcriptome and metabolome, based on an analysis of in vitro cultured immature embryos of two oilseed rape (Brassica napus) accessions which contrast for seed lipid accumulation. Metabolic flux analysis (MFA) was used to constrain a flux balance metabolic model which included 671 biochemical and transport reactions within the central metabolism. This highly confident flux information was eventually used for comparative analysis of flux vs. transcript (metabolite). Metabolite profiling succeeded in identifying 79 intermediates within the central metabolism, some of which differed quantitatively between the two accessions and displayed a significant shift corresponding to flux. An RNA-Seq based transcriptome analysis revealed a large number of genes which were differentially transcribed in the two accessions, including some enzymes/proteins active in major metabolic pathways. With a few exceptions, differential activity in the major pathways (glycolysis, TCA cycle, amino acid, and fatty acid synthesis) was not reflected in contrasting abundances of the relevant transcripts. The conclusion was that transcript abundance on its own cannot be used to infer metabolic activity/fluxes in central plant metabolism. This limitation needs to be borne in mind in evaluating transcriptome data and designing metabolic engineering experiments. KW - oilseeds KW - lipid biosynthesis KW - heterotrophic arabidopsis cells KW - central carbon metabolism KW - gene-expression data KW - targeted metabolite profiling KW - central metabolism KW - flux balance analysis KW - C-13-metabolic flux analysis KW - Brassica napus KW - RNA-SEQ KW - developing oilseeds KW - saccharomyces cerevisiae KW - maize kernels KW - embryo KW - seed Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-114586 SN - 1664-462X N1 - Funding information: Bayer Crop Science NV; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [BO-1917/4-1]; U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division [DEACO298CH10886] VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fröschel, Christian T1 - In-depth evaluation of root infection systems using the vascular fungus Verticillium longisporum as soil-borne model pathogen JF - Plant Methods N2 - Background While leaves are far more accessible for analysing plant defences, roots are hidden in the soil, leading to difficulties in studying soil-borne interactions. Inoculation strategies for infecting model plants with model root pathogens are described in the literature, but it remains demanding to obtain a methodological overview. To address this challenge, this study uses the model root pathogen Verticillium longisporum on Arabidopsis thaliana host plants and provides recommendations for selecting appropriate infection systems to investigate how plants cope with root pathogens. Results A novel root infection system is introduced, while two existing ones are precisely described and optimized. Step-by-step protocols are presented and accompanied by pathogenicity tests, transcriptional analyses of indole-glucosinolate marker genes and independent confirmations using reporter constructs. Advantages and disadvantages of each infection system are assessed. Overall, the results validate the importance of indole-glucosinolates as secondary metabolites that limit the Verticillium propagation in its host plant. Conclusion Detailed assistances on studying host defence strategies and responses against V. longisporum is provided. Furthermore, other soil-borne microorganisms (e.g., V. dahliae) or model plants, such as economically important oilseed rape and tomato, can be introduced in the infection systems described. Hence, these proven manuals can support finding a root infection system for your specific research questions to further decipher root-microbe interactions. KW - Arabidopsis thaliana KW - Brassica napus KW - indole-glucosinolates KW - plant defence KW - root infection systems KW - root pathogens KW - soil-borne microorganisms KW - Solanum lycopersicum KW - Verticillium dahliae KW - Verticillium longisporum Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-260807 VL - 17 ER -