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At least 469 records · Page 26

Lipid–enhanced Oilcane does not impact soil carbon dynamics compared with wild–type Sugarcane

The carbon neutral potential of bioenergy relies in part on the ability of feedstocks to sequester carbon (C) in the soil. Sugarcane is one of the most widely used bioenergy crops, yet there remain unknowns about how it impacts soil C dynamics. In addition, Oilcane, a genetically modified version of Sugarcane has been produced to accumulate more energy-dense oils and less soluble lignin, which enhances conversion efficiency but may also impact soil C cycling. Thus, our objectives were to examine the impact of Sugarcane litter decomposition on soil C formation and losses and determine if the genetic modifications to produce Oilcane alter these dynamics. To do this, we incubated bagasse (processed stem litter) and leaf litter from Sugarcane and Oilcane in microcosms with forest soil for 11 weeks. We used differences in natural abundance δ 13 C between C 3 forest soil and C 4 litter to trace the fate of the litter into respiratory losses as well as stable and unstable soil C pools. Our results show that genetic modifications to Oilcane did not substantially alter soil C dynamics. Sugarcane and Oilcane litter both led to net soil C gains dominated by an accumulation of the added litter as unstable, particulate organic C (POC). Oilcane litter led to small but significantly greater net soil C gains than Sugarcane litter due to greater POC formation, but the formation of stable, mineral associated organic matter (MAOC) did not differ between crop types. Sugarcane and Oilcane had opposing effects on tissue type where Sugarcane bagasse formed more MAOC, while Oilcane leaves preferentially remained as POC which may have important management implications. These results suggest that genetic modifications to Sugarcane will not significantly impact soil C dynamics; however, this may not be universal to other crops particularly if modifications lead to greater differences in litter chemistry.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

The first intron and promoter of Arabidopsis DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE 1 exert synergistic effects on pollen and embryo lipid accumulation

Summary Accumulation of triacylglycerols (TAGs) is crucial during various stages of plant development. In Arabidopsis , two enzymes share overlapping functions to produce TAGs, namely acyl‐CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) and phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (PDAT1). Loss of function of both genes in a dgat1‐1/pdat1‐2 double mutant is gametophyte lethal. However, the key regulatory elements controlling tissue‐specific expression of either gene has not yet been identified. We transformed a dgat1‐1/dgat1‐1//PDAT1/pdat1‐2 parent with transgenic constructs containing the Arabidopsis DGAT1 promoter fused to the AtDGAT1 open reading frame either with or without the first intron. Triple homozygous plants were obtained, however, in the absence of the DGAT1 first intron anthers fail to fill with pollen, seed yield is c . 10% of wild‐type, seed oil content remains reduced (similar to dgat1‐1/dgat1‐1 ), and non‐Mendelian segregation of the PDAT1/pdat1‐2 locus occurs. Whereas plants expressing the AtDGAT1pro:AtDGAT1 transgene containing the first intron mostly recover phenotypes to wild‐type. This study establishes that a combination of the promoter and first intron of AtDGAT1 provides the proper context for temporal and tissue‐specific expression of AtDGAT1 in pollen. Furthermore, we discuss possible mechanisms of intron mediated regulation and how regulatory elements can be used as genetic tools to functionally replace TAG biosynthetic enzymes in Arabidopsis .

McGuire, Sean T.↗

Septins coordinate cell wall integrity and lipid metabolism in a sphingolipid-dependent process

ABSTRACT Septins colocalize with membrane sterol-rich regions and facilitate recruitment of cell wall synthases during wall remodeling. We show that null mutants missing an Aspergillus nidulans core septin present in hexamers and octamers (ΔaspAcdc11, ΔaspBcdc3 or ΔaspCcdc12) are sensitive to multiple cell wall-disturbing agents that activate the cell wall integrity MAPK pathway. The null mutant missing the octamer-exclusive core septin (ΔaspDcdc10) showed similar sensitivity, but only to a single cell wall-disturbing agent and the null mutant missing the noncore septin (ΔaspE) showed only very mild sensitivity to a different single agent. Core septin mutants showed changes in wall polysaccharide composition and chitin synthase localization. Mutants missing any of the five septins resisted ergosterol-disrupting agents. Hexamer mutants showed increased sensitivity to sphingolipid-disrupting agents. Core septins mislocalized after treatment with sphingolipid-disrupting agents, but not after ergosterol-disrupting agents. Our data suggest that the core septins are involved in cell wall integrity signaling, that all five septins are involved in monitoring ergosterol metabolism, that the hexamer septins are required for sphingolipid metabolism and that septins require sphingolipids to coordinate the cell wall integrity response.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗