In eukaryotes, a small subset of membrane lipids, the phosphoinositides (PIs), exert regulatory effects on membrane-associated processes with profound impact on the organism, and PIs are relevant also for the physiology and development of plants. The PI, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) has emerged as an important regulatory player in plants, and in recent years this lipid has received substantial attention. This Update Review focuses on our current understanding of how PtdIns(4,5)P2 exerts its regulatory functions, how biosynthesis and degradation of this important regulatory lipid are controlled, and how PtdIns(4,5)P2 is linked to upstream and downstream elements within plant signalling networks.
MYB family transcription factors (TFs) play crucial roles in plant development, metabolism, and responses to various stresses. However, whether MYB TFs are involved in regulating fatty acid biosynthesis in seeds remains largely elusive. Here, we demonstrated that transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants overexpressing MYB73 exhibit altered FATTY ACID ELONGATION1 (FAE1) expression, seed oil content, and seed fatty acid composition. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that FAE1 is a direct target of MYB73, and functional assays revealed that MYB73 represses FAE1 promoter activity. Transcriptomic analysis of the MYB73-overexpressing plants detected significant changes in the expression of genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and triacylglycerol assembly. Furthermore, MYB73 expression was responsive to abscisic acid (ABA), and ABA-responsive element binding factor 2 directly bound to the ABA-responsive element in the MYB73 promoter to activate its expression. Additionally, we determined that MYB73 exhibits the hallmarks of an intrinsically disordered protein and forms phase-separated condensates with liquid-like characteristics, which are important in regulating target gene expression. Together, our findings suggest that MYB73 condensate formation likely fine-tunes seed oil biosynthesis.
Walnut (Juglans regia L.), an important contributor to oil production among woody plants, encounters research constraints due to difficulties in the subcellular localization and functional analysis of its proteins. These limitations arise from the protracted fruiting cycle and the absence of a reliable transient gene transformation system and organelle markers. In this study, we established a transient expression system using walnut protoplasts and generated fluorescent-tagged organelle markers, whose localization was validated against Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) organelle markers. The versatility of this system was demonstrated through pharmaceutical treatments, confirming its ability to determine the subcellular localization of endogenous proteins. We determined the subcellular localization of walnut oleosin proteins and explored protein-protein interactions through bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis. We also explored the effects of abscisic acid signaling on oil body morphology and the regulation of walnut WRINKLED1 (JrWRI1) in lipid biosynthesis. Overall, this stable and versatile protoplast-based transient expression system, integrated with walnut organelle markers, enhances the subcellular localization and functional studies of uncharacterized walnut proteins. This advancement accelerates research into walnut gene function and streamlines molecular breeding processes with high-throughput efficiency.