Integrating mRNA and Protein Sequencing Enables the Detection and Quantitative Profiling of Natural Protein Sequence Variants of Populus trichocarpa

Genome Wide Analysis of Family-1 UDP Glycosyltransferases in Populus trichocarpa Specifies Abiotic Stress Responsive Glycosylation Mechanisms

Populus trichocarpa (Black cottonwood) is a dominant timber-yielding tree that has become a notable model plant for genome-level insights in forest trees. The efficient transport and solubility of various glycoside-associated compounds is linked to Family-1 UDP-glycosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.x; UGTs) enzymes. These glycosyltransferase enzymes play a vital role in diverse plant functions, such as regulation of hormonal homeostasis, growth and development (seed, flower, fiber, root, etc.), xenobiotic detoxification, stress response (salt, drought, and oxidative), and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Here, we report a genome-wide analysis of the P. trichocarpa genome that identified 191 putative UGTs distributed across all chromosomes (with the exception of chromosome 20) based on 44 conserved plant secondary product glycosyltransferase (PSPG) motif amino acid sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of the 191 Populus UGTs together with 22 referenced UGTs from Arabidopsis and maize clustered the putative UGTs into 16 major groups (A–P). Whole-genome duplication events were the dominant pattern of duplication among UGTs in Populus. A well-conserved intron insertion was detected in most intron-containing UGTs across eight examined eudicots, including Populus. Most of the UGT genes were found preferentially expressed in leaf and root tissues in general. The regulation of putative UGT expression in response to drought, salt and heat stress was observed based on microarray and available RNA sequencing datasets. Up- and down-regulated UGT expression models were designed, based on transcripts per kilobase million values, confirmed their maximally varied expression under drought, salt and heat stresses. Co-expression networking of putative UGTs indicated their maximum co-expression with cytochrome P450 genes involved in triterpenoid biosynthesis. Our results provide an important resource for the identification of functional UGT genes to manipulate abiotic stress responsive glycosylation in Populus.

Identification of novel protein-coding sequences in Eucalyptus grandis plants by high-resolution mass spectrometry

Eucalyptus species are widely used in the forestry industry, and a significant increase in the number of sequences available in database repositories has been observed for these species. In proteomics, a protein is identified by correlating the theoretical fragmentation spectrum derived from genomic/transcriptomic data against the experimental fragmentation mass spectrum acquired from large-scale analysis of protein mixtures. Proteogenomics is an alternative approach that can identify novel proteins encoded by regions previously considered as non-coding. This study aimed to confidently identify and confirm the existence of previously unknown protein-coding sequences in the Eucalyptus grandis genome. To this end, we used a modified spectral correlation strategy and a dedicated de novo peptide sequencing pipeline. Upon the strategy used here, we confidently identified 41 novel peptide forms and six peptides containing at least one single amino acid substitution. The most representative genomic class of novel peptides was identified as originating from alternative reading frames. In contrast, no clear single amino acid substitution pattern was identified. Validation of the identifications was carried out using a parallel reaction monitoring approach that provided further mass spectrometry support for the existence of the novel peptide sequences. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD022110.

Progress in understanding and overcoming biomass recalcitrance: a BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) perspective

The DOE BioEnergy Science Center has operated as a virtual center with multiple partners for a decade targeting overcoming biomass recalcitrance. BESC has redefined biomass recalcitrance from an observable phenotype to a better understood and manipulatable fundamental and operational property. These manipulations are the result of deeper biological understanding and can be combined with other advanced biotechnology improvements in biomass conversion to improve bioenergy processes and markets. This article provides an overview of key accomplishments in overcoming recalcitrance via better plants, better microbes, and better tools and combinations. A perspective on the aspects of successful center operation is presented.