An Exo2 derivative affects ER and Golgi morphology and vacuolar sorting in a tissue-specific manner in arabidopsis

Golgi quality control and autophagy

Organelles can easily be disrupted by intracellular and extracellular factors. Studies on ER and mitochondria indicate that a wide range of responses are elicited upon organelle disruption. One response thought to be of particular importance is autophagy. Cells can target entire organelles into autophagosomes for removal. This wholesale nature makes autophagy a robust means for eliminating compromised organelles. Recently, it was demonstrated that the Golgi apparatus is a substrate of autophagy. On the other hand, various reports have shown that components traffic away from the Golgi for elimination in an autophagosome-independent manner when the Golgi apparatus is stressed. Future studies will reveal how these different pieces of machinery coordinate to drive Golgi degradation. Quantitative measurements will be needed to determine how much autophagy contributes to the maintenance of the Golgi apparatus.

In Planta Labeling Using a Clickable ER-Disrupting Probe Suggests a Role for Oleosins in Arabidopsis Seedling ER Integrity

Several small-molecule perturbagens of the plant endomembrane system are known, but few selectively disrupt endoplasmic reticulum (ER) structure and function. We conducted a microscopy-based screen for small-molecule disruptors of ER structure and discovered eroonazole, a 1,2-4-triazole that induces extensive ER vesiculation in Arabidopsis seedlings. To identify eroonazole targets, we synthesized a clickable photoaffinity derivative and used it for whole-seedling labeling experiments. These reveal that the probe labels multiple oleosins, plant membrane proteins that stabilize ER-derived lipid droplets. Oleosin labeling is absent in an oleosin1234 quadruple mutant and reduced using an inactive analog. Cellular analyses of the ER in the quadruple mutant demonstrate that oleosins are required for normal ER structure during seed germination and suggest that perturbation of oleosin function by eroonazole underlies its effects on seedling ER structure.

Involvement of BIG5 and BIG3 in BRI1 Trafficking Reveals Diverse Functions of BIG-subfamily ARF-GEFs in Plant Growth and Gravitropism

ADP-ribosylation factor-guanine nucleotide exchange factors (ARF-GEFs) act as key regulators of vesicle trafficking in all eukaryotes. In Arabidopsis, there are eight ARF-GEFs, including three members of the GBF1 subfamily and five members of the BIG subfamily. These ARF-GEFs have different subcellular localizations and regulate different trafficking pathways. Until now, the roles of these BIG-subfamily ARF-GEFs have not been fully revealed. Here, analysis of the BIGs expression patterns showed that BIG3 and BIG5 have similar expression patterns. big5-1 displayed a dwarf growth and big3-1 big5-1 double mutant showed more severe defects, indicating functional redundancy between BIG3 and BIG5. Moreover, both big5-1 and big3-1 big5-1 exhibited a reduced sensitivity to Brassinosteroid (BR) treatment. Brefeldin A (BFA)-induced BR receptor Brassinosteroid insensitive 1 (BRI1) aggregation was reduced in big5-1 mutant, indicating that the action of BIG5 is required for BRI1 recycling. Furthermore, BR-induced dephosphorylation of transcription factor BZR1 was decreased in big3-1 big5-1 double mutants. The introduction of the gain-of-function of BZR1 mutant BZR1-1D in big3-1 big5-1 mutants can partially rescue the big3-1 big5-1 growth defects. Our findings revealed that BIG5 functions redundantly with BIG3 in plant growth and gravitropism, and BIG5 participates in BR signal transduction pathway through regulating BRI1 trafficking.

Drugging the Small GTPase Pathways in Cancer Treatment: Promises and Challenges

Small GTPases are a family of low molecular weight GTP-hydrolyzing enzymes that cycle between an inactive state when bound to GDP and an active state when associated to GTP. Small GTPases regulate key cellular processes (e.g., cell differentiation, proliferation, and motility) as well as subcellular events (e.g., vesicle trafficking), making them key participants in a great array of pathophysiological processes. Indeed, the dysfunction and deregulation of certain small GTPases, such as the members of the Ras and Arf subfamilies, have been related with the promotion and progression of cancer. Therefore, the development of inhibitors that target dysfunctional small GTPases could represent a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. This review covers the basic biochemical mechanisms and the diverse functions of small GTPases in cancer. We also discuss the strategies and challenges of inhibiting the activity of these enzymes and delve into new approaches that offer opportunities to target them in cancer therapy.

Transmembrane Helices 2 and 3 Determine the Localization of Plasma Membrane Intrinsic Proteins in Eukaryotic Cells

In plants, plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP) PIP1s and PIP2s mediate the transport of disparate substrates across plasma membranes (PMs), with a prerequisite that the proteins correctly localize to the PMs. While PIP2s can take correct localization by themselves in plant cells, PIP1s cannot unless aided by a specific PIP2. Here, we analyzed the localization of the Arabidopsis aquaporins, AtPIP1s, AtPIP2;4, and their mutants in yeast, Xenopus oocytes, and protoplasts of Arabidopsis. Most of AtPIP2;4 localized in the PM when expressed alone, whereas AtPIP1;1 failed to realize it in yeast and Xenopus oocytes. Switch of the transmembrane helix 2 (TM2) or TM3 from AtPIP1;1 to AtPIP2;4 disabled the latter's PM targeting activity. Surprisingly, a replacement of TM2 and TM3 of AtPIP1;1 with those of AtPIP2;4 created a PM-localized AtPIP1;1 mutant, 1;1Δ(TM2+TM3)/2;4(TM2+TM3), which could act as a water and hydrogen peroxide channel just like AtPIP2;4. A localization and function analysis on mutants of AtPIP1;2, AtPIP1;3, AtPIP1;4, and AtPIP1;5, with the same replaced TM2 and TM3 from AtPIP2;4, showed that these AtPIP1 variants could also localize in the PM spontaneously, thus playing an inherent role in transporting solutes. Sequential and structural analysis suggested that a hydrophilic residue and a defective LxxxA motif are modulators of PM localization of AtPIP1s. These results indicate that TM2 and TM3 are necessary and, more importantly, sufficient in AtPIP2 for its PM localization.

Chemical Genetic Dissection of Membrane Trafficking

The plant endomembrane system is an extensively connected functional unit for exchanging material between compartments. Secretory and endocytic pathways allow dynamic trafficking of proteins, lipids, and other molecules, regulating a myriad of biological processes. Chemical genetics-the use of compounds to perturb biological processes in a fast, tunable, and transient manner-provides elegant tools for investigating this system. Here, we review how chemical genetics has helped to elucidate different aspects of membrane trafficking. We discuss different strategies for uncovering the modes of action of such compounds and their use in unraveling membrane trafficking regulators. We also discuss how the bioactive chemicals that are currently used as probes to interrogate endomembrane trafficking were discovered and analyze the results regarding membrane trafficking and pathway crosstalk. The integration of different expertises and the rational implementation of chemical genetic strategies will improve the identification of molecular mechanisms that drive intracellular trafficking and our understanding of how trafficking interfaces with plant physiology and development.

The lipolysis pathway sustains normal and transformed stem cells in adult Drosophila

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) may be responsible for tumour dormancy, relapse and the eventual death of most cancer patients. In addition, these cells are usually resistant to cytotoxic conditions. However, very little is known about the biology behind this resistance to therapeutics. Here we investigated stem-cell death in the digestive system of adult Drosophila melanogaster. We found that knockdown of the coat protein complex I (COPI)-Arf79F (also known as Arf1) complex selectively killed normal and transformed stem cells through necrosis, by attenuating the lipolysis pathway, but spared differentiated cells. The dying stem cells were engulfed by neighbouring differentiated cells through a draper-myoblast city-Rac1-basket (also known as JNK)-dependent autophagy pathway. Furthermore, Arf1 inhibitors reduced CSCs in human cancer cell lines. Thus, normal or cancer stem cells may rely primarily on lipid reserves for energy, in such a way that blocking lipolysis starves them to death. This finding may lead to new therapies that could help to eliminate CSCs in human cancers.

An early secretory pathway mediated by GNOM-LIKE 1 and GNOM is essential for basal polarity establishment in Arabidopsis thaliana

Spatial regulation of the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, or auxin) is essential for plant development. Auxin gradient establishment is mediated by polarly localized auxin transporters, including PIN-FORMED (PIN) proteins. Their localization and abundance at the plasma membrane are tightly regulated by endomembrane machinery, especially the endocytic and recycling pathways mediated by the ADP ribosylation factor guanine nucleotide exchange factor (ARF-GEF) GNOM. We assessed the role of the early secretory pathway in establishing PIN1 polarity in Arabidopsis thaliana by pharmacological and genetic approaches. We identified the compound endosidin 8 (ES8), which selectively interferes with PIN1 basal polarity without altering the polarity of apical proteins. ES8 alters the auxin distribution pattern in the root and induces a strong developmental phenotype, including reduced root length. The ARF-GEF-defective mutants gnom-like 1 (gnl1-1) and gnom (van7) are significantly resistant to ES8. The compound does not affect recycling or vacuolar trafficking of PIN1 but leads to its intracellular accumulation, resulting in loss of PIN1 basal polarity at the plasma membrane. Our data confirm a role for GNOM in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi trafficking and reveal that a GNL1/GNOM-mediated early secretory pathway selectively regulates PIN1 basal polarity establishment in a manner essential for normal plant development.

Small molecules present large opportunities in plant biology

Since the introduction of chemical genomics to plant biology as a tool for basic research, the field has advanced significantly. There are now examples of important basic discoveries that demonstrate the power and untapped potential of this approach. Given the combination of protein and small-molecule complexity, new phenotypes can be described through the perturbation of cellular functions that can be linked to growth and developmental phenotypes. There are now clear examples of overcoming functional redundancy in plants to dissect molecular mechanisms or critical pathways such as hormone signaling and dynamic intracellular processes. Owing to ongoing advances, including more sophisticated high-content screening and rapid approaches for target identification, the field is beginning to move forward. However, there are also challenges to improve automation, imaging, and analysis and provide chemical biology resources to the broader plant biology community.