LiP-MS reveals a feedback loop of tomato UDP-glucosyltransferases managing bioactive jasmonate homeostasis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Jasmonic acid (JA) is the precursor of the bioactive molecule jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile), a plant hormone that regulates fitness and development. Although JA biosynthesis, signaling, and responses have been intensively studied, the catabolism of JA remains incompletely understood. Here, we use the recently developed technique of limited proteolysis-coupled mass spectrometry (LiP-MS) to investigate metabolite-protein interactions in plants, aiming to discover enzymes involved in JA metabolism. We identify several previously reported JA-binding proteins, thus validating the robustness of the method, along with recognized enzymes of the JA pathway and a series of other potential JA-binding proteins. Functional characterization of a set of identified JA-interacting uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glycosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes through omics, biochemical, enzymatic, and structural analyses reveals that two tomato UGTs glucosylate JA into JA-glucosyl esters, potentially playing a role in the regulation of bioactive JA homeostasis. With this, our findings uncover a missing step in the JA metabolic pathway.
Source: Cell Reports
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,620
Funders: European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Universiteit Gent, Göttinger Graduiertenschule für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften, Vlaamse regering, Herculesstichting, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, European Research Council, Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds UGent, H2020 European Research Council, HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Awards: G1075328079, G1190761410, G2089066042, Translational control in infection biology: riboproteogenomics of bacterial pathogens, G2244378642, G2535901050, G2583795313, G3204757729, Developing CRISPR activation/CRISPR interference toolset for fine-tuning production of metabolites in plants, G3313770593, ENDOSCAPE, a clinically applicable non-viral gene delivery technology, G4000813081, G434337789, G4937468798, Identification and characterisation of novel regulators of the abundance and functioning of the COI1 protein, the receptor of the plant hormone jasmonate, ReHiFiNMR - Rejuvenation of High-Field NMR equipment for the continued and enhanced characterization of complex molecular architectures and their interactions, G5369815892, Innovative high-value cosmetic products from plants and plant cells, G5783601166, G601718394, G7011017505, G7025164396, G7307077246, G7944295140, G8412240915, G852460810, G852589333, Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms by which the phytohormone jasmonate triggers the concurrent remodeling of the plant endoplasmic reticulum and reprogramming of plant metabolism.
OpenAlex ID: W7214388138