YUCCA (YUC) proteins constitute a family of flavin monooxygenases (FMOs), with an important role in auxin (IAA) biosynthesis. Here we report that Arabidopsis plants overexpressing YUC6 display enhanced IAA-related phenotypes and exhibit improved drought stress tolerance, low rate of water loss and controlled ROS accumulation under drought and oxidative stresses. Co-overexpression of an IAA-conj...

In mammals, synthesis of cholesterol and unsaturated fatty acids is controlled by SREBPs, a family of membrane-bound transcription factors. Here, we show that the Drosophila genome encodes all components of the SREBP pathway, including a single SREBP (dSREBP), SREBP cleavage-activating protein (dSCAP), and the two proteases that process SREBP at sites 1 and 2 to release the nuclear fragment. In...

Mutant strains of Escherichia coli have been isolated in which the synthesis of 3deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonic acid 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthetase (phe) is derepressed, in addition to those enzymes of tyrosine biosynthesis previously shown to be controlled by the gene tyrR. The major enzyme of the terminal pathway of phenylalanine biosynthesis chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydratase is not derepr...

Gradients of the plant hormone auxin, which depend on its active intercellular transport, are crucial for the maintenance of root meristematic activity. This directional transport is largely orchestrated by a complex interaction of specific influx and efflux carriers that mediate the auxin flow into and out of cells, respectively. Besides these transport proteins, plant-specific polyphenolic co...

A set of genetically engineered Escherichia coli strains was constructed, in which the promoter of the fabA gene is fused to Vibrio fischeri luxCDABE either in a multi-copy plasmid or as a single copy chromosomal integration. The fabA gene codes for beta-hydroxydecanoyl-ACP dehydrase, a key enzyme in the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and is induced when fatty acid biosynthesis pathways ...

Opioids are the primary drugs used in Western medicine for pain management and palliative care. Farming of opium poppies remains the sole source of these essential medicines, despite diverse market demands and uncertainty in crop yields due to weather, climate change, and pests. We engineered yeast to produce the selected opioid compounds thebaine and hydrocodone starting from sugar. All work w...

The assembly and activity of cytochrome c oxidase is dependent on the availability of heme A, one of its essential cofactors. In eukaryotes, two inner mitochondrial membrane proteins, heme O synthase (Cox10) and heme A synthase (Cox15), are required for heme A biosynthesis. In this report, we demonstrate that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae the transcription of COX15 is regulated by Hap1, a transcr...

The levels of L-arginine, a cationic, semi-essential amino acid, are often controlled within a cell at the level of local availability through biosynthesis. The importance of this temporal and spatial control of cellular L-arginine is highlighted by the tissue specific roles of argininosuccinate synthase (argininosuccinate synthetase) (EC 6.3.4.5), as the rate-limiting step in the conversion of...

The dynamics of the interaction of the insulin receptor with a substrate-trapping mutant of protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) were monitored in living human embryonic kidney cells using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). Insulin dose-dependently stimulates this interaction, which could be followed in real time for more than 30 minutes. The effect of insulin on the BRET sign...

Although indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), the predominant auxin in plants, plays a critical role in various plant growth and developmental processes, its biosynthesis and regulation have not been clearly elucidated. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of IAA synthesis in rice (Oryza sativa), we identified seven YUCCA-like genes (named OsYUCCA1-7) in the rice genome. Plants overexpressing OsYUCCA...