New mechanism of sulfur reallocation in plants discovered

August 1, 2022

Enhancing stress resistance of crops is expected

An international cooperative research group, including the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the RIKEN CSRS, discovered a novel degrading route of glutathione, a metabolite which helps store and transport sulfur and defense stress in plants. In addition, the enzyme which functions in this route helps synthesize other defensive compounds, glucosinolates, therefore the team found that the enzyme plays two roles in sulfur metabolism in plants. The findings of this research will contribute to food production increases and health promotion through the development of stress-resistant plants and functional crops.

Original article

The Plant Journal doi:10.1111/tpj.15912

T. Ito, T. Kitaiwa, K. Nishizono, M. Umahashi, S. Miyaji, S. Agake, K. Kuwahara, T. Yokoyama, S. Fushinobu, A. Maruyama-Nakashita,R. Sugiyama, M. Sato, J. Inaba, M. Y. Hirai, N. Ohkama-Ohtsu,

"Glutathione Degradation Activity of γ-Glutamyl Peptidase 1 Manifests Its Dual Roles in Primary and Secondary Sulfur Metabolism in Arabidopsis".

Contact

Masami Yokota Hirai
Team Leader
Metabolic Systems Research Team