Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, the BioActives Lab, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Viale Mattioli 25, Torino, 10125, Italy.
Nat Commun. 2019 Feb 18;10(1):810. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08461-1.
Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) form hormones and signaling molecules. Here we show that a member of an overlooked plant CCD subfamily from rice, that we name Zaxinone Synthase (ZAS), can produce zaxinone, a novel apocarotenoid metabolite in vitro. Loss-of-function mutants (zas) contain less zaxinone, exhibit retarded growth and showed elevated levels of strigolactones (SLs), a hormone that determines plant architecture, mediates mycorrhization and facilitates infestation by root parasitic weeds, such as Striga spp. Application of zaxinone can rescue zas phenotypes, decrease SL content and release and promote root growth in wild-type seedlings. In conclusion, we show that zaxinone is a key regulator of rice development and biotic interactions and has potential for increasing crop growth and combating Striga, a severe threat to global food security.
类胡萝卜素双加氧酶（CCDs）可形成激素和信号分子。在这里，我们展示了一种来自水稻的被忽视的植物 CCD 亚家族成员，我们将其命名为 Zaxinone 合酶（ZAS），可以在体外产生 zaxinone，一种新型的类胡萝卜素代谢物。功能丧失突变体（zas）中 zaxinone 的含量较低，表现出生长迟缓，并表现出较高水平的独脚金内酯（SLs），SLs 是一种决定植物结构、介导菌根形成和促进根寄生杂草侵染的激素，如 Striga spp。Zaxinone 的应用可以挽救 zas 表型，降低 SL 含量并释放，促进野生型幼苗的根生长。总之，我们表明 zaxinone 是水稻发育和生物相互作用的关键调节剂，具有增加作物生长和防治 Striga 的潜力，Striga 是全球粮食安全的严重威胁。
