Biology subjects

Teixeira, P. J. P. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Teixeira, P. J. P. L..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Proline transporters balance the salicylic acid-mediated trade-off between regeneration and immunity in plants

A robust immune response and regenerative capacity are both essential for survival after injury. In plants, salicylic acid (SA) is essential for activating immunity but simultaneously suppresses regenerative capacity. The mechanisms coordinating the trade-off between immunity and regeneration remain poorly understood. Here, we identify proline transporters as key regulators of this balance. Mutations in two wound-induced proline transporters, ProT2 and ProT3, rescued exogenous proline-induced suppression of de novo root regeneration (DNRR) and enhanced DNRR. ProTs are required for SA-mediated suppression of regeneration, without affecting SA-dependent defense responses. Mechanistically, a ProT3-CPK1 complex modulates the dynamics of wound-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), sustaining a ROS level that restricts DNRR after wounding. Notably, pharmacological inhibition of proline transport rescued SA-mediated suppression of regeneration and enhanced regeneration across multiple plant species. These findings establish proline transporter as a regulatory hub integrating stress-induced proline metabolism, SA signaling, and ROS homeostasis to balance immunity and regeneration, and highlight chemical inhibition of proline transport as a strategy to improve crop regeneration under biotic stresses without compromising disease resistance.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Evaporative cooling signals for wound healing in plants

Repairing damaged tissues is essential for the survival of all organisms. In plants, tissue injury rapidly triggers defense and repair programs. However, the molecular mechanisms linking early injury cue to the later stages of wound repair remain unclear. Here, we show that wounding of Arabidopsis leaves induces localized low temperature at the injury site, likely caused by evaporative cooling, which is accompanied by an activation of cold-responsive genes. Using thermal imaging combined with computer vision and deep learning, we developed a workflow to monitor the dynamics of wound healing in a quantitative, non-invasive and real-time manner. Mechanistically, we show that C-repeat Binding Factor (CBF) transcription factors are required for the activation of injury-associated cold response and downstream salicylic acid (SA) signaling. The CBF-SA module promotes lignin deposition and wound repair. Together, these findings reveal a link between a wound-induced biophysical cue and the tissue repair program.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Unveiling novel mechanisms of strobilurin resistance in the cacao pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa

Witches broom disease (WBD) is a major constraint for cacao production in the Americas. The severe socioeconomic impact of WBD encouraged the evaluation of different control strategies, including the use of strobilurin fungicides. These molecules inhibit mitochondrial respiration, thus impairing ATP generation and leading to oxidative stress. These chemicals, however, have proven ineffective against the WBD pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa. Here, we demonstrate that M. perniciosa tolerates high concentrations of strobilurins under in vitro conditions and highlight a set of molecular alterations that correlate with strobilurin tolerance in this fungus. Short-term exposure of M. perniciosa to the commercial strobilurin azoxystrobin led to the up-regulation of genes encoding enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, gluconeogenesis, and fatty acid and amino acid catabolism, indicating that the fungal metabolism is remodeled to compensate for reduced ATP production. Furthermore, cell division, ribosome biogenesis, and sterol metabolism were repressed, which agrees with the impaired mycelial growth on azoxystrobin. Genes associated with cellular detoxification and response to oxidative stress (e.g., cytochrome P450s, membrane transporters and glutathione s-transferases) were strongly induced by the drug and represent potential strategies used by the pathogen to mitigate the toxic effects of the fungicide. Remarkably, exposure of M. perniciosa to azoxystrobin resulted in the spontaneous generation of a mutant with increased resistance to strobilurin. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics revealed alterations that may explain the resistance phenotype, including a large deletion in a putative transcriptional regulator and significant changes in the mutant transcriptome. Overall, this work provides important advances towards a comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of strobilurin resistance in a tropical fungal pathogen. This is a fundamental step to efficiently employ these fungicides in agriculture and to prevent the emergence of strobilurin resistance.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Adaptive evolution of Moniliophthora PR-1 proteins towards its pathogenic lifestyle

Moniliophthora perniciosa and Moniliophthora roreri are hemibiotrophic fungi that harbor a large number of Pathogenesis-Related 1 genes, many of which are induced in the biotrophic interaction with Theobroma cacao. Here, we provide evidence that the evolution of PR-1 in Moniliophthora was adaptive and potentially related to the emergence of the parasitic lifestyle in this genus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed conserved PR-1 genes, shared by many Agaricales saprotrophic species, that have diversified in new PR-1 genes putatively related to pathogenicity in Moniliophthora, as well as in recent specialization cases within both species. PR-1 families in Moniliophthora with higher evolutionary rates exhibit induced expression in the biotrophic interaction and positive selection clues, supporting the hypothesis that these proteins accumulated adaptive changes in response to host-pathogen arm race. Furthermore, we show that the highly diversified MpPR-1 genes are not induced by two phytoalexins, suggesting detoxification might not be their main function as proposed before.

evolutionary biology↗