Flavonoids represent a large family of specialized metabolites involved in plant growth, development, and adaptation. Chalcone synthase (CHS) catalyzes the first step of flavonoid biosynthesis by directing carbon flux from general phenylpropanoid metabolism to flavonoid pathway. Despite extensive characterization of its function and transcriptional regulation, the molecular basis governing its posttranslational modification is enigmatic. Here, we report the discovery of a proteolytic regulator of CHS, namely, KFB CHS , a Kelch domain-containing F-box protein in Arabidopsis thaliana. KFB CHS physically interacts with CHS and specifically mediates its ubiquitination and degradation. KFB CHS exhibits developmental expression patterns in Arabidopsis leaves, stems, and siliques and strongly responds to the dark-to-light (or the light-to-dark) switch, the blue, red, and far-red light signals, and UV-B irradiation. Alteration of KFB CHS expression negatively correlates to the cellular concentration of CHS and the production of flavonoids. Our study suggests that KFB CHS serves as a crucial negative regulator, via mediating CHS degradation, coordinately controlling flavonoid biosynthesis in response to the developmental cues and environmental stimuli.

Narrow-bandwidth light treatments may be used to manipulate plant growth, development and metabolism. In this report LED-based light treatments were used to affect yield and metabolic content of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L. cv “Ceasar”) grown in controlled environments. This culinary herb produces an aroma highly appreciated by consumers, primarily composed of terpenes/terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and fatty-acid- derived volatile molecules. Basil plants were grown under narrow-bandwidth light conditions, and leaf area, height, mass, antioxidant capacity and volatile emissions were measured at various time points. The results indicate reproducible significant differences in specific volatiles, and in biochemical classes of volatiles, compared to greenhouse grown plants. For example, basil plants grown under blue/red/yellow or blue/red/green wavelengths emit higher levels of a subset of monoterpenoid volatiles, while a blue/red/far-red treatment leads to higher levels of most sesquiterpenoid volatile molecules. Specific light treatments increase volatile content, mass, and antioxidant capacity. The results show that narrow-bandwidth illumination can induce discrete suites of volatile classes that affect sensory quality in commercial herbs, and may be a useful tool in improving commercial production.

The results suggest that oxidative stress stimulated an increase in ceramide levels that induced photoreceptor apoptosis. DHA prevented oxidative stress and ceramide damage by upregulating Bcl-2 expression and glucosylating ceramide, thus decreasing its intracellular concentration. This shows for the first time that ceramide is a critical mediator for triggering photoreceptor apoptosis in mammalian retina and suggests that modulating ceramide levels may provide a therapeutic tool for preventing photoreceptor death in neurodegenerative diseases.

tions as structural membrane components and energetic fuels. However, the fi ndings of the previous half century have extended these roles, shedding light on their indisputable relevance as signaling molecules controlling key aspects of cellular life and development. The identifi cation of diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5 triphosphate ( 1 ) as second messengers seemed at the time a peculiarity of these lipids. The subsequent fi ndings of the roles of arachidonic acid metabolites ( 2 ), platelet activating factor ( 3 ), and other minor inositol lipids ( 4 ) in cell signaling began to establish that being intracellular messengers was not an oddity but a habitual task for lipids in cells. The family of lipid signaling molecules largely expanded in the last two decades, when several sphingolipids were successively shown to regulate a multiplicity of cell functions. Sphingosine (Sph) was the fi rst sphingolipid to be established as a bioactive lipid, involved in the regulation of protein kinase (PK)C activity ( 5 ). Ceramide (Cer) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) were next shown to signal a myriad of cell functions and the number of sphingolipid molecules with bioactive properties has gone on enlarging in recent years ( 6, 7 ).Though a vast literature exists on the functions of sphingolipids in several tissues, less is known concerning its roles in the eye, and in the retina in particular. Accumulation of sphingolipids originated in defects in the lysosomal Abstract Many sphingolipids have key functions in the regulation of crucial cellular processes. Ceramide (Cer) and sphingosine (Sph) induce growth arrest and cell death in multiple situations of cellular stress. On the contrary, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), the product of Sph phosphorylation, promotes proliferation, differentiation, and survival in different cell systems. This review summarizes the roles of these simple sphingolipids in different tissues and then analyzes their possible functions in the retina. Alterations in proliferation, neovascularization, differentiation, and cell death are critical in major retina diseases and collective evidence points to a role for sphingolipids in these processes. Cer induces infl ammation and apoptosis in endothelial and retinal pigmented epithelium cells, leading to several retinopathies. S1P can prevent this death but also promotes cell proliferation that might lead to neovascularization and fibrosis. Recent data support Cer and Sph as crucial mediators in the induction of photoreceptor apoptosis in diverse models of oxidative damage and neurodegeneration, and suggest that regulating their metabolism can prevent this death. New evidence proposes a central role for S1P controlling photoreceptor survival and differentiation. Finally, this review discusses the ability of trophic factors to regulate sphingolipid metabolism and transactivate S1P signaling pathways to control survival and development in retina photoreceptors. When asked about the roles of cellular lipids, the fi rst thought usually coming to our minds re...