Each month, Chemistry & Biology Select highlights a selection of research reports from the recent literature. These highlights are a snapshot of interesting research done across the field of chemical biology. This month’s Select highlights a community-driven effort to improve drug sensitivity prediction algorithms, a report that XNAs can act as catalysts, and the role of galactolipids in system...

Systemically induced resistance is a promising strategy to control plant diseases, as it affects numerous pathogens. However, since induced resistance reduces one or both growth and activity of plant pathogens, the indigenous microflora may also be affected by an enhanced defensive state of the plant. The aim of this study was to elucidate how much the bacterial rhizosphere microflora of Arabid...

The triphosphate tunnel metalloenzyme (TTM) superfamily represents a group of enzymes that is characterized by their ability to hydrolyze a range of tripolyphosphate substrates. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) encodes three TTM genes, AtTTM1, AtTTM2, and AtTTM3. Although AtTTM3 has previously been reported to have tripolyphosphatase activity, recombinantly expressed AtTTM2 unexpectedly exhib...

Plant defense is achieved mainly through the induction of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMP)-triggered immunity (MTI), effector-triggered immunity (ETI), systemic acquired resistance (SAR), induced systemic resistance (ISR), and RNA silencing. Plant immunity is a highly complex phenomenon with its own unique features that have emerged as a result of the arms race between plants and pa...

Glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) is a proposed regulator of plant defense signaling in basal resistance and systemic acquired resistance (SAR). The GLY1-encoded glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) and GLI1-encoded glycerol kinase (GK) are two key enzymes involved in the G3P biosynthesis in plants. However, their physiological importance in wheat defense against pathogens remains unclear. In th...

The triphosphate tunnel metalloenzyme (TTM) superfamily represents a group of enzymes that is characterized by their ability to hydrolyze a range of tripolyphosphate substrates. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) encodes three TTM genes, AtTTM1, AtTTM2, and AtTTM3. Although AtTTM3 has previously been reported to have tripolyphosphatase activity, recombinantly expressed AtTTM2 unexpectedly exhib...

Salicylic acid (SA) is a defense hormone required for both local and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in plants. Pathogen infections induce SA synthesis through up-regulating the expression of Isochorismate Synthase 1 (ICS1), which encodes a key enzyme in SA production. Here we report that both SAR Deficient 1 (SARD1) and CBP60g are key regulators for ICS1 induction and SA synthesis. Whereas ...