DUF89 family proteins occur widely in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, but their functions are unknown. Here we define three DUF89 subfamilies (I, II, and III), with subfamily II being split into stand-alone proteins and proteins fused to pantothenate kinase (PanK). We demonstrated that DUF89 proteins have metal-dependent phosphatase activity against reactive phosphoesters or their damaged forms, notably sugar phosphates (subfamilies II and III), phosphopantetheine and its S-sulfonate or sulfonate (subfamily II-PanK fusions), and nucleotides (subfamily I). Genetic and comparative genomic data strongly associated DUF89 genes with phosphoester metabolism. The crystal structure of the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) subfamily III protein YMR027W revealed a novel phosphatase active site with fructose 6-phosphate and Mg(2+) bound near conserved signature residues Asp254 and Asn255 that are critical for activity. These findings indicate that DUF89 proteins are previously unrecognized hydrolases whose characteristic in vivo function is to limit potentially harmful buildups of normal or damaged phosphometabolites.

Protein redox regulation plays important roles in many biological processes. Protein cysteine thiols are sensitive to redox changes and may function as redox switches, which turn signaling and metabolic pathways on or off to ensure speedy responses to environmental stimuli or stresses. Here we report a novel integrative proteomics method called cysTMTRAQ that combines two types of isobaric tags, cysteine tandem mass tags and isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification, in one experiment. The method not only enables simultaneous analysis of cysteine redox changes and total protein level changes, but also allows the determination of bona fide redox modified cysteines in proteins through the correction of protein turnover. Changes in the redox states of protein cysteine thiols serve as regulatory switches in diverse biological processes (1). The redox cycle is regulated by well-known factors such as the ferredoxin-thioredoxin and glutathione-glutaredoxin systems, which reduce oxidized cysteines. Other oxidoreductases and oxidants such as reactive oxygen species act primarily to oxidize cysteine thiol groups (2, 3). In order to map and quantify cysteine redox modifications on the proteome scale, several approaches and methods have been developed, mostly using thiol-specific reagents and isotope tags. Twodimensional gel electrophoresis technology combined with fluorescent dye labeling (e.g. monobromobimane (4, 5) and cyanine dyes (6, 7)) and gel-free technology with isotope tagging (e.g. isotope-coded affinity tagging (6 -8), cysTMT 1 (9), and iTRAQ labeling of enriched cysteine-containing peptides (10 -14)) are often used to identify potential redox-sensitive cysteine residues and quantify redox changes.In addition to the well-known capabilities and limitations associated with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based and gel-free approaches (15), each method has its strengths and weaknesses in redox proteomics. For example, the twodimensional gel electrophoresis methods allow the inspection of spot patterns related to redox and protein-level changes. However, spot-volume-based quantification becomes problematic, as each spot often contains more than one protein species from complex samples. In addition, the limited number of fluorescent reagents compromises multiplexing capability, and the use of cyanine dyes does not allow mapping of the modified cysteines (6, 7). Other thiol labeling approaches such as the use of N-ethylmaleimide, biotin-N-[6-(Biotinamido)hexyl]-3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionamide (16), and isotopecoded affinity tags allow specific enrichment of cysteinecontaining peptides, mapping of cysteine modification sites, and duplex experiments in the case of isotope-coded affinity tags (6, 7). To enable multiplexing, 4-or 8-plex iTRAQ tags were recently used to label cysteine-containing peptides isolated from thiol-affinity chromatography (10,11,14,16). Another multiplexing technology, cysTMT, was developed to specifically label cysteines with free thiol groups of proteins from six different sampl...

Glucosinolates in Brassicales constitute an important group of natural metabolites important for plant defense and human health. Its biosynthetic pathways and transcriptional regulation have been well-studied. Using Arabidopsis mutants of important genes in glucosinolate biosynthesis, quantitative proteomics and metabolomics led to identification of many proteins and metabolites that are potentially related to glucosinolate metabolism. This study provides a comprehensive insight into the molecular networks of glucosinolate metabolism, and will facilitate efforts toward engineering and breeding of glucosinolate profiles for enhanced crop defense, and nutritional value.

Bioassays are commonly used to study stomatal phenotypes. There are multiple options in the choice of plant materials and species used for observation of stomatal and guard cell responses in vivo. Here, detailed procedures for bioassays of stomatal responses to abscisic acid (ABA) in Arabidopsis thaliana are described, including ABA promotion of stomatal closure, ABA inhibition of stomatal opening, and ABA promotion of reaction oxygen species (ROS) production in guard cells. We also include an example of a stomatal bioassay for the guard cell CO2 response using guard cell-enriched epidermal peels from Brassica napus. Highly pure preparations of guard cell protoplasts can be produced, which are also suitable for studies on guard cell signaling, as well as for studies on guard cell ion transport. Small-scale and large-scale guard cell protoplast preparations are commonly used for electrophysiological and -omics studies, respectively. We provide a procedure for small-scale guard cell protoplasting from A. thaliana. Additionally, a general protocol for large-scale preparation of guard cell protoplasts, with specifications for three different species, A. thaliana, B. napus, and Vicia faba is also provided.

Climate change as a result of increasing atmospheric CO2 affects plant growth and productivity. CO2 is not only a carbon donor for photosynthesis but also an environmental signal that can perturb cellular redox homeostasis and lead to modifications of redox-sensitive proteins. Although redox regulation of protein functions has emerged as an important mechanism in several biological processes, protein redox modifications and how they function in plant CO2 response remain unclear. Here a new iodoTMTRAQ proteomics technology was employed to analyze changes in protein redox modifications in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells in response to bicarbonate (mimic of elevated CO2) in a time-course study. A total of 47 potential redox-regulated proteins were identified with functions in carbohydrate and energy metabolism, transport, ROS scavenging, cell structure modulation and protein turnover. This inventory of previously unknown redox responsive proteins in Arabidopsis bicarbonate responses lays a foundation for future research toward understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying plant CO2 responses.