Abstract
Autophagy is a genetically regulated, eukaryotic cellular degradation system that sequestrates cytoplasmic materials in specialised vesicles, termed autophagosomes, for delivery and breakdown in the lysosome or vacuole. In plants, autophagy plays essential roles in development (e.g., senescence) and responses to abiotic (e.g., nutrient starvation, drought and oxidative stress) and biotic stresses (e.g., hypersensitive response). Initially, autophagy was considered a non-selective bulk degradation mechanism that provides energy and building blocks for homeostatic balance during stress. Recent studies, however, reveal that autophagy may be more subtle and selectively target ubiquitylated protein aggregates, protein complexes and even organelles for degradation to regulate vital cellular processes even during favourable conditions. The selective nature of autophagy lends itself to potential manipulation and exploitation as part of designer protein turnover machinery for the development of stress-tolerant and disease-resistant crops, crops with increased yield potential and agricultural efficiency and reduced post-harvest losses. Here, we discuss our current understanding of autophagy and speculate its potential manipulation for improved agricultural performance.
Highlights
Potential Biotechnological Applications of Autophagy for AgricultureNipuni Thanthrige 1, Sudipta Das Bhowmik 1, Brett J
Plants must intricately balance their energy needs for growth and development with survival and stress responses
Brassinosteroids (BRs) regulate plant growth, development and stress responses by activating the core transcription factor BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR1 (BES1), whose degradation occurs through the proteasome and autophagy pathways (Nolan et al, 2017; Wang et al, 2021)
Summary
Nipuni Thanthrige 1, Sudipta Das Bhowmik 1, Brett J. Potential Biotechnological Applications of Autophagy for Agriculture. Autophagy plays essential roles in development (e.g., senescence) and responses to abiotic (e.g., nutrient starvation, drought and oxidative stress) and biotic stresses (e.g., hypersensitive response). Autophagy was considered a non-selective bulk degradation mechanism that provides energy and building blocks for homeostatic balance during stress. Reveal that autophagy may be more subtle and selectively target ubiquitylated protein aggregates, protein complexes and even organelles for degradation to regulate vital cellular processes even during favourable conditions. The selective nature of autophagy lends itself to potential manipulation and exploitation as part of designer protein turnover machinery for the development of stress-tolerant and disease-resistant crops, crops with increased yield potential and agricultural efficiency and reduced post-harvest losses. We discuss our current understanding of autophagy and speculate its potential manipulation for improved agricultural performance
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