Tracking Myrosinase Regulation across Multiscale Interactions with Fluorescent Glucosinolates.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Plant Biology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Glucosinolates (GSLs) convert to chemopreventive isothiocyanates (ITCs) via myrosinase (MYR).
• MYR plays roles in plant defense, gut microbiota metabolism, and inter-species interactions.
• Tracking MYR dynamics in vivo is crucial for understanding these processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop activity-based probes for in vivo tracking of MYR.
• To investigate MYR dynamics and distribution in live plants and colonized zebrafish.
• To explore cross-species regulation of MYR in plant defense and host-microbe metabolism.

Main Methods:

• Design and synthesis of novel activity-based probes mimicking natural GSLs.
• Fluorescence imaging of live plants and colonized zebrafish to visualize MYR activity.
• Quantitative analysis of metabolic competition between GSLs and sugars in vivo.

Main Results:

• Probes successfully tracked MYR dynamics and heterogeneous distribution in plants.
• Herbivore challenge induced systemic, long-distance MYR upregulation in plant roots, indicating cross-species regulation.
• Quantitative visualization confirmed sugar's metabolic priority over GSLs in gut microbiota and zebrafish.

Conclusions:

• The developed probes offer a powerful tool for in vivo MYR tracking.
• MYR regulation is involved in cross-species plant defense mechanisms.
• Metabolic competition in the gut highlights complex host-microbe interactions and dietary influences on health.