Selective chemical probes can untangle the complexity of the plant cell endomembrane system

Qian Ma; Mingqin Chang; Georgia Drakakaki; Eugenia Russinova

doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102223

Selective chemical probes can untangle the complexity of the plant cell endomembrane system

Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2022 Aug:68:102223. doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102223. Epub 2022 May 11.

Authors

Qian Ma¹, Mingqin Chang², Georgia Drakakaki³, Eugenia Russinova⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052, Ghent, Belgium; Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
² Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
³ Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. Electronic address: gdrakakaki@ucdavis.edu.
⁴ Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052, Ghent, Belgium; Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Eugenia.Russinova@psb.vib-ugent.be.

PMID: 35567926
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102223

Abstract

The endomembrane system is critical for plant growth and development and understanding its function and regulation is of great interest for plant biology research. Small-molecule targeting distinctive endomembrane components have proven powerful tools to dissect membrane trafficking in plant cells. However, unambiguous elucidation of the complex and dynamic trafficking processes requires chemical probes with enhanced precision. Determination of the mechanism of action of a compound, which is facilitated by various chemoproteomic approaches, opens new avenues for the improvement of its specificity. Moreover, rational molecule design and reverse chemical genetics with the aid of virtual screening and artificial intelligence will enable us to discover highly precise chemical probes more efficiently. The next decade will witness the emergence of more such accurate tools, which together with advanced live quantitative imaging techniques of subcellular phenotypes, will deepen our insights into the plant endomembrane system.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Chemical genetics; Chemoproteomics; Endomembrane trafficking; Endosidins; Mechanism of action; Rational design; Small molecule; Target identification; Virtual screening.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Artificial Intelligence*
Phenotype
Plant Cells*
Plants / metabolism
Protein Transport / physiology