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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Plant Science

Silencing of NtIPMDs is associated with impaired chloroplast development and altered amino acid metabolism in tobacco

  • Niu Zhai
  • Peipei Zhang
  • Yali Liu
  • Huina Zhou
  • Guoyun Xu
  • Zefeng Li
  • Pingping Liu
  • Lifeng Jin
  • Qingxia Zheng
  • Hui Zhang
Open at sourceDOICite

Abstract

Isopropylmalate dehydrogenase (IPMD) catalyzes the oxidation and decarboxylation of 3-isopropyl-L-malate (IPM) to form 4-methyl-2-oxovalerate in leucine biosynthesis. Although IPMD genes are well studied in Arabidopsis, their functions in other plants remain unclear. Here, we investigated two chloroplast-localized IPMDs (NtIPMD1 and NtIPMD2) in tobacco. RNAi-mediated silencing of both genes caused variegated leaves, stunted growth, reduced chlorophyll content, and abnormal chloroplast ultrastructure. Transcriptome analysis showed downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, consistent with impaired photosynthetic capacity. Metabolomic profiling revealed that most amino acids, particularly valine, accumulated in NtIPMD-RNAi lines, whereas leucine increased only slightly. Phytohormone analysis further showed reduced ABA and GA levels. These results indicate that NtIPMDs silencing is associated with impaired chloroplast development and altered amino acid metabolism. The strong valine accumulation and slight leucine change suggest that leucine content may not directly reflect IPMD activity, and these effects may be indirect consequences of metabolic pathway. Further studies are needed to clarify whether NtIPMD has functions beyond leucine biosynthesis.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zhai2026silencing,
  title = {{Silencing of NtIPMDs is associated with impaired chloroplast development and altered amino acid metabolism in tobacco}},
  author = {Niu Zhai and Peipei Zhang and Yali Liu and Huina Zhou and Guoyun Xu and Zefeng Li and Pingping Liu and Lifeng Jin and Qingxia Zheng and Hui Zhang},
  journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1979213},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1979213},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Silencing of NtIPMDs is associated with impaired chloroplast development and altered amino acid metabolism in tobacco
AU  - Niu Zhai
AU  - Peipei Zhang
AU  - Yali Liu
AU  - Huina Zhou
AU  - Guoyun Xu
AU  - Zefeng Li
AU  - Pingping Liu
AU  - Lifeng Jin
AU  - Qingxia Zheng
AU  - Hui Zhang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/05
JO  - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO  - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1979213
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1979213
AB  - Isopropylmalate dehydrogenase (IPMD) catalyzes the oxidation and decarboxylation of 3-isopropyl-L-malate (IPM) to form 4-methyl-2-oxovalerate in leucine biosynthesis. Although IPMD genes are well studied in Arabidopsis, their functions in other plants remain unclear. Here, we investigated two chloroplast-localized IPMDs (NtIPMD1 and NtIPMD2) in tobacco. RNAi-mediated silencing of both genes caused variegated leaves, stunted growth, reduced chlorophyll content, and abnormal chloroplast ultrastructure. Transcriptome analysis showed downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, consistent with impaired photosynthetic capacity. Metabolomic profiling revealed that most amino acids, particularly valine, accumulated in NtIPMD-RNAi lines, whereas leucine increased only slightly. Phytohormone analysis further showed reduced ABA and GA levels. These results indicate that NtIPMDs silencing is associated with impaired chloroplast development and altered amino acid metabolism. The strong valine accumulation and slight leucine change suggest that leucine content may not directly reflect IPMD activity, and these effects may be indirect consequences of metabolic pathway. Further studies are needed to clarify whether NtIPMD has functions beyond leucine biosynthesis.
SN  - 1664-462X
ER  -