Yağız Alagöz

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | KAUST · Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE)

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated9 (Cas9) endonuclease system is a powerful RNA-guided genome editing tool. CRISPR/Cas9 has been well studied in model plant species for targeted genome editing. However, few studies have been reported on plant species without whole genome sequence information. Curre...

Carotenoids are isoprenoid pigments synthesised by plants, algae, photosynthetic bacteria as well as some non-photosynthetic bacteria, fungi and insects. Abundant carotenoids found in nature are synthesised via a linear route from phytoene to lycopene after which the pathway bifurcates into cyclised α- and β-carotenes. Plants evolved additional ste...

Reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the method of choice used in biological, health, and food research to identify, quantify, and profile carotenoid species. The identification and quantification of cis- and/or trans-carotene and xanthophyll isomers in plant tissues can be affected by the method of sample preparation and...

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) are involved in metabolic steps that provide structural diversity during the biosynthesis of carotenoids and their oxidative cleavage products called apocarotenoids. Recent studies on bioactive apocarotenoids in plants revealed the necessity of performing further research to uncover the function of novel CYP enzymes t...

Sustainable and precise fortification practices are necessary to ensure food security for the increasing human population. Precision agriculture aims to minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides by developing smart materials for real-life agricultural practices. Here, we show that biomimetic mineralization can be efficiently employed to encaps...

Seeds of the root parasitic plant Striga hermonthica undergo a conditioning process under humid and warm environments before germinating in response to host-released stimulants, particularly strigolactones (SLs). The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) regulates different growth and developmental processes, and stress response; however, its role duri...

PHYTOENE SYNTHASE (PSY) is a rate-limiting enzyme catalysing the first committed step of carotenoid biosynthesis, and changes in PSY gene expression and/or protein activity alter carotenoid composition and plastid differentiation in plants. Here we identified four genetic variants of PSY ( psy ⁻⁴ , psy ⁻⁹⁰ , psy ⁻¹³⁰ and psy ⁻¹⁴⁵ ) using a forward...

The witchweed Striga hermonthica, an obligate and noxious root–parasitic plant, remains a persistent threat to cereal production and poses a great challenge to smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Inducing suicidal germination of Striga seeds by applying strigolactone analogs is a promising strategy to deplete the Striga seed bank of infested...

Glasshouse films can be used to reduce energy costs by limiting non-productive heat-generating radiation, but the impact on yield of greenhouse horticultural crops remains unknown. The effects of energy-saving film ULR-80 (ultra-low-reflectivity film with 80 % light transmission referred to as Smart Glass; SG) designed to block long wavelength ligh...

Carotenoids are well-known isoprenoid pigments naturally produced by plants, algae, photosynthetic bacteria as well as by several heterotrophic microorganisms. In plants, they are synthesized in plastids where they play essential roles in light-harvesting and in protecting the photosynthetic apparatus from reactive oxygen species (ROS). Carotenoids...

The enzyme DWARF27 (D27) catalyzes the reversible isomerization of all-trans- into 9-cis-β-carotene, initiating strigolactone (SL) biosynthesis. Genomes of higher plants encode two D27-homologs, D27-like1 and -like2, with unknown functions. Here, we investigated the enzymatic activity and biological function of the Arabidopsis D27-like1. In vitro e...

Glasshouse films can be used to reduce energy costs by limiting non-productive heat-generating radiation, but the impact on yield of greenhouse horticultural crops remains unknown. The effects of energy-saving film ULR-80 (referred to as Smart Glass; SG) designed to block long wavelength light that generates heat also reduced photosynthetically act...

The enzyme DWARF27 (D27) catalyzes the reversible isomerization of all- trans - into 9- cis -β-carotene, initiating strigolactone (SL) biosynthesis. Genomes of higher plants encode two D27-homologs, D27-like1 and -like2, with unknown functions. Here, we investigated the enzymatic activity and biological function of the Arabidopsis D27-like1. In vit...

Apocarotenoids are bioactive metabolites found in animals, fungi and plants. Several carotenoid-derived compounds, apocarotenoids, were recently identified as new growth regulators in different plant species. Here, we introduce basic chemical screening methods, using a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, to elucidate the function of bioactive apocar...

Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a preferred method used to identify and quantify carotenoids. Here, we describe a straightforward, reliable, and cost-effective protocol to purify and develop individual carotenoid standards for absolute quantification of carotenoids, including selected cis-trans (geometric) isomers. An...

Apocarotenoids (APOs) are a class of carotenoid oxidation products with high structural and functional diversity. Apart from serving as precursors of phytohormones, fungal pheromones and vitamin A, several APOs act as signaling molecules involved in stress response and growth as regulators in plants. To comprehensively profile plant APOs, we establ...

Greenhouse horticulture (protected cropping) is essential in meeting increasing global food demand under climate change scenarios by ensuring sustainability, efficiency, and productivity. Recent advances in cover materials and photovoltaic technologies have been widely examined in greenhouses to improve light transmission and solar energy capture w...

Carotenoids are secondary metabolites synthesized in plastids that function in photosynthesis, photoprotection, growth and development of plants. Carotenoids contribute to the yellowish, orange and pinkish-red hues of leaves, flowers and fruits, as well as various aromas. They provide substrates for the biosynthesis of phytohormones and are cleavab...

Carotenoids are isoprenoid compounds synthesized by all photosynthetic and some non‐photosynthetic organisms. They are essential for photosynthesis and contribute to many other aspects of a plant's life. The oxidative breakdown of carotenoids gives rise to the formation of a diverse family of essential metabolites called apocarotenoids. This metabo...

Glasshouse films with adjustable light transmittance and energy‐efficient designs have the potential to reduce (up to 80%) the high energy cost for greenhouse horticulture operations. Whether these films compromise the quantity and quality of light transmission for photosynthesis and crop yield remains unclear. A “Smart Glass” film ULR‐80 (SG) was...

Carotenoids are a core plastid component and yet their regulatory function during plastid biogenesis remains enigmatic. A unique carotenoid biosynthesis mutant, carotenoid chloroplast regulation 2 (ccr2), that has no prolamellar body (PLB) and normal PROTOCHLOROPHYLLIDE OXIDOREDUCTASE (POR) levels, was used to demonstrate a regulatory function for...

Carotenoids are core plastid components, yet a regulatory function during plastid biogenesis remains enigmatic. A unique carotenoid biosynthesis mutant, carotenoid chloroplast regulation 2 ( ccr2 ), that has no prolamellar body (PLB) and normal PROTOCHLOROPHYLLIDE OXIDOREDUCTASE (POR) levels, was used to demonstrate a regulatory function for carote...

The benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIA) are secondary metabolites that have been reported to be produced by many of the Papaver species including Papaver bracteatum, Papaver pseudo-orientale, and Papaver orientale as three representative members of section Oxytona Bernh. The sequences and expression levels of the genes positioned on the BIA biosynth...