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Towards novel herbicide modes of action by inhibiting lysine biosynthesis in plants.

ABSTRACT: Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to our current herbicides, posing a significant threat to agricultural production. Therefore, new herbicides with novel modes of action are urgently needed. In this study, we exploited a novel herbicide target, dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS), which catalyses the first and rate-limiting step in lysine biosynthesis. The first class of plant DHDPS inhibitors with micromolar potency against Arabidopsis thaliana DHDPS was identified using a high-throughput chemical screen. We determined that this class of inhibitors binds to a novel and unexplored pocket within DHDPS, which is highly conserved across plant species. The inhibitors also attenuated the germination and growth of A. thaliana seedlings and confirmed their pre-emergence herbicidal activity in soil-grown plants. These results provide proof-of-concept that lysine biosynthesis represents a promising target for the development of herbicides with a novel mode of action to tackle the global rise of herbicide-resistant weeds.

SUBMITTER: Soares da Costa TP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8341977 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Towards novel herbicide modes of action by inhibiting lysine biosynthesis in plants.

Soares da Costa Tatiana P TP Hall Cody J CJ Panjikar Santosh S Wyllie Jessica A JA Christoff Rebecca M RM Bayat Saadi S Hulett Mark D MD Abbott Belinda M BM Gendall Anthony R AR Perugini Matthew A MA

eLife 20210727

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to our current herbicides, posing a significant threat to agricultural production. Therefore, new herbicides with novel modes of action are urgently needed. In this study, we exploited a novel herbicide target, dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS), which catalyses the first and rate-limiting step in lysine biosynthesis. The first class of plant DHDPS inhibitors with micromolar potency against <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> DHDPS was identified using a high- ...[more]

PMID: 34313586

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Towards novel herbicide modes of action by inhibiting lysine biosynthesis in plants.

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Towards novel herbicide modes of action by inhibiting lysine biosynthesis in plants.

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