Moona Rahikainen 2025-09-24

Aconitase

• COntributes to metabolic adjustment during plant development
• WIthin mitochondria and also is partofthe glyoxylate cycle
• Encoded by a single gene (or a small gene family)
  • Arabidopsis used in study:
    • three genes located indifferent organelles
      • aco1, aco2, aco3

Seedling development

Gene editing to remove these genes show that seed development slows down

• aco3 was shown to be the most important of the three genes

Stress tolerance

• aco3 contributes also to stress tolerance
• This is because an alternative respiratory pathway gets activated
  • through Alternative Oxidase gene
• Gene expression of this AO gene is correlated with aco3 as well, where less aco3 results in stronger gene expression

Increases tolerance to UV related stress

• Can also contribute to chloroplast tolerance