Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41510844›Full record

ArticlePlant biotechnology journal2026

A Novel Dual-Target Compound Designed With Potent Herbicidal and Fungicidal Activity Inspired by Conserved Phytoene Synthase Domains.

Di Zhang, Liang Li, Chunxue Wang, Nuo Zhou, Zhilei Yu, Tianyi Shen, Baifan Wang, Qiang Bian, Dejun Ma, Yucheng Gu and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Plant biotechnology journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Di ZhangNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Liang LiNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Chunxue WangNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Nuo ZhouNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4000-0745
Zhilei YuNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Tianyi ShenNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Baifan WangNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Qiang BianNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8796-4264
Dejun MaNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Yucheng GuSyngenta Jealott's Hill International Research Centre, Bracknell, UK.
Han XuNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Zhen XiNational Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Department of Chemical Biology, State Key Laboratory of Element-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.

Funding

Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Nankai University 63181206National Key Research and Development Program of China 2021YFD1700100National Natural Science Foundation of China 22477064Science and Technology Program of Tianjin, China 22JCYBJC01450the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Nankai University 63241516
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The development of dual-target inhibitors represents a cost-effective strategy for integrated pest management. Here, we report the first dual-target inhibitors designed against the evolutionarily conserved domain of phytoene synthase (PSY), a key enzyme in carotenoid biosynthesis. Using comparative genomics, we identified structural conservation between PSY in plants and squalene synthase (erg9) in fungi. Through virtual screening and structure-based optimization of compounds targeting PSY, we identified lead compound 1c, which exhibited potent herbicidal and fungicidal activity. In vitro binding assays confirmed that 1c binds to both PSY and erg9. In plants, 1c treatment reduced chlorophyll content, downregulated photosynthesis-associated genes, and caused substrate accumulation in the carotenoid pathway. In fungi, 1c induced a mycelial morphology identical to erg9 knockout mutants. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the differential binding conformations of 1c to PSY and erg9, elucidating its mode of action. This work establishes PSY and its homologues as a promising target for the development of novel, broad-spectrum dual-action agrochemicals based on targetome structural similarity.

Indexed as

Antifungal AgentsGeranylgeranyl-Diphosphate GeranylgeranyltransferaseHerbicidesFarnesyl-Diphosphate FarnesyltransferaseMolecular Dynamics SimulationProtein DomainsAntifungal AgentsFarnesyl-Diphosphate FarnesyltransferaseGeranylgeranyl-Diphosphate GeranylgeranyltransferaseHerbicidescomparative genomicsdual‐targetfungicidalherbicidalphytoene synthasetargetome

Identifiers

PMID41510844
PMCPMC13110142

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.