Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42902028›Full record

ArticleNature biotechnology2026

Genetic code expansion enables plant-directed control of bacterial activity.

Vivian Zhong, Michaela A Jones, Avaniek Cabales, Alice Gevorgyan, René Inckemann, Anna A Johnson, Sumudu S Karunadasa, Amanda M Forti, Shou-Ling Xu, Aditya M Kunjapur and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Nature biotechnology, 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

11 authors.

Vivian Zhong *Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4102-292X
Michaela A Jones *Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5822-0645
Avaniek CabalesDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Alice GevorgyanDepartment of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
René InckemannDepartment of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Anna A JohnsonDepartment of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2955-0308
Sumudu S KarunadasaDepartment of Plant Biology and Carnegie Mass Spectrometry Facility, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0993-3950
Amanda M FortiDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Shou-Ling XuDepartment of Plant Biology and Carnegie Mass Spectrometry Facility, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA.
Aditya M KunjapurDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA. kunjapur@udel.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6869-9530
Jennifer A N BrophyDepartment of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. jbrophy@stanford.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7808-4281

Funding

Thermo Orbitrap Eclipse Tribrid with ETD and an Ultimate 3000 RSLCnano SystemS10OD030441 · OD · CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON, D.C. · PI XU, SHOULING · 2022 to 2022
$600k
Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) 1019493.01Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) FF-NIA21-0000000060National Science Foundation (NSF) 1940700National Science Foundation (NSF) 2027092National Science Foundation (NSF) 2340175National Science Foundation (NSF) DGE-2146755Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation (Siebel Foundation) Siebel ScholarUnited States Department of Agriculture | National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) 2021-33522-35807United States Department of Defense | Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) D24AC00011-05U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) GM15466301U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) S10OD030441
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microorganisms have the potential to deliver growth-promoting benefits to plants and crops; however, to be useful in a field setting, their gene expression should be programmable and restricted to specific plant hosts and conditions. Here, using O-methyl-L-tyrosine (OMY) as a model compound, we establish noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) as a tool for plant-based control of associated microbial activity. We use genetic code expansion to engineer OMY-dependent control of protein synthesis in the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Engineered B. subtilis strains express an orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and tRNA pair that, upon provision of OMY, results in suppression of in-frame amber stop codons in target transcripts. We engineer Arabidopsis, tomato and poplar to biosynthesize OMY, showing that plant-derived OMY can stimulate gene expression in both model and wild soil bacteria. This demonstrates that inducible and tissue-specific expression of a single biosynthetic enzyme by the plant enables on-demand control over microbial activity, establishing ncAAs as a tool for programming plant-microorganism partnerships.

Identifiers

PMID42902028

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.