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Li Y, Heckmann D, Lercher MJ, Maurino VG. Combining genetic and evolutionary engineering to establish C4 metabolism in C3 plants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:117-125. [PMID: 27660481 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
To feed a world population projected to reach 9 billion people by 2050, the productivity of major crops must be increased by at least 50%. One potential route to boost the productivity of cereals is to equip them genetically with the 'supercharged' C4 type of photosynthesis; however, the necessary genetic modifications are not sufficiently understood for the corresponding genetic engineering programme. In this opinion paper, we discuss a strategy to solve this problem by developing a new paradigm for plant breeding. We propose combining the bioengineering of well-understood traits with subsequent evolutionary engineering, i.e. mutagenesis and artificial selection. An existing mathematical model of C3-C4 evolution is used to choose the most promising path towards this goal. Based on biomathematical simulations, we engineer Arabidopsis thaliana plants that express the central carbon-fixing enzyme Rubisco only in bundle sheath cells (Ru-BSC plants), the localization characteristic for C4 plants. This modification will initially be deleterious, forcing the Ru-BSC plants into a fitness valley from where previously inaccessible adaptive steps towards C4 photosynthesis become accessible through fitness-enhancing mutations. Mutagenized Ru-BSC plants are then screened for improved photosynthesis, and are expected to respond to imposed artificial selection pressures by evolving towards C4 anatomy and biochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Li
- Institute of Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Plant Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology Group, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Computer Science, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - David Heckmann
- Institute for Computer Science, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin J Lercher
- Institute for Computer Science, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Veronica G Maurino
- Institute of Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Plant Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology Group, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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152
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Reeves G, Grangé-Guermente MJ, Hibberd JM. Regulatory gateways for cell-specific gene expression in C4 leaves with Kranz anatomy. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:107-116. [PMID: 27940469 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a carbon-concentrating mechanism that increases delivery of carbon dioxide to RuBisCO and as a consequence reduces photorespiration. The C4 pathway is therefore beneficial in environments that promote high photorespiration. This pathway has evolved many times, and involves restricting gene expression to either mesophyll or bundle sheath cells. Here we review the regulatory mechanisms that control cell-preferential expression of genes in the C4 cycle. From this analysis, it is clear that the C4 pathway has a complex regulatory framework, with control operating at epigenetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels. Some genes of the C4 pathway are regulated at multiple levels, and we propose that this ensures robust expression in each cell type. Accumulating evidence suggests that multiple genes of the C4 pathway may share the same regulatory mechanism. The control systems for C4 photosynthesis gene expression appear to operate in C3 plants, and so it appears that pre-existing mechanisms form the basis of C4 photosynthesis gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Reeves
- Department of Plant Sciences, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | | | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
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153
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Sharwood RE. Engineering chloroplasts to improve Rubisco catalysis: prospects for translating improvements into food and fiber crops. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 213:494-510. [PMID: 27935049 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 09/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
494 I. 495 II. 496 III. 496 IV. 499 V. 499 VI. 501 VII. 501 VIII. 502 IX. 505 X. 506 507 References 507 SUMMARY: The uncertainty of future climate change is placing pressure on cropping systems to continue to provide stable increases in productive yields. To mitigate future climates and the increasing threats against global food security, new solutions to manipulate photosynthesis are required. This review explores the current efforts available to improve carbon assimilation within plant chloroplasts by engineering Rubisco, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of CO2 fixation. Fixation of CO2 and subsequent cycling of 3-phosphoglycerate through the Calvin cycle provides the necessary carbohydrate building blocks for maintaining plant growth and yield, but has to compete with Rubisco oxygenation, which results in photorespiration that is energetically wasteful for plants. Engineering improvements in Rubisco is a complex challenge and requires an understanding of chloroplast gene regulatory pathways, and the intricate nature of Rubisco catalysis and biogenesis, to transplant more efficient forms of Rubisco into crops. In recent times, major advances in Rubisco engineering have been achieved through improvement of our knowledge of Rubisco synthesis and assembly, and identifying amino acid catalytic switches in the L-subunit responsible for improvements in catalysis. Improving the capacity of CO2 fixation in crops such as rice will require further advances in chloroplast bioengineering and Rubisco biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Sharwood
- ARC Center of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
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154
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Sharwood RE, Ghannoum O, Kapralov MV, Gunn LH, Whitney SM. Temperature responses of Rubisco from Paniceae grasses provide opportunities for improving C 3 photosynthesis. NATURE PLANTS 2016; 2:16186. [PMID: 27892943 DOI: 10.1038/nplants.2016.186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Enhancing the catalytic properties of the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco is a target for improving agricultural crop productivity. Here, we reveal extensive diversity in the kinetic response between 10 and 37 °C by Rubisco from C3 and C4 species within the grass tribe Paniceae. The CO2 fixation rate (kcatc) for Rubisco from the C4 grasses with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) phosphate malic enzyme (NADP-ME) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) photosynthetic pathways was twofold greater than the kcatc of Rubisco from NAD-ME species across all temperatures. The declining response of CO2/O2 specificity with increasing temperature was less pronounced for PCK and NADP-ME Rubisco, which would be advantageous in warmer climates relative to the NAD-ME grasses. Modelled variation in the temperature kinetics of Paniceae C3 Rubisco and PCK Rubisco differentially stimulated C3 photosynthesis relative to tobacco above and below 25 °C under current and elevated CO2. Amino acid substitutions in the large subunit that could account for the catalytic variation among Paniceae Rubisco are identified; however, incompatibilities with Paniceae Rubisco biogenesis in tobacco hindered their mutagenic testing by chloroplast transformation. Circumventing these bioengineering limitations is critical to tailoring the properties of crop Rubisco to suit future climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Sharwood
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Oula Ghannoum
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales 2753, Australia
| | - Maxim V Kapralov
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Laura H Gunn
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Spencer M Whitney
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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155
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S3B2, Canada
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156
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Specht EA, Karunanithi PS, Gimpel JA, Ansari WS, Mayfield SP. Host Organisms: Algae. Ind Biotechnol (New Rochelle N Y) 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527807796.ch16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Specht
- University of California; California Center for Algae Biotechnology; Division of Biological Sciences; 9500 Gilman Drive San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093 USA
| | - Prema S. Karunanithi
- University of California; California Center for Algae Biotechnology; Division of Biological Sciences; 9500 Gilman Drive San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093 USA
| | - Javier A. Gimpel
- Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering; Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Universidad de Chile; 851 Beaucheff Santiago USA
| | - William S. Ansari
- University of California; California Center for Algae Biotechnology; Division of Biological Sciences; 9500 Gilman Drive San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093 USA
| | - Stephen P. Mayfield
- University of California; California Center for Algae Biotechnology; Division of Biological Sciences; 9500 Gilman Drive San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093 USA
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157
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Effects of overexpressing photosynthetic carbon flux control enzymes in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803. Metab Eng 2016; 38:56-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2016.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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158
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Synthetic biology for CO 2 fixation. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2016; 59:1106-1114. [PMID: 27787752 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-016-0304-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Recycling of carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuels and chemicals is a potential approach to reduce CO2 emission and fossil-fuel consumption. Autotrophic microbes can utilize energy from light, hydrogen, or sulfur to assimilate atmospheric CO2 into organic compounds at ambient temperature and pressure. This provides a feasible way for biological production of fuels and chemicals from CO2 under normal conditions. Recently great progress has been made in this research area, and dozens of CO2-derived fuels and chemicals have been reported to be synthesized by autotrophic microbes. This is accompanied by investigations into natural CO2-fixation pathways and the rapid development of new technologies in synthetic biology. This review first summarizes the six natural CO2-fixation pathways reported to date, followed by an overview of recent progress in the design and engineering of CO2-fixation pathways as well as energy supply patterns using the concept and tools of synthetic biology. Finally, we will discuss future prospects in biological fixation of CO2.
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159
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Wu A, Song Y, van Oosterom EJ, Hammer GL. Connecting Biochemical Photosynthesis Models with Crop Models to Support Crop Improvement. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:1518. [PMID: 27790232 PMCID: PMC5061851 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The next advance in field crop productivity will likely need to come from improving crop use efficiency of resources (e.g., light, water, and nitrogen), aspects of which are closely linked with overall crop photosynthetic efficiency. Progress in genetic manipulation of photosynthesis is confounded by uncertainties of consequences at crop level because of difficulties connecting across scales. Crop growth and development simulation models that integrate across biological levels of organization and use a gene-to-phenotype modeling approach may present a way forward. There has been a long history of development of crop models capable of simulating dynamics of crop physiological attributes. Many crop models incorporate canopy photosynthesis (source) as a key driver for crop growth, while others derive crop growth from the balance between source- and sink-limitations. Modeling leaf photosynthesis has progressed from empirical modeling via light response curves to a more mechanistic basis, having clearer links to the underlying biochemical processes of photosynthesis. Cross-scale modeling that connects models at the biochemical and crop levels and utilizes developments in upscaling leaf-level models to canopy models has the potential to bridge the gap between photosynthetic manipulation at the biochemical level and its consequences on crop productivity. Here we review approaches to this emerging cross-scale modeling framework and reinforce the need for connections across levels of modeling. Further, we propose strategies for connecting biochemical models of photosynthesis into the cross-scale modeling framework to support crop improvement through photosynthetic manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Wu
- Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Youhong Song
- Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Erik J. van Oosterom
- Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Graeme L. Hammer
- Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
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160
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Orr DJ, Alcântara A, Kapralov MV, Andralojc PJ, Carmo-Silva E, Parry MAJ. Surveying Rubisco Diversity and Temperature Response to Improve Crop Photosynthetic Efficiency. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 172:707-717. [PMID: 27342312 PMCID: PMC5047088 DOI: 10.1104/pp.16.00750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The threat to global food security of stagnating yields and population growth makes increasing crop productivity a critical goal over the coming decades. One key target for improving crop productivity and yields is increasing the efficiency of photosynthesis. Central to photosynthesis is Rubisco, which is a critical but often rate-limiting component. Here, we present full Rubisco catalytic properties measured at three temperatures for 75 plants species representing both crops and undomesticated plants from diverse climates. Some newly characterized Rubiscos were naturally "better" compared to crop enzymes and have the potential to improve crop photosynthetic efficiency. The temperature response of the various catalytic parameters was largely consistent across the diverse range of species, though absolute values showed significant variation in Rubisco catalysis, even between closely related species. An analysis of residue differences among the species characterized identified a number of candidate amino acid substitutions that will aid in advancing engineering of improved Rubisco in crop systems. This study provides new insights on the range of Rubisco catalysis and temperature response present in nature, and provides new information to include in models from leaf to canopy and ecosystem scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J Orr
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Rothamsted Research, Plant Biology and Crop Science, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., P.J.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia (M.V.K.); and School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
| | - André Alcântara
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Rothamsted Research, Plant Biology and Crop Science, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., P.J.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia (M.V.K.); and School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
| | - Maxim V Kapralov
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Rothamsted Research, Plant Biology and Crop Science, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., P.J.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia (M.V.K.); and School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
| | - P John Andralojc
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Rothamsted Research, Plant Biology and Crop Science, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., P.J.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia (M.V.K.); and School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
| | - Elizabete Carmo-Silva
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Rothamsted Research, Plant Biology and Crop Science, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., P.J.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia (M.V.K.); and School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
| | - Martin A J Parry
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Rothamsted Research, Plant Biology and Crop Science, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom (D.J.O., A.A., P.J.A., E.C.-S., M.A.J.P.); Plant Sciences Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia (M.V.K.); and School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
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161
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Johnson TJ, Gibbons JL, Gu L, Zhou R, Gibbons WR. Molecular genetic improvements of cyanobacteria to enhance the industrial potential of the microbe: A review. Biotechnol Prog 2016; 32:1357-1371. [DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2016] [Revised: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tylor J. Johnson
- Dept. of Biology and MicrobiologySouth Dakota State UniversityBrookings SD57007
- Dept. of MicrobiologyThe University of TennesseeKnoxville TN37996
| | - Jaimie L. Gibbons
- Dept. of Biology and MicrobiologySouth Dakota State UniversityBrookings SD57007
| | - Liping Gu
- Dept. of Biology and MicrobiologySouth Dakota State UniversityBrookings SD57007
| | - Ruanbao Zhou
- Dept. of Biology and MicrobiologySouth Dakota State UniversityBrookings SD57007
| | - William R. Gibbons
- Dept. of Biology and MicrobiologySouth Dakota State UniversityBrookings SD57007
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162
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Galmés J, Hermida-Carrera C, Laanisto L, Niinemets Ü. A compendium of temperature responses of Rubisco kinetic traits: variability among and within photosynthetic groups and impacts on photosynthesis modeling. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:5067-91. [PMID: 27406782 PMCID: PMC5014154 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The present study provides a synthesis of the in vitro and in vivo temperature responses of Rubisco Michaelis-Menten constants for CO2 (Kc) and O2 (Ko), specificity factor (Sc,o) and maximum carboxylase turnover rate (kcatc) for 49 species from all the main photosynthetic kingdoms of life. Novel correction routines were developed for in vitro data to remove the effects of study-to-study differences in Rubisco assays. The compilation revealed differences in the energy of activation (∆Ha) of Rubisco kinetics between higher plants and other photosynthetic groups, although photosynthetic bacteria and algae were under-represented and very few species have been investigated so far. Within plants, the variation in Rubisco temperature responses was related to species' climate and photosynthetic mechanism, with differences in ∆Ha for kcatc among C3 plants from cool and warm environments, and in ∆Ha for kcatc and Kc among C3 and C4 plants. A negative correlation was observed among ∆Ha for Sc/o and species' growth temperature for all data pooled, supporting the convergent adjustment of the temperature sensitivity of Rubisco kinetics to species' thermal history. Simulations of the influence of varying temperature dependences of Rubisco kinetics on Rubisco-limited photosynthesis suggested improved photosynthetic performance of C3 plants from cool habitats at lower temperatures, and C3 plants from warm habitats at higher temperatures, especially at higher CO2 concentration. Thus, variation in Rubisco kinetics for different groups of photosynthetic organisms might need consideration to improve prediction of photosynthesis in future climates. Comparisons between in vitro and in vivo data revealed common trends, but also highlighted a large variability among both types of Rubisco kinetics currently used to simulate photosynthesis, emphasizing the need for more experimental work to fill in the gaps in Rubisco datasets and improve scaling from enzyme kinetics to realized photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroni Galmés
- Research Group in Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Department of Biology, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Carretera de Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Carmen Hermida-Carrera
- Research Group in Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Department of Biology, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Carretera de Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Lauri Laanisto
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu 51014, Estonia
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu 51014, Estonia Estonian Academy of Sciences, Kohtu 6, 10130 Tallinn, Estonia
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163
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Gomaa M, Al-Haj L, Abed R. Metabolic engineering of Cyanobacteria and microalgae for enhanced production of biofuels and high-value products. J Appl Microbiol 2016; 121:919-31. [DOI: 10.1111/jam.13232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M.A. Gomaa
- Biology Department; College of Science; Sultan Qaboos University; Al Khoud Sultanate of Oman
| | - L. Al-Haj
- Biology Department; College of Science; Sultan Qaboos University; Al Khoud Sultanate of Oman
| | - R.M.M. Abed
- Biology Department; College of Science; Sultan Qaboos University; Al Khoud Sultanate of Oman
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164
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Saeed I, Bachir DG, Chen L, Hu YG. The Expression of TaRca2-α Gene Associated with Net Photosynthesis Rate, Biomass and Grain Yield in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Field Conditions. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161308. [PMID: 27548477 PMCID: PMC4993480 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Improvement in activation of Rubisco by Rubisco activase can potentially enhance CO2 assimilation and photosynthetic efficiency in plants. The three homoeologous copies of TaRca2-α were identified on chromosomes 4AL, 4BS and 4DS (TaRca2-α-4AL, TaRca2-α-4BS, and TaRca2-α-4DS) in bread wheat. Expression patterns of the three copies at heading (Z55), anthesis (Z67) and grain-filling (Z73) stages were investigated through qRT-PCR analyses in a panel of 59 bread wheat genotypes and their effects on net photosynthesis rate (Pn), biomass plant-1 (BMPP) and grain yield plant-1 (GYPP) were further explored. Different but similar expression patterns were observed for the three copies of TaRca2-α at the three growth stages with highest expression at grain-filling stage. TaRca2-α-4BS expressed higher at the three stages than TaRca2-α-4AL and TaRca2-α-4DS. The 59 genotypes could be clustered into three groups as high (7 genotypes), intermediate (41 genotypes) and low (11 genotypes) expression based on the expression of the three copies of TaRca2-α at three growth stages. Significant variations (P<0.01) were observed among the three groups of bread wheat genotypes for Pn, BMPP and GYPP. Generally, the genotypes with higher TaRca2-α expression also showed higher values for Pn, BMPP and GYPP. The expressions of the three copies of TaRca2-α at heading, anthesis and grain-filling stages were positively correlated with Pn, BMPP and GYPP (P<0.01) with stronger association for TaRca2-α-4BS at grain-filling stage. These results revealed that the expression of TaRca2-α contribute substantially to Pn, BMPP and GYPP, and suggested that manipulating TaRca-α expression may efficiently improve Pn, BMPP and GYPP in bread wheat and detecting TaRca-α expression levels with emphasis on TaRca2-α-4BS may be a positive strategy for selection in improving photosynthetic efficiency and grain yield of bread wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iqbal Saeed
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China
- NIFA, PO Box 446, Tarnab, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan
| | - Daoura Goudia Bachir
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China
| | - Liang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China
| | - Yin-Gang Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China
- Institute of Water Saving Agriculture in Arid Regions of China, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
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165
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Hermida-Carrera C, Kapralov MV, Galmés J. Rubisco Catalytic Properties and Temperature Response in Crops. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 171:2549-61. [PMID: 27329223 PMCID: PMC4972260 DOI: 10.1104/pp.16.01846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco catalytic traits and their thermal dependence are two major factors limiting the CO2 assimilation potential of plants. In this study, we present the profile of Rubisco kinetics for 20 crop species at three different temperatures. The results largely confirmed the existence of significant variation in the Rubisco kinetics among species. Although some of the species tended to present Rubisco with higher thermal sensitivity (e.g. Oryza sativa) than others (e.g. Lactuca sativa), interspecific differences depended on the kinetic parameter. Comparing the temperature response of the different kinetic parameters, the Rubisco Km for CO2 presented higher energy of activation than the maximum carboxylation rate and the CO2 compensation point in the absence of mitochondrial respiration. The analysis of the Rubisco large subunit sequence revealed the existence of some sites under adaptive evolution in branches with specific kinetic traits. Because Rubisco kinetics and their temperature dependency were species specific, they largely affected the assimilation potential of Rubisco from the different crops, especially under those conditions (i.e. low CO2 availability at the site of carboxylation and high temperature) inducing Rubisco-limited photosynthesis. As an example, at 25°C, Rubisco from Hordeum vulgare and Glycine max presented, respectively, the highest and lowest potential for CO2 assimilation at both high and low chloroplastic CO2 concentrations. In our opinion, this information is relevant to improve photosynthesis models and should be considered in future attempts to design more efficient Rubiscos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Hermida-Carrera
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122 Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain (C.H.-C., J.G.); andSchool of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
| | - Maxim V Kapralov
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122 Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain (C.H.-C., J.G.); andSchool of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
| | - Jeroni Galmés
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122 Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain (C.H.-C., J.G.); andSchool of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom (M.V.K.)
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166
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Martin Avila E, Gisby MF, Day A. Seamless editing of the chloroplast genome in plants. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 16:168. [PMID: 27474038 PMCID: PMC4966725 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-016-0857-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gene editing technologies enable the precise insertion of favourable mutations and performance enhancing trait genes into chromosomes whilst excluding all excess DNA from modified genomes. The technology gives rise to a new class of biotech crops which is likely to have widespread applications in agriculture. Despite progress in the nucleus, the seamless insertions of point mutations and non-selectable foreign genes into the organelle genomes of crops have not been described. The chloroplast genome is an attractive target to improve photosynthesis and crop performance. Current chloroplast genome engineering technologies for introducing point mutations into native chloroplast genes leave DNA scars, such as the target sites for recombination enzymes. Seamless editing methods to modify chloroplast genes need to address reversal of site-directed point mutations by template mediated repair with the vast excess of wild type chloroplast genomes that are present early in the transformation process. RESULTS Using tobacco, we developed an efficient two-step method to edit a chloroplast gene by replacing the wild type sequence with a transient intermediate. This was resolved to the final edited gene by recombination between imperfect direct repeats. Six out of 11 transplastomic plants isolated contained the desired intermediate and at the second step this was resolved to the edited chloroplast gene in five of six plants tested. Maintenance of a single base deletion mutation in an imperfect direct repeat of the native chloroplast rbcL gene showed the limited influence of biased repair back to the wild type sequence. The deletion caused a frameshift, which replaced the five C-terminal amino acids of the Rubisco large subunit with 16 alternative residues resulting in a ~30-fold reduction in its accumulation. We monitored the process in vivo by engineering an overlapping gusA gene downstream of the edited rbcL gene. Translational coupling between the overlapping rbcL and gusA genes resulted in relatively high GUS accumulation (~0.5 % of leaf protein). CONCLUSIONS Editing chloroplast genomes using transient imperfect direct repeats provides an efficient method for introducing point mutations into chloroplast genes. Moreover, we describe the first synthetic operon allowing expression of a downstream overlapping gene by translational coupling in chloroplasts. Overlapping genes provide a new mechanism for co-ordinating the translation of foreign proteins in chloroplasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Martin Avila
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT UK
- Present address: Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Martin F. Gisby
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT UK
| | - Anil Day
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT UK
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167
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Hanson MR, Lin MT, Carmo-Silva AE, Parry MA. Towards engineering carboxysomes into C3 plants. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 87:38-50. [PMID: 26867858 PMCID: PMC4970904 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.13139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis in C3 plants is limited by features of the carbon-fixing enzyme Rubisco, which exhibits a low turnover rate and can react with O2 instead of CO2 , leading to photorespiration. In cyanobacteria, bacterial microcompartments, known as carboxysomes, improve the efficiency of photosynthesis by concentrating CO2 near the enzyme Rubisco. Cyanobacterial Rubisco enzymes are faster than those of C3 plants, though they have lower specificity toward CO2 than the land plant enzyme. Replacement of land plant Rubisco by faster bacterial variants with lower CO2 specificity will improve photosynthesis only if a microcompartment capable of concentrating CO2 can also be installed into the chloroplast. We review current information about cyanobacterial microcompartments and carbon-concentrating mechanisms, plant transformation strategies, replacement of Rubisco in a model C3 plant with cyanobacterial Rubisco and progress toward synthesizing a carboxysome in chloroplasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen R. Hanson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Myat T. Lin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | | | - Martin A.J. Parry
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
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168
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Satagopan S, Tabita FR. RubisCO selection using the vigorously aerobic and metabolically versatile bacterium Ralstonia eutropha. FEBS J 2016; 283:2869-80. [PMID: 27261087 DOI: 10.1111/febs.13774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Recapturing atmospheric CO2 is key to reducing global warming and increasing biological carbon availability. Ralstonia eutropha is a biotechnologically useful aerobic bacterium that uses the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle and the enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) for CO2 utilization, suggesting that it may be a useful host to bioselect RubisCO molecules with improved CO2 -capture capabilities. A host strain of R. eutropha was constructed for this purpose after deleting endogenous genes encoding two related RubisCOs. This strain could be complemented for CO2 -dependent growth by introducing native or heterologous RubisCO genes. Mutagenesis and suppressor selection identified amino acid substitutions in a hydrophobic region that specifically influences RubisCO's interaction with its substrates, particularly O2 , which competes with CO2 at the active site. Unlike most RubisCOs, the R. eutropha enzyme has evolved to retain optimal CO2 -fixation rates in a fast-growing host, despite the presence of high levels of competing O2 . Yet its structure-function properties resemble those of several commonly found RubisCOs, including the higher plant enzymes, allowing strategies to engineer analogous enzymes. Because R. eutropha can be cultured rapidly under harsh environmental conditions (e.g., with toxic industrial flue gas), in the presence of near saturation levels of oxygen, artificial selection and directed evolution studies in this organism could potentially impact efforts toward improving RubisCO-dependent biological CO2 utilization in aerobic environments. ENZYMES d-ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, EC 4.1.1.39; phosphoribulokinase, EC 2.7.1.19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sriram Satagopan
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - F Robert Tabita
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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169
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Koay TW, Wong HL, Lim BH. Engineering of chimeric eukaryotic/bacterial Rubisco large subunits in Escherichia coli. Genes Genet Syst 2016; 91:139-150. [PMID: 27301279 DOI: 10.1266/ggs.15-00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is a rate-limiting photosynthetic enzyme that catalyzes carbon fixation in the Calvin cycle. Much interest has been devoted to engineering this ubiquitous enzyme with the goal of increasing plant growth. However, experiments that have successfully produced improved Rubisco variants, via directed evolution in Escherichia coli, are limited to bacterial Rubisco because the eukaryotic holoenzyme cannot be produced in E. coli. The present study attempts to determine the specific differences between bacterial and eukaryotic Rubisco large subunit primary structure that are responsible for preventing heterologous eukaryotic holoenzyme formation in E. coli. A series of chimeric Synechococcus Rubiscos were created in which different sections of the large subunit were swapped with those of the homologous Chlamydomonas Rubisco. Chimeric holoenzymes that can form in vivo would indicate that differences within the swapped sections do not disrupt holoenzyme formation. Large subunit residues 1-97, 198-247 and 448-472 were successfully swapped without inhibiting holoenzyme formation. In all ten chimeras, protein expression was observed for the separate subunits at a detectable level. As a first approximation, the regions that can tolerate swapping may be targets for future engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teng Wei Koay
- Department of Chemical Science, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
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170
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von Caemmerer S, Furbank RT. Strategies for improving C4 photosynthesis. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 31:125-34. [PMID: 27127850 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Recent activities to improve photosynthetic performance in crop plants has focused mainly on C3 photosynthesis where there are clear identified targets such as improving Rubisco kinetics, installation of a CO2 concentrating mechanism and alleviating limitations in chloroplast electron transport. Here we address strategies to improve photosynthetic performance in C4 plants, which utilize a CO2 concentrating mechanism, having evolved a complex blend of anatomy and biochemistry to achieve this. While the limitations to photosynthetic flux are not as well studied in C4 plants, work in transgenic Flaveria bidentis, a transformable model C4 dicot, and recent transcriptional analysis of leaves from diverse C4 plants, provides several gene candidates for improvement of carbon metabolism (such as pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and Rubisco) and for access of CO2 to phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in the mesophyll cells (such as carbonic anhydrase and CO2 porins). Chloroplast electron transport in C4 plants is shared between the two cell types, providing opportunities not only to alleviate limitations to flux through intersystem electron transport by targeting nuclear encoded proteins in the cytochrome (Cyt) b6/f complex, but in better sharing the harvesting of light energy between mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts. Gene candidates for improvement of C4 photosynthesis could be utilized either through transgenic approaches or via mining natural allelic variation in sequenced populations of crop species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne von Caemmerer
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - Robert T Furbank
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
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171
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Sharwood RE, Ghannoum O, Whitney SM. Prospects for improving CO2 fixation in C3-crops through understanding C4-Rubisco biogenesis and catalytic diversity. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 31:135-42. [PMID: 27131319 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Revised: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
By operating a CO2 concentrating mechanism, C4-photosynthesis offers highly successful solutions to remedy the inefficiency of the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco. C4-plant Rubisco has characteristically evolved faster carboxylation rates with low CO2 affinity. Owing to high CO2 concentrations in bundle sheath chloroplasts, faster Rubisco enhances resource use efficiency in C4 plants by reducing the energy and carbon costs associated with photorespiration and lowering the nitrogen investment in Rubisco. Here, we show that C4-Rubisco from some NADP-ME species, such as maize, are also of potential benefit to C3-photosynthesis under current and future atmospheric CO2 pressures. Realizing this bioengineering endeavour necessitates improved understanding of the biogenesis requirements and catalytic variability of C4-Rubisco, as well as the development of transformation capabilities to engineer Rubisco in a wider variety of food and fibre crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Sharwood
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - Oula Ghannoum
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
| | - Spencer M Whitney
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
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172
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Long BM, Rae BD, Rolland V, Förster B, Price GD. Cyanobacterial CO2-concentrating mechanism components: function and prospects for plant metabolic engineering. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 31:1-8. [PMID: 26999306 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Global population growth is projected to outpace plant-breeding improvements in major crop yields within decades. To ensure future food security, multiple creative efforts seek to overcome limitations to crop yield. Perhaps the greatest limitation to increased crop yield is photosynthetic inefficiency, particularly in C3 crop plants. Recently, great strides have been made toward crop improvement by researchers seeking to introduce the cyanobacterial CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) into plant chloroplasts. This strategy recognises the C3 chloroplast as lacking a CCM, and being a primordial cyanobacterium at its essence. Hence the collection of solute transporters, enzymes, and physical structures that make cyanobacterial CO2-fixation so efficient are viewed as a natural source of genetic material for C3 chloroplast improvement. Also we highlight recent outstanding research aimed toward the goal of introducing a cyanobacterial CCM into C3 chloroplasts and consider future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedict M Long
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - Benjamin D Rae
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Vivien Rolland
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Britta Förster
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - G Dean Price
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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173
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Enhanced growth at low light intensity in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 by overexpressing phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. ALGAL RES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2016.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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174
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Furbank RT, Sage RF. Editorial overview: Physiology and metabolism: CO2 concentrating mechanisms in photosynthetic organisms: evolution, efficiency and significance for crop improvement. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 31:iv-vii. [PMID: 27173063 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert T Furbank
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, 30, Toronto, ON M5S3B2, Canada
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175
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Betti M, Bauwe H, Busch FA, Fernie AR, Keech O, Levey M, Ort DR, Parry MAJ, Sage R, Timm S, Walker B, Weber APM. Manipulating photorespiration to increase plant productivity: recent advances and perspectives for crop improvement. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:2977-88. [PMID: 26951371 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Recycling of the 2-phosphoglycolate generated by the oxygenase reaction of Rubisco requires a complex and energy-consuming set of reactions collectively known as the photorespiratory cycle. Several approaches aimed at reducing the rates of photorespiratory energy or carbon loss have been proposed, based either on screening for natural variation or by means of genetic engineering. Recent work indicates that plant yield can be substantially improved by the alteration of photorespiratory fluxes or by engineering artificial bypasses to photorespiration. However, there is also evidence indicating that, under certain environmental and/or nutritional conditions, reduced photorespiratory capacity may be detrimental to plant performance. Here we summarize recent advances obtained in photorespiratory engineering and discuss prospects for these advances to be transferred to major crops to help address the globally increasing demand for food and biomass production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Betti
- Departamento de Bioquímica Vegetal y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Química, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Hermann Bauwe
- Plant Physiology Department, University of Rostock, D-18051 Rostock, Germany
| | - Florian A Busch
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Olivier Keech
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University, S-90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Myles Levey
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Donald R Ort
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Martin A J Parry
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Rowan Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Stefan Timm
- Plant Physiology Department, University of Rostock, D-18051 Rostock, Germany
| | - Berkley Walker
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Carl Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Andreas P M Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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176
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Han JM, Meng HF, Wang SY, Jiang CD, Liu F, Zhang WF, Zhang YL. Variability of mesophyll conductance and its relationship with water use efficiency in cotton leaves under drought pretreatment. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 194:61-71. [PMID: 0 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2016.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/25/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
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177
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Young JN, Heureux AMC, Sharwood RE, Rickaby REM, Morel FMM, Whitney SM. Large variation in the Rubisco kinetics of diatoms reveals diversity among their carbon-concentrating mechanisms. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:3445-56. [PMID: 27129950 PMCID: PMC4892730 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
While marine phytoplankton rival plants in their contribution to global primary productivity, our understanding of their photosynthesis remains rudimentary. In particular, the kinetic diversity of the CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, in phytoplankton remains unknown. Here we quantify the maximum rates of carboxylation (k cat (c)), oxygenation (k cat (o)), Michaelis constants (K m) for CO2 (K C) and O2 (K O), and specificity for CO2 over O2 (SC/O) for Form I Rubisco from 11 diatom species. Diatom Rubisco shows greater variation in K C (23-68 µM), SC/O (57-116mol mol(-1)), and K O (413-2032 µM) relative to plant and algal Rubisco. The broad range of K C values mostly exceed those of C4 plant Rubisco, suggesting that the strength of the carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) in diatoms is more diverse, and more effective than previously predicted. The measured k cat (c) for each diatom Rubisco showed less variation (2.1-3.7s(-1)), thus averting the canonical trade-off typically observed between K C and k cat (c) for plant Form I Rubisco. Uniquely, a negative relationship between K C and cellular Rubisco content was found, suggesting variation among diatom species in how they allocate their limited cellular resources between Rubisco synthesis and their CCM. The activation status of Rubisco in each diatom was low, indicating a requirement for Rubisco activase. This work highlights the need to better understand the correlative natural diversity between the Rubisco kinetics and CCM of diatoms and the underpinning mechanistic differences in catalytic chemistry among the Form I Rubisco superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi N Young
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Ana M C Heureux
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - Robert E Sharwood
- Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Rosalind E M Rickaby
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - François M M Morel
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Spencer M Whitney
- Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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178
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Nunes-Nesi A, Nascimento VDL, de Oliveira Silva FM, Zsögön A, Araújo WL, Sulpice R. Natural genetic variation for morphological and molecular determinants of plant growth and yield. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:2989-3001. [PMID: 27012286 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The rates of increase in yield of the main commercial crops have been steadily falling in many areas worldwide. This generates concerns because there is a growing demand for plant biomass due to the increasing population. Plant yield should thus be improved in the context of climate change and decreasing natural resources. It is a major challenge which could be tackled by improving and/or altering light-use efficiency, CO2 uptake and fixation, primary metabolism, plant architecture and leaf morphology, and developmental plant processes. In this review, we discuss some of the traits which could lead to yield increase, with a focus on how natural genetic variation could be harnessed. Moreover, we provide insights for advancing our understanding of the molecular aspects governing plant growth and yield, and propose future avenues for improvement of crop yield. We also suggest that knowledge accumulated over the last decade in the field of molecular physiology should be integrated into new ideotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Nunes-Nesi
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil Max-Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Vitor de Laia Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil Max-Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Franklin Magnum de Oliveira Silva
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil Max-Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Agustin Zsögön
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Wagner L Araújo
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil Max-Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ronan Sulpice
- National University of Ireland, Galway, Plant Systems Biology Lab, Plant and AgriBiosciences Research Centre, School of Natural Sciences, Galway, Ireland
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179
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Atkinson N, Feike D, Mackinder LCM, Meyer MT, Griffiths H, Jonikas MC, Smith AM, McCormick AJ. Introducing an algal carbon-concentrating mechanism into higher plants: location and incorporation of key components. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2016; 14:1302-15. [PMID: 26538195 PMCID: PMC5102585 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Revised: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Many eukaryotic green algae possess biophysical carbon-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) that enhance photosynthetic efficiency and thus permit high growth rates at low CO2 concentrations. They are thus an attractive option for improving productivity in higher plants. In this study, the intracellular locations of ten CCM components in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were confirmed. When expressed in tobacco, all of these components except chloroplastic carbonic anhydrases CAH3 and CAH6 had the same intracellular locations as in Chlamydomonas. CAH6 could be directed to the chloroplast by fusion to an Arabidopsis chloroplast transit peptide. Similarly, the putative inorganic carbon (Ci) transporter LCI1 was directed to the chloroplast from its native location on the plasma membrane. CCP1 and CCP2 proteins, putative Ci transporters previously reported to be in the chloroplast envelope, localized to mitochondria in both Chlamydomonas and tobacco, suggesting that the algal CCM model requires expansion to include a role for mitochondria. For the Ci transporters LCIA and HLA3, membrane location and Ci transport capacity were confirmed by heterologous expression and H(14) CO3 (-) uptake assays in Xenopus oocytes. Both were expressed in Arabidopsis resulting in growth comparable with that of wild-type plants. We conclude that CCM components from Chlamydomonas can be expressed both transiently (in tobacco) and stably (in Arabidopsis) and retargeted to appropriate locations in higher plant cells. As expression of individual Ci transporters did not enhance Arabidopsis growth, stacking of further CCM components will probably be required to achieve a significant increase in photosynthetic efficiency in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicky Atkinson
- SynthSys & Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Doreen Feike
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Luke C M Mackinder
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Moritz T Meyer
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Howard Griffiths
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Martin C Jonikas
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Alison M Smith
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Alistair J McCormick
- SynthSys & Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
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180
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Walker BJ, VanLoocke A, Bernacchi CJ, Ort DR. The Costs of Photorespiration to Food Production Now and in the Future. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 67:107-29. [PMID: 26865340 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-043015-111709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Photorespiration is essential for C3 plants but operates at the massive expense of fixed carbon dioxide and energy. Photorespiration is initiated when the initial enzyme of photosynthesis, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), reacts with oxygen instead of carbon dioxide and produces a toxic compound that is then recycled by photorespiration. Photorespiration can be modeled at the canopy and regional scales to determine its cost under current and future atmospheres. A regional-scale model reveals that photorespiration currently decreases US soybean and wheat yields by 36% and 20%, respectively, and a 5% decrease in the losses due to photorespiration would be worth approximately $500 million annually in the United States. Furthermore, photorespiration will continue to impact yield under future climates despite increases in carbon dioxide, with models suggesting a 12-55% improvement in gross photosynthesis in the absence of photorespiration, even under climate change scenarios predicting the largest increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Although photorespiration is tied to other important metabolic functions, the benefit of improving its efficiency appears to outweigh any potential secondary disadvantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berkley J Walker
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS), Urbana, Illinois 61801;
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and
| | - Andy VanLoocke
- Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Carl J Bernacchi
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS), Urbana, Illinois 61801;
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
| | - Donald R Ort
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS), Urbana, Illinois 61801;
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
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181
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Guihéneuf F, Khan A, Tran LSP. Genetic Engineering: A Promising Tool to Engender Physiological, Biochemical, and Molecular Stress Resilience in Green Microalgae. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:400. [PMID: 27066043 PMCID: PMC4815356 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
As we march into the 21st century, the prevailing scenario of depleting energy resources, global warming and ever increasing issues of human health and food security will quadruple. In this context, genetic and metabolic engineering of green microalgae complete the quest toward a continuum of environmentally clean fuel and food production. Evolutionarily related, but unlike land plants, microalgae need nominal land or water, and are best described as unicellular autotrophs using light energy to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into algal biomass, mitigating fossil CO2 pollution in the process. Remarkably, a feature innate to most microalgae is synthesis and accumulation of lipids (60-65% of dry weight), carbohydrates and secondary metabolites like pigments and vitamins, especially when grown under abiotic stress conditions. Particularly fruitful, such an application of abiotic stress factors such as nitrogen starvation, salinity, heat shock, etc., can be used in a biorefinery concept for production of multiple valuable products. The focus of this mini-review underlies metabolic reorientation practices and tolerance mechanisms as applied to green microalgae under specific stress stimuli for a sustainable pollution-free future. Moreover, we entail current progress on genetic engineering as a promising tool to grasp adaptive processes for improving strains with potential biotechnological interests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freddy Guihéneuf
- Botany and Plant Science, School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland GalwayGalway, Ireland
| | - Asif Khan
- Research Group Germline Biology, Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg UniversityHeidelberg, Germany
| | - Lam-Son P. Tran
- Plant Abiotic Stress Research Group & Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang UniversityHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Signaling Pathway Research Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource ScienceTsurumi, Japan
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182
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Uehara S, Adachi F, Ito-Inaba Y, Inaba T. Specific and Efficient Targeting of Cyanobacterial Bicarbonate Transporters to the Inner Envelope Membrane of Chloroplasts in Arabidopsis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:16. [PMID: 26870048 PMCID: PMC4735556 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Installation of cyanobacterial bicarbonate transporters to the inner envelope membrane (IEM) of chloroplasts in C3 plants has been thought to improve photosynthetic performance. However, the method to deliver cyanobacterial bicarbonate transporters to the chloroplast IEM remains to be established. In this study, we provide evidence that the cyanobacterial bicarbonate transporters, BicA and SbtA, can be specifically installed into the chloroplast IEM using the chloroplast IEM targeting signal in conjunction with the transit peptide. We fused the transit peptide and the mature portion of Cor413im1, whose targeting mechanism to the IEM has been characterized in detail, to either BicA or SbtA isolated from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. Among the seven chimeric constructs tested, we confirmed that four chimeric bicarbonate transporters, designated as BicAI, BicAII, SbtAII, and SbtAIII, were expressed in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, these chimeric transporters were specifically targeted to the chloroplast IEM. They were also resistant to alkaline extraction but can be solubilized by Triton X-100, indicating that they are integral membrane proteins in the chloroplast IEM. One of the transporters, BicA, could reside in the chloroplast IEM even after removal of the IEM targeting signal. Taken together, our results indicate that the addition of IEM targeting signal, as well as the transit peptide, to bicarbonate transporters allows us to efficiently target nuclear-encoded chimeric bicarbonate transporters to the chloroplast IEM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susumu Uehara
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of MiyazakiMiyazaki, Japan
| | - Fumi Adachi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of MiyazakiMiyazaki, Japan
| | - Yasuko Ito-Inaba
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of MiyazakiMiyazaki, Japan
- Organization for Promotion of Tenure Track, University of MiyazakiMiyazaki, Japan
| | - Takehito Inaba
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of MiyazakiMiyazaki, Japan
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183
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Zhou J, Zhu T, Cai Z, Li Y. From cyanochemicals to cyanofactories: a review and perspective. Microb Cell Fact 2016; 15:2. [PMID: 26743222 PMCID: PMC4705643 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-015-0405-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineering cyanobacteria for production of chemicals from solar energy, CO2 and water is a potential approach to address global energy and environment issues such as greenhouse effect. To date, more than 20 chemicals have been synthesized by engineered cyanobacteria using CO2 as raw materials, and these studies have been well reviewed. However, unlike heterotrophic microorganisms, the low CO2 fixation rate makes it a long way to go from cyanochemicals to cyanofactories. Here we review recent progresses on improvement of carbon fixation and redistribution of intercellular carbon flux, and discuss the challenges for developing cyanofactories in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China.
| | - Taicheng Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhen Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China.
| | - Yin Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China.
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184
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Rolland V, Badger MR, Price GD. Redirecting the Cyanobacterial Bicarbonate Transporters BicA and SbtA to the Chloroplast Envelope: Soluble and Membrane Cargos Need Different Chloroplast Targeting Signals in Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:185. [PMID: 26973659 PMCID: PMC4770052 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Most major crops used for human consumption are C3 plants, which yields are limited by photosynthetic inefficiency. To circumvent this, it has been proposed to implement the cyanobacterial CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM), principally consisting of bicarbonate transporters and carboxysomes, into plant chloroplasts. As it is currently not possible to recover homoplasmic transplastomic monocots, foreign genes must be introduced in these plants via nuclear transformation. Consequently, it is paramount to ensure that resulting proteins reach the appropriate sub-cellular compartment, which for cyanobacterial transporters BicA and SbtA, is the chloroplast inner-envelope membrane (IEM). At present, targeting signals to redirect large transmembrane proteins from non-chloroplastic organisms to plant chloroplast envelopes are unknown. The goal of this study was to identify such signals, using agrobacteria-mediated transient expression and confocal microscopy to determine the sub-cellular localization of ∼37 GFP-tagged chimeras. Initially, fragments of chloroplast proteins known to target soluble cargos to the stroma were tested for their ability to redirect BicA, but they proved ineffective. Next, different N-terminal regions from Arabidopsis IEM transporters were tested. We demonstrated that the N-terminus of AtHP59, AtPLGG1 or AtNTT1 (92-115 amino acids), containing a cleavable chloroplast transit peptide (cTP) and a membrane protein leader (MPL), was sufficient to redirect BicA or SbtA to the chloroplast envelope. This constitutes the first evidence that nuclear-encoded transmembrane proteins from non-chloroplastic organisms can be targeted to the envelope of plant chloroplasts; a finding which represents an important advance in chloroplast engineering by opening up the door to further manipulation of the chloroplastic envelope.
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185
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Occhialini A, Lin MT, Andralojc PJ, Hanson MR, Parry MAJ. Transgenic tobacco plants with improved cyanobacterial Rubisco expression but no extra assembly factors grow at near wild-type rates if provided with elevated CO2. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 85:148-60. [PMID: 26662726 PMCID: PMC4718753 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.13098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Revised: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/26/2015] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Introducing a carbon-concentrating mechanism and a faster Rubisco enzyme from cyanobacteria into higher plant chloroplasts may improve photosynthetic performance by increasing the rate of CO2 fixation while decreasing losses caused by photorespiration. We previously demonstrated that tobacco plants grow photoautotrophically using Rubisco from Synechococcus elongatus, although the plants exhibited considerably slower growth than wild-type and required supplementary CO2 . Because of concerns that vascular plant assembly factors may not be adequate for assembly of a cyanobacterial Rubisco, prior transgenic plants included the cyanobacterial chaperone RbcX or the carboxysomal protein CcmM35. Here we show that neither RbcX nor CcmM35 is needed for assembly of active cyanobacterial Rubisco. Furthermore, by altering the gene regulatory sequences on the Rubisco transgenes, cyanobacterial Rubisco expression was enhanced and the transgenic plants grew at near wild-type growth rates, although still requiring elevated CO2 . We performed detailed kinetic characterization of the enzymes produced with and without the RbcX and CcmM35 cyanobacterial proteins. These transgenic plants exhibit photosynthetic characteristics that confirm the predicted benefits of introduction of non-native forms of Rubisco with higher carboxylation rate constants in vascular plants and the potential nitrogen-use efficiency that may be achieved provided that adequate CO2 is available near the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Myat T. Lin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - P. John Andralojc
- Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Maureen R. Hanson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Martin A. J. Parry
- Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK
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186
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Gimpel JA, Henríquez V, Mayfield SP. In Metabolic Engineering of Eukaryotic Microalgae: Potential and Challenges Come with Great Diversity. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1376. [PMID: 26696985 PMCID: PMC4678203 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The great phylogenetic diversity of microalgae is corresponded by a wide arrange of interesting and useful metabolites. Nonetheless metabolic engineering in microalgae has been limited, since specific transformation tools must be developed for each species for either the nuclear or chloroplast genomes. Microalgae as production platforms for metabolites offer several advantages over plants and other microorganisms, like the ability of GMO containment and reduced costs in culture media, respectively. Currently, microalgae have proved particularly well suited for the commercial production of omega-3 fatty acids and carotenoids. Therefore most metabolic engineering strategies have been developed for these metabolites. Microalgal biofuels have also drawn great attention recently, resulting in efforts for improving the production of hydrogen and photosynthates, particularly triacylglycerides. Metabolic pathways of microalgae have also been manipulated in order to improve photosynthetic growth under specific conditions and for achieving trophic conversion. Although these pathways are not strictly related to secondary metabolites, the synthetic biology approaches could potentially be translated to this field and will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Gimpel
- Chemical and Biotechnology Engineering Department, Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Universidad de Chile Santiago, Chile
| | - Vitalia Henríquez
- Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso Valparaiso, Chile
| | - Stephen P Mayfield
- Division of Biological Sciences, California Center for Algae Biotechnology, University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
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187
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Del Prete S, De Luca V, Capasso C, Supuran CT, Carginale V. Recombinant thermoactive phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) from Thermosynechococcus elongatus and its coupling with mesophilic/thermophilic bacterial carbonic anhydrases (CAs) for the conversion of CO2 to oxaloacetate. Bioorg Med Chem 2015; 24:220-5. [PMID: 26712095 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
With the continuous increase of atmospheric CO2 in the last decades, efficient methods for carbon capture, sequestration, and utilization are urgently required. The possibility of converting CO2 into useful chemicals could be a good strategy to both decreasing the CO2 concentration and for achieving an efficient exploitation of this cheap carbon source. Recently, several single- and multi-enzyme systems for the catalytic conversion of CO2 mainly to bicarbonate have been implemented. In order to design and construct a catalytic system for the conversion of CO2 to organic molecules, we implemented an in vitro multienzyme system using mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes. The system, in fact, was constituted by a recombinant phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus, in combination with mesophilic/thermophilic bacterial carbonic anhydrases (CAs), for converting CO2 into oxaloacetate, a compound of potential utility in industrial processes. The catalytic procedure is in two steps: the conversion of CO2 into bicarbonate by CA, followed by the carboxylation of phosphoenolpyruvate with bicarbonate, catalyzed by PEPC, with formation of oxaloacetate (OAA). All tested CAs, belonging to α-, β-, and γ-CA classes, were able to increase OAA production compared to procedures when only PEPC was used. Interestingly, the efficiency of the CAs tested in OAA production was in good agreement with the kinetic parameters for the CO2 hydration reaction of these enzymes. This PEPC also revealed to be thermoactive and thermostable, and when coupled with the extremely thermostable CA from Sulphurhydrogenibium azorense (SazCA) the production of OAA was achieved even if the two enzymes were exposed to temperatures up to 60 °C, suggesting a possible role of the two coupled enzymes in biotechnological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Del Prete
- Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse-CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Viviana De Luca
- Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse-CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Clemente Capasso
- Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse-CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Claudiu T Supuran
- Università degli Studi di Firenze, Polo Scientifico, Laboratorio di Chimica Bioinorganica, Rm. 188, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), Italy; Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento Neurofarba, Sezione di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Polo Scientifico, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Carginale
- Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse-CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
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188
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Rosnow JJ, Evans MA, Kapralov MV, Cousins AB, Edwards GE, Roalson EH. Kranz and single-cell forms of C4 plants in the subfamily Suaedoideae show kinetic C4 convergence for PEPC and Rubisco with divergent amino acid substitutions. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2015; 66:7347-58. [PMID: 26417023 PMCID: PMC4765798 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erv431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The two carboxylation reactions performed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) are vital in the fixation of inorganic carbon for C4 plants. The abundance of PEPC is substantially elevated in C4 leaves, while the location of Rubisco is restricted to one of two chloroplast types. These differences compared with C3 leaves have been shown to result in convergent enzyme optimization in some C4 species. Investigation into the kinetic properties of PEPC and Rubisco from Kranz C4, single cell C4, and C3 species in Chenopodiaceae s. s. subfamily Suaedoideae showed that these major carboxylases in C4 Suaedoideae species lack the same mutations found in other C4 systems which have been examined; but still have similar convergent kinetic properties. Positive selection analysis on the N-terminus of PEPC identified residues 364 and 368 to be under positive selection with a posterior probability >0.99 using Bayes empirical Bayes. Compared with previous analyses on other C4 species, PEPC from C4 Suaedoideae species have different convergent amino acids that result in a higher K m for PEP and malate tolerance compared with C3 species. Kinetic analysis of Rubisco showed that C4 species have a higher catalytic efficiency of Rubisco (k catc in mol CO2 mol(-1) Rubisco active sites s(-1)), despite lacking convergent substitutions in the rbcL gene. The importance of kinetic changes to the two-carboxylation reactions in C4 leaves related to amino acid selection is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh J Rosnow
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - Marc A Evans
- Department of Mathematics, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-3113, USA
| | - Maxim V Kapralov
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - Gerald E Edwards
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - Eric H Roalson
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
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189
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Tsai YCC, Lapina MC, Bhushan S, Mueller-Cajar O. Identification and characterization of multiple rubisco activases in chemoautotrophic bacteria. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8883. [PMID: 26567524 PMCID: PMC4660213 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) is responsible for almost all biological CO2 assimilation, but forms inhibited complexes with its substrate ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) and other sugar phosphates. The distantly related AAA+ proteins rubisco activase and CbbX remodel inhibited rubisco complexes to effect inhibitor release in plants and α-proteobacteria, respectively. Here we characterize a third class of rubisco activase in the chemolithoautotroph Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Two sets of isoforms of CbbQ and CbbO form hetero-oligomers that function as specific activases for two structurally diverse rubisco forms. Mutational analysis supports a model wherein the AAA+ protein CbbQ functions as motor and CbbO is a substrate adaptor that binds rubisco via a von Willebrand factor A domain. Understanding the mechanisms employed by nature to overcome rubisco's shortcomings will increase our toolbox for engineering photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation. The CO2-fixing enzyme rubisco requires motor proteins known as rubisco activases to remove inhibitors bound to its active site. Here the authors describe a new class of rubisco activase present in chemoautotrophic bacteria that belongs to the MoxR family of AAA+ ATPases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Chin Candace Tsai
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551. Singapore
| | - Maria Claribel Lapina
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551. Singapore
| | - Shashi Bhushan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551. Singapore
| | - Oliver Mueller-Cajar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551. Singapore
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190
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Boyd RA, Gandin A, Cousins AB. Temperature Responses of C4 Photosynthesis: Biochemical Analysis of Rubisco, Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase, and Carbonic Anhydrase in Setaria viridis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 169:1850-61. [PMID: 26373659 PMCID: PMC4634053 DOI: 10.1104/pp.15.00586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The photosynthetic assimilation of CO2 in C4 plants is potentially limited by the enzymatic rates of Rubisco, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPc), and carbonic anhydrase (CA). Therefore, the activity and kinetic properties of these enzymes are needed to accurately parameterize C4 biochemical models of leaf CO2 exchange in response to changes in CO2 availability and temperature. There are currently no published temperature responses of both Rubisco carboxylation and oxygenation kinetics from a C4 plant, nor are there known measurements of the temperature dependency of the PEPc Michaelis-Menten constant for its substrate HCO3 (-), and there is little information on the temperature response of plant CA activity. Here, we used membrane inlet mass spectrometry to measure the temperature responses of Rubisco carboxylation and oxygenation kinetics, PEPc carboxylation kinetics, and the activity and first-order rate constant for the CA hydration reaction from 10°C to 40°C using crude leaf extracts from the C4 plant Setaria viridis. The temperature dependencies of Rubisco, PEPc, and CA kinetic parameters are provided. These findings describe a new method for the investigation of PEPc kinetics, suggest an HCO3 (-) limitation imposed by CA, and show similarities between the Rubisco temperature responses of previously measured C3 species and the C4 plant S. viridis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Boyd
- School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236
| | - Anthony Gandin
- School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236
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191
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Walker BJ, Ort DR. Improved method for measuring the apparent CO2 photocompensation point resolves the impact of multiple internal conductances to CO2 to net gas exchange. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2015; 38:2462-74. [PMID: 25929271 DOI: 10.1111/pce.12562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
There is a growing interest in accurate and comparable measurements of the CO2 photocompensation point (Γ*), a vital parameter to model leaf photosynthesis. The Γ* is measured as the common intersection of several CO2 response curves, but this method may incorrectly estimate Γ* by using linear fits to extrapolate curvilinear responses and single conductances to convert intercellular photocompensation points (Ci *) to chloroplastic Γ*. To determine the magnitude and minimize the impact of these artefacts on Γ* determinations, we used a combination of meta-analysis, modelling and original measurements to develop a framework to accurately determine Ci *. Our modelling indicated that the impact of using linear fits could be minimized based on the measurement CO2 range. We also propose a novel method of analysing common intersection measurements using slope-intercept regression. Our modelling indicated that slope-intercept regression is a robust analytical tool that can help determine if a measurement is biased because of multiple internal conductances to CO2 . Application of slope-intercept regression to Nicotiana tabacum and Glycine max revealed that multiple conductances likely have little impact to Ci * measurements in these species. These findings present a robust and easy to apply protocol to help resolve key questions concerning CO2 conductance through leaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berkley J Walker
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, USDA/ARS, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Donald R Ort
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, USDA/ARS, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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192
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Hovde BT, Deodato CR, Hunsperger HM, Ryken SA, Yost W, Jha RK, Patterson J, Monnat RJ, Barlow SB, Starkenburg SR, Cattolico RA. Genome Sequence and Transcriptome Analyses of Chrysochromulina tobin: Metabolic Tools for Enhanced Algal Fitness in the Prominent Order Prymnesiales (Haptophyceae). PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005469. [PMID: 26397803 PMCID: PMC4580454 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Haptophytes are recognized as seminal players in aquatic ecosystem function. These algae are important in global carbon sequestration, form destructive harmful blooms, and given their rich fatty acid content, serve as a highly nutritive food source to a broad range of eco-cohorts. Haptophyte dominance in both fresh and marine waters is supported by the mixotrophic nature of many taxa. Despite their importance the nuclear genome sequence of only one haptophyte, Emiliania huxleyi (Isochrysidales), is available. Here we report the draft genome sequence of Chrysochromulina tobin (Prymnesiales), and transcriptome data collected at seven time points over a 24-hour light/dark cycle. The nuclear genome of C. tobin is small (59 Mb), compact (∼40% of the genome is protein coding) and encodes approximately 16,777 genes. Genes important to fatty acid synthesis, modification, and catabolism show distinct patterns of expression when monitored over the circadian photoperiod. The C. tobin genome harbors the first hybrid polyketide synthase/non-ribosomal peptide synthase gene complex reported for an algal species, and encodes potential anti-microbial peptides and proteins involved in multidrug and toxic compound extrusion. A new haptophyte xanthorhodopsin was also identified, together with two “red” RuBisCO activases that are shared across many algal lineages. The Chrysochromulina tobin genome sequence provides new information on the evolutionary history, ecology and economic importance of haptophytes. Microalgae are important contributors to global ecological balance, and process nearly half of the world’s carbon each year. Additionally, these organisms are deeply rooted in the earths’ evolutionary history. To better understand why algae are such strong survivors in aquatic environments and to better understand their contribution to global ecology, we sequenced the genome of a microalga that is abundant in both fresh and salt water environments, but poorly represented by current genomic information. We identify protein-coding genes responsible for the synthesis of potential toxins as well as those that produce antibiotics, and describe gene products that enhanced the ability of the alga to use light energy. We observed that a day-night cycle, similar to that found in natural environments, significantly impacts the expression of algal genes whose products are responsible for synthesizing fats—a rich source of nutrition for many other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake T. Hovde
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail: (BTH); (RAC)
| | - Chloe R. Deodato
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Heather M. Hunsperger
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Scott A. Ryken
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Will Yost
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Ramesh K. Jha
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Johnathan Patterson
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Raymond J. Monnat
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- University of Washington, Department of Pathology, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Steven B. Barlow
- Electron Microscope Facility, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Shawn R. Starkenburg
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Rose Ann Cattolico
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail: (BTH); (RAC)
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193
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Carmo-Silva E, Scales JC, Madgwick PJ, Parry MAJ. Optimizing Rubisco and its regulation for greater resource use efficiency. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2015; 38:1817-32. [PMID: 25123951 DOI: 10.1111/pce.12425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Revised: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 08/03/2014] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco catalyses the carboxylation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP), enabling net CO2 assimilation in photosynthesis. The properties and regulation of Rubisco are not optimal for biomass production in current and projected future environments. Rubisco is relatively inefficient, and large amounts of the enzyme are needed to support photosynthesis, requiring large investments in nitrogen. The competing oxygenation of RuBP by Rubisco decreases photosynthetic efficiency. Additionally, Rubisco is inhibited by some sugar phosphates and depends upon interaction with Rubisco activase (Rca) to be reactivated. Rca activity is modulated by the chloroplast redox status and ADP/ATP ratios, thereby mediating Rubisco activation and photosynthetic induction in response to irradiance. The extreme thermal sensitivity of Rca compromises net CO2 assimilation at moderately high temperatures. Given its central role in carbon assimilation, the improvement of Rubisco function and regulation is tightly linked with irradiance, nitrogen and water use efficiencies. Although past attempts have had limited success, novel technologies and an expanding knowledge base make the challenge of improving Rubisco activity in crops an achievable goal. Strategies to optimize Rubisco and its regulation are addressed in relation to their potential to improve crop resource use efficiency and climate resilience of photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joanna C Scales
- Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Pippa J Madgwick
- Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Martin A J Parry
- Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK
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195
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Yang Y, Yu L, Wang L, Guo S. Bottle gourd rootstock-grafting promotes photosynthesis by regulating the stomata and non-stomata performances in leaves of watermelon seedlings under NaCl stress. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 186-187:50-58. [PMID: 26368284 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2015.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Revised: 06/23/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Previously, we found that the amelioration of photosynthetic capacity by bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria Standl.) rootstock in watermelon seedlings (Citrullus lanatus [Thunb.] Mansf.) with salt treatment might be closely related to the enzymes in Calvin cycle such as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) (Yang et al., 2012). We confirmed this and showed more details in this study that improved photosynthesis of watermelon plants by bottle gourd rootstock was associated with the decreased stomata resistance and the increased photochemical activity and photosynthetic metabolism with or without 100mM NaCl stress for 3 days. The analysis of gas exchange parameters showed that self-grafted plants suffered serious non-stomatal limitation to photosynthesis under salt stress while rootstock-grafted plants were mainly affected by stomata limitation in stress conditions. Further, results showed that NaCl stress markedly reduced the chlorophyll content, damaged the structure of photosynthetic apparatus, and inhibited photochemical activity and CO2 assimilation in self-grafted plants. In contrast, rootstock-grafting increased the chlorophyll content, especially chlorophyll b, and minimized the harmful effects on photosystem II (PSII) reaction center and the thylakoids structure induced by NaCl stress. Furthermore, rootstock-grafting enhanced the content and activity of Rubisco and thus elevated carbon fixation in the leaves of watermelon scions under salt stress. The gene expressions of enzymes related to ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) regeneration were also up-regulated by rootstock and this probably guaranteed the sufficient supply of RuBP for the operation of Calvin cycle in watermelon scions under salt stress. Thus, bottle gourd rootstock promoted photosynthesis by the activation of stomatal and non-stomatal abilities, especially the regulation of a variety of photosynthetic enzymes, including Rubisco in grafted watermelon plants under NaCl stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjuan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Southern Vegetable Crop Genetic Improvement in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China; Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, PR China.
| | - Li Yu
- Key Laboratory of Southern Vegetable Crop Genetic Improvement in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China; Horticulture Research Institute, Shanghai Academy Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture Technology, Shanghai 201403, PR China.
| | - Liping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Southern Vegetable Crop Genetic Improvement in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Shirong Guo
- Key Laboratory of Southern Vegetable Crop Genetic Improvement in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
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196
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In silico Identification of Ergosterol as a Novel Fungal Metabolite Enhancing RuBisCO Activity in Lycopersicum esculentum. Interdiscip Sci 2015; 8:229-40. [PMID: 26253718 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-015-0105-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
RuBisCO (EC 4.1.1.39), a key enzyme found in stroma of chloroplast, is important for fixing atmospheric CO2 in plants. Alterations in the activity of RuBisCO could influence photosynthetic yield. Therefore, to understand the activity of the protein, knowledge about its structure is pertinent. Though the structure of Nicotiana RuBisCO has been modeled, the structure of tomato RuBisCO is still unknown. RuBisCO extracted from chloroplasts of tomato leaves was subjected to MALDI-TOF-TOF followed by Mascot Search. The protein sequence based on gene identification numbers was subjected to in silico model construction, characterization and docking studies. The primary structure analysis revealed that protein was stable, neutral, hydrophilic and has an acidic pI. The result though indicates a 90 % homology with other members of Solanaceae but differs from the structure of Arabidopsis RuBisCO. Different ligands were docked to assess the activity of RuBisCO against these metabolite components. Out of the number of modulators tested, ergosterol had the maximum affinity (E = -248.08) with RuBisCO. Ergosterol is a major cell wall component of fungi and has not been reported to be naturally found in plants. It is a known immune elicitor in plants. The current study throws light on its role in affecting RuBisCO activity in plants, thereby bringing changes in the photosynthetic rate.
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197
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Hauser T, Bhat JY, Miličić G, Wendler P, Hartl FU, Bracher A, Hayer-Hartl M. Structure and mechanism of the Rubisco-assembly chaperone Raf1. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2015; 22:720-8. [PMID: 26237510 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.3062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Biogenesis of the photosynthetic enzyme Rubisco, a complex of eight large (RbcL) and eight small (RbcS) subunits, requires assembly chaperones. Here we analyzed the role of Rubisco accumulation factor1 (Raf1), a dimer of ∼40-kDa subunits. We find that Raf1 from Synechococcus elongatus acts downstream of chaperonin-assisted RbcL folding by stabilizing RbcL antiparallel dimers for assembly into RbcL8 complexes with four Raf1 dimers bound. Raf1 displacement by RbcS results in holoenzyme formation. Crystal structures show that Raf1 from Arabidopsis thaliana consists of a β-sheet dimerization domain and a flexibly linked α-helical domain. Chemical cross-linking and EM reconstruction indicate that the β-domains bind along the equator of each RbcL2 unit, and the α-helical domains embrace the top and bottom edges of RbcL2. Raf1 fulfills a role similar to that of the assembly chaperone RbcX, thus suggesting that functionally redundant factors ensure efficient Rubisco biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hauser
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Javaid Y Bhat
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Goran Miličić
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Petra Wendler
- Gene Center Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - F Ulrich Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Andreas Bracher
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Manajit Hayer-Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
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198
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Sui N, Yang Z, Liu M, Wang B. Identification and transcriptomic profiling of genes involved in increasing sugar content during salt stress in sweet sorghum leaves. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:534. [PMID: 26186930 PMCID: PMC4506618 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1760-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sweet sorghum is an annual C4 crop considered to be one of the most promising bio-energy crops due to its high sugar content in stem, yet it is poorly understood how this plant increases its sugar content in response to salt stress. In response to high NaCl, many of its major processes, such as photosynthesis, protein synthesis, energy and lipid metabolism, are inhibited. Interestingly, sugar content in sweet sorghum stems remains constant or even increases in several salt-tolerant species. RESULTS In this study, the transcript profiles of two sweet sorghum inbred lines (salt-tolerant M-81E and salt-sensitive Roma) were analyzed in the presence of 0 mM or 150 mM NaCl in order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that lead to higher sugar content during salt stress. We identified 864 and 930 differentially expressed genes between control plants and those subjected to salt stress in both M-81E and Roma strains. We determined that the majority of these genes are involved in photosynthesis, carbon fixation, and starch and sucrose metabolism. Genes important for maintaining photosystem structure and for regulating electron transport were less affected by salt stress in the M-81E line compared to the salt-sensitive Roma line. In addition, expression of genes encoding NADP(+)-malate enzyme and sucrose synthetase was up-regulated and expression of genes encoding invertase was down-regulated under salt stress in M-81E. In contrast, the expression of these genes showed the opposite trend in Roma under salt stress. CONCLUSIONS The results we obtained revealed that the salt-tolerant genotype M-81E leads to increased sugar content under salt stress by protecting important structures of photosystems, by enhancing the accumulation of photosynthetic products, by increasing the production of sucrose synthetase and by inhibiting sucrose decomposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Sui
- Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Research, College of life science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, PR China.
| | - Zhen Yang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Research, College of life science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, PR China.
| | - Mingli Liu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Research, College of life science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, PR China.
| | - Baoshan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Research, College of life science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, PR China.
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199
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Gong F, Liu G, Zhai X, Zhou J, Cai Z, Li Y. Quantitative analysis of an engineered CO2-fixing Escherichia coli reveals great potential of heterotrophic CO2 fixation. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2015; 8:86. [PMID: 26097503 PMCID: PMC4475311 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-015-0268-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Production of fuels from the abundant and wasteful CO2 is a promising approach to reduce carbon emission and consumption of fossil fuels. Autotrophic microbes naturally assimilate CO2 using energy from light, hydrogen, and/or sulfur. However, their slow growth rates call for investigation of the possibility of heterotrophic CO2 fixation. Although preliminary research has suggested that CO2 fixation in heterotrophic microbes is feasible after incorporation of a CO2-fixing bypass into the central carbon metabolic pathway, it remains unclear how much and how efficient that CO2 can be fixed by a heterotrophic microbe. RESULTS A simple metabolic flux index was developed to indicate the relative strength of the CO2-fixation flux. When two sequential enzymes of the cyanobacterial Calvin cycle were incorporated into an E. coli strain, the flux of the CO2-fixing bypass pathway accounts for 13 % of that of the central carbon metabolic pathway. The value was increased to 17 % when the carbonic anhydrase involved in the cyanobacterial carbon concentrating mechanism was introduced, indicating that low intracellular CO2 concentration is one limiting factor for CO2 fixation in E. coli. The engineered CO2-fixing E. coli with carbonic anhydrase was able to fix CO2 at a rate of 19.6 mg CO2 L(-1) h(-1) or the specific rate of 22.5 mg CO2 g DCW(-1) h(-1). This CO2-fixation rate is comparable with the reported rates of 14 autotrophic cyanobacteria and algae (10.5-147.0 mg CO2 L(-1) h(-1) or the specific rates of 3.5-23.7 mg CO2 g DCW(-1) h(-1)). CONCLUSIONS The ability of CO2 fixation was created and improved in E. coli by incorporating partial cyanobacterial Calvin cycle and carbon concentrating mechanism, respectively. Quantitative analysis revealed that the CO2-fixation rate of this strain is comparable with that of the autotrophic cyanobacteria and algae, demonstrating great potential of heterotrophic CO2 fixation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuyu Gong
- />CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
- />University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guoxia Liu
- />CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Xiaoyun Zhai
- />CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
- />University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- />CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Zhen Cai
- />CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Yin Li
- />CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
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200
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Hauser T, Popilka L, Hartl FU, Hayer-Hartl M. Role of auxiliary proteins in Rubisco biogenesis and function. NATURE PLANTS 2015; 1:15065. [PMID: 27250005 DOI: 10.1038/nplants.2015.65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) catalyses the conversion of atmospheric CO2 into organic compounds during photosynthesis. Despite its pivotal role in plant metabolism, Rubisco is an inefficient enzyme and has therefore been a key target in bioengineering efforts to improve crop yields. Much has been learnt about the complex cellular machinery involved in Rubisco assembly and metabolic repair over recent years. The simple form of Rubisco found in certain bacteria and dinoflagellates comprises two large subunits, and generally requires the chaperonin system for folding. However, the evolution of hexadecameric Rubisco, which comprises eight large and eight small subunits, from its dimeric precursor has rendered Rubisco in most plants, algae, cyanobacteria and proteobacteria dependent on an array of additional factors. These auxiliary factors include several chaperones for assembly as well as ATPases of the AAA+ family for functional maintenance. An integrated view of the pathways underlying Rubisco biogenesis and repair will pave the way for efforts to improve the enzyme with the goal of increasing crop yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hauser
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Leonhard Popilka
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - F Ulrich Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Manajit Hayer-Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
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