Isolation and characterisation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutants with an impaired CO2-concentrating mechanism

The algal pyrenoid: key unanswered questions

The confinement of Rubisco in a chloroplast microcompartment, or pyrenoid, is a distinctive feature of most microalgae, and contributes to perhaps ~30 Pg of carbon fixed each year, yet our understanding of pyrenoid composition, regulation, and function remains fragmentary. Recently, significant progress in understanding the pyrenoid has arisen from studies using mutant lines, mass spectrometric analysis of isolated pyrenoids, and advanced ultrastructural imaging of the microcompartment in the model alga Chlamydomonas. The emergence of molecular details in other lineages provides a comparative framework for this review, and evidence that most pyrenoids function similarly, even in the absence of a common ancestry. The objective of this review is to explore pyrenoid diversity throughout key algal lineages and discuss whether common ultrastructural and cellular features are indicative of common functional processes. By characterizing pyrenoid origins in terms of mechanistic and structural parallels, we hope to provide key unanswered questions which will inform future research directions.

Native architecture of the Chlamydomonas chloroplast revealed by in situ cryo-electron tomography

Chloroplast function is orchestrated by the organelle's intricate architecture. By combining cryo-focused ion beam milling of vitreous Chlamydomonas cells with cryo-electron tomography, we acquired three-dimensional structures of the chloroplast in its native state within the cell. Chloroplast envelope inner membrane invaginations were frequently found in close association with thylakoid tips, and the tips of multiple thylakoid stacks converged at dynamic sites on the chloroplast envelope, implicating lipid transport in thylakoid biogenesis. Subtomogram averaging and nearest neighbor analysis revealed that RuBisCO complexes were hexagonally packed within the pyrenoid, with ∼15 nm between their centers. Thylakoid stacks and the pyrenoid were connected by cylindrical pyrenoid tubules, physically bridging the sites of light-dependent photosynthesis and light-independent carbon fixation. Multiple parallel minitubules were bundled within each pyrenoid tubule, possibly serving as conduits for the targeted one-dimensional diffusion of small molecules such as ATP and sugars between the chloroplast stroma and the pyrenoid matrix.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04889.001

Many organisms can harvest light to produce their own energy through a process called photosynthesis. In plant and algal cells, photosynthesis takes place within the chloroplasts, which are compartments that contain stacks of structures called thylakoids.

Inside the thylakoids, proteins absorb energy from light and convert it into biochemical energy that can be used by the cell. This energy then powers a series of reactions that result in carbon dioxide being incorporated into energy-rich sugars. The enzyme RuBisCO is essential for this process, and is believed to be the most abundant protein on Earth. In land plants, RuBisCO is found throughout the chloroplast, but in algae it is limited to a specialized area called the pyrenoid.

Much of our current knowledge of chloroplast structure comes from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. However, the traditional methods used to prepare cells for TEM can damage their internal structures. Also, previous studies have focused primarily on the chloroplasts of land plants, even though aquatic organisms—including the alga Chlamydomonas—account for over 50% of photosynthesis on the planet.

Here, Engel et al. provide the first three-dimensional structures of Chlamydomonas chloroplasts in their natural state. They used several recently-developed techniques to study cells that were preserved in a close-to-living condition. The cells were rapidly frozen, thinned with a technique called cryo-focused ion beam milling, and then imaged by a type of TEM called cryo-electron tomography.

The three-dimensional images provide many insights into the Chlamydomonas chloroplast, including evidence that lipids and proteins move between the membrane that surrounds the chloroplast—called the chloroplast envelope—and the tips of the thylakoids. These images show how thylakoids may be built by the transport of molecules from the chloroplast envelope. In addition, the images reveal the detailed structures of the tubes that connect the thylakoids to the pyrenoid, which could explain how the two stages of photosynthesis (light harvesting and the conversion of carbon dioxide) can be coordinated even though they occur at different places within the chloroplast.

Engel et al. also observed that RuBisCO enzymes are arranged in a hexagonal pattern inside the pyrenoid, but are spaced too far apart to make direct contact with each other. To understand how the pyrenoid is assembled, a future goal will be to determine what causes RuBisCO to be arranged in this way.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04889.002

Native architecture of the Chlamydomonas chloroplast revealed by in situ cryo-electron tomography

Chloroplast function is orchestrated by the organelle's intricate architecture. By combining cryo-focused ion beam milling of vitreous Chlamydomonas cells with cryo-electron tomography, we acquired three-dimensional structures of the chloroplast in its native state within the cell. Chloroplast envelope inner membrane invaginations were frequently found in close association with thylakoid tips, and the tips of multiple thylakoid stacks converged at dynamic sites on the chloroplast envelope, implicating lipid transport in thylakoid biogenesis. Subtomogram averaging and nearest neighbor analysis revealed that RuBisCO complexes were hexagonally packed within the pyrenoid, with ~15 nm between their centers. Thylakoid stacks and the pyrenoid were connected by cylindrical pyrenoid tubules, physically bridging the sites of light-dependent photosynthesis and light-independent carbon fixation. Multiple parallel minitubules were bundled within each pyrenoid tubule, possibly serving as conduits for the targeted one-dimensional diffusion of small molecules such as ATP and sugars between the chloroplast stroma and the pyrenoid matrix.

Dynamics of carbon-concentrating mechanism induction and protein relocalization during the dark-to-light transition in synchronized Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

In the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) is induced under low CO2 in the light and comprises active inorganic carbon transport components, carbonic anhydrases, and aggregation of Rubisco in the chloroplast pyrenoid. Previous studies have focused predominantly on asynchronous cultures of cells grown under low versus high CO2. Here, we have investigated the dynamics of CCM activation in synchronized cells grown in dark/light cycles compared with induction under low CO2. The specific focus was to undertake detailed time course experiments comparing physiology and gene expression during the dark-to-light transition. First, the CCM could be fully induced 1 h before dawn, as measured by the photosynthetic affinity for inorganic carbon. This occurred in advance of maximum gene transcription and protein accumulation and contrasted with the coordinated induction observed under low CO2. Between 2 and 1 h before dawn, the proportion of Rubisco and the thylakoid lumen carbonic anhydrase in the pyrenoid rose substantially, coincident with increased CCM activity. Thus, other mechanisms are likely to activate the CCM before dawn, independent of gene transcription of known CCM components. Furthermore, this study highlights the value of using synchronized cells during the dark-to-light transition as an alternative means of investigating CCM induction.

Carbon acquisition and accumulation in microalgae Chlamydomonas: Insights from "omics" approaches

Understanding the processes and mechanisms of carbon acquisition and accumulation in microalgae is fundamental to enhance the cellular capabilities aimed to environmental and industrial applications. The "omics" approaches have greatly contributed to expanding the knowledge on these carbon-related cellular responses, reporting large data sets on microalgae transcriptome, proteome and metabolome. This review emphasizes the advances made on Chlamydomonas exploration; however, some knowledge acquired from studying this model organism, may be extrapolated to close algae species. The large data sets available for this organism revealed the identity of a vast range of genes and proteins which are integrating carbon-related mechanisms. Nevertheless, these data sets have also highlighted the need for integrative analysis in order to fully explore the information enclosed. Here, some of the main results from "omics" approaches which may contribute to the understanding of carbon acquisition and accumulation in Chlamydomonas were reviewed and possible applications were discussed.

BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

A number of important publications in the field of "omics" technologies have been published reporting studies of the model green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and related to microalgal biomass production. However, there are only few attempts to integrate these data. Publications showing the results from "omics" approaches, such as transcriptome, metabolome and proteome, focused in the study of mechanisms of carbon acquisition and accumulation in microalgae were reviewed. This review contributes to highlight the knowledge recently generated on such "omics" studies and it discusses how these results may be important for the advance of applied sciences, such as microalgae biotechnology.

Insertional suppressors of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that restore growth of air-dier lcib mutants in low CO2

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and other microalgae show adaptive changes to limiting CO(2) conditions by induction of CO(2)-concentrating mechanisms. The limiting-CO(2)-inducible gene, LCIB, encodes a soluble plastid protein and is proposed to play a role in trapping CO(2) released by CAH3 (thylakoid lumen carbonic anhydrase) catalyzed dehydration of accumulated Ci, especially in low CO(2) (L-CO(2); ~0.04% CO(2)) conditions. To gain further insight into the mechanisms of Ci uptake and accumulation in L-CO(2) acclimated C. reinhardtii, we performed an insertional mutagenesis screen to isolate extragenic suppressors that restore the growth of lcib mutants (pmp1 and ad1) in L-CO(2). Four independent suppressors are described here and classified by their photosynthetic affinities for Ci and expression patterns of known limiting-CO(2)-inducible transcripts. Genetic analysis of the four suppressors identified two allelic, dominant suppressors (su4 and su5), and two recessive suppressors (su1 and su8). Consistent with the suppression phenotype, both the relative affinities of photosynthetic O(2) evolution and internal Ci accumulation in all four suppressors were substantially increased relative to pmp1/ad1 in L-CO(2) acclimated cells. The relative affinities of pmp-su1 and ad-su8 for Ci were nearly the same as wild type, but that of pmp-su4/su5 was intermediate between pmp-su1 and pmp1. Also, the interactions between lcib mutations and each of the three suppressors varied over the range of CO(2) acclimation states. Our results suggest complex contributions of LCIB-dependent and independent active Ci uptake/accumulation systems in various CO(2) acclimation states and therefore provide new clues about the roles played by LCIB in limiting Ci acclimation.

Insertional mutagenesis as a tool to study genes/functions in Chlamydomonas

The unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has emerged during the last decades as a model system to understand gene functions, many of them shared by bacteria, fungi, plants, animals and humans. A powerful resource for the research community is the availability of complete collections of stable mutants for studying whole genome function. In the meantime other strategies might be developed; insertional mutagenesis has become currently the best strategy to disrupt and tag nuclear genes in Chlamydomonas allowing forward and reverse genetic approaches. Here, we outline the mutagenesis technique stressing the idea of generating databases for ordered mutant libraries, and also of improving efficient methods for reverse genetics to identify mutants defective in a particular gene.

Changes in C uptake in populations of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii selected at high CO2

Estimates of the effect of increased global atmospheric CO(2) levels on oceanic primary productivity depend on the physiological responses of contemporary phytoplankton populations. However, microalgal populations will possibly adapt to rising CO(2) levels in such a way that they become genetically different from contemporary populations. The unknown properties of these future populations introduce an undefined error into predictions of C pool dynamics, especially the presence and size of the biological C pump. To address the bias in predictions introduced by evolution, we measured the kinetics of CO(2) uptake in populations of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that had been selected for growth at high CO(2) for 1000 generations. Following selection at high CO(2), the populations were unable to induce high-affinity CO(2) uptake, and one line had a lower rate of net CO(2) uptake. We attribute this to conditionally neutral mutations in genes affecting the C concentrating mechanism (CCM). Lower affinity CO(2) uptake, in addition to smaller population sizes, results in a significant reduction in net CO(2) uptake of about 38% relative to contemporary populations under the same conditions. This shows how predictions about the properties of communities in the future can be influenced by the effect of natural selection.

Adaptation of a Chlamydomonas mutant with reduced rate of photorespiration to different concentrations of CO2

It has been widely accepted that Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells utilize inorganic carbon very efficiently for photosynthesis by operating a CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) under conditions of limited CO2. To help define the mechanism, 7FR2N, one of the suppressor double mutants of phosphoglycolate phosphatase-deficient (pgp1) mutants that have a reduced photorespiration rate (RPR) was crossed with wild-type strains to generate the strain N21 as a single RPR mutant. The comparison of photosynthetic characteristics with wild-type strains after the cells adapted to different concentrations of CO2 revealed that photosynthetic affinity for inorganic carbon was higher than that in wild-type strains after adaptation to concentrations between 50 µL·L–1 CO2 and 5% CO2. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were also compared, and the biggest difference between N21 and the wild-type strains was observed in the photochemical quenching and effective quantum yield of photosystem II (ΔF/Fm′) at the CO2 compensation point. These values in N21 increased in a similar manner to the photosynthetic affinity for CO2, and increased significantly when the cells adapted to low-CO2 levels, whereas the values in the wild-type strains were apparently lower without any significant changes, regardless of the CO2 concentrations to which they were adapted. Although it was not clear if a nonphotochemical quenching parameter (NPQ) in N21 was higher than that in wild-type strains, NPQ increased coincidentally with the increase in photosynthetic affinity for inorganic carbon when the CO2 concentrations to which the strains were adapted decreased, in both the mutant and wild-type strain, suggesting that this form of NPQ reflects the operation of CCM in certain conditions. Possible candidates for the RPR mutation and the relationship between CCM and photosynthetic electron flow are discussed.Key words: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, chlorophyll fluorescence, CO2-concentrating mechanism, low-CO2 responsive gene, phosphoglycolate phosphatase, photorespiration.

Phenotypic consequences of 1,000 generations of selection at elevated CO2 in a green alga

Estimates of the effect of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations on future global plant production rely on the physiological response of individual plants or plant communities when exposed to high CO2 (refs 1-6). Plant populations may adapt to the changing atmosphere, however, such that the evolved plant communities of the next century are likely to be genetically different from contemporary communities. The properties of these future communities are unknown, introducing a bias of unknown sign and magnitude into projections of global carbon pool dynamics. Here we report a long-term selection experiment to investigate the phenotypic consequences of selection for growth at elevated CO2 concentrations. After about 1,000 generations, selection lines of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas failed to evolve specific adaptation to a CO2 concentration of 1,050 parts per million. Some lines, however, evolved a syndrome involving high rates of photosynthesis and respiration, combined with higher chlorophyll content and reduced cell size. These lines also grew poorly at ambient concentrations of CO2. We tentatively attribute this outcome to the accumulation of conditionally neutral mutations in genes affecting the carbon concentration mechanism.