1
|
Ostermeier M, Garibay-Hernández A, Holzer VJC, Schroda M, Nickelsen J. Structure, biogenesis, and evolution of thylakoid membranes. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:4014-4035. [PMID: 38567528 PMCID: PMC11448915 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koae102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria and chloroplasts of algae and plants harbor specialized thylakoid membranes (TMs) that convert sunlight into chemical energy. These membranes house PSII and I, the vital protein-pigment complexes that drive oxygenic photosynthesis. In the course of their evolution, TMs have diversified in structure. However, the core machinery for photosynthetic electron transport remained largely unchanged, with adaptations occurring primarily in the light-harvesting antenna systems. Whereas TMs in cyanobacteria are relatively simple, they become more complex in algae and plants. The chloroplasts of vascular plants contain intricate networks of stacked grana and unstacked stroma thylakoids. This review provides an in-depth view of TM architectures in phototrophs and the determinants that shape their forms, as well as presenting recent insights into the spatial organization of their biogenesis and maintenance. Its overall goal is to define the underlying principles that have guided the evolution of these bioenergetic membranes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Michael Schroda
- Molecular Biotechnology and Systems Biology, TU Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Jörg Nickelsen
- Molecular Plant Science, LMU Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bryant DA, Gisriel CJ. The structural basis for light harvesting in organisms producing phycobiliproteins. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:4036-4064. [PMID: 38652697 PMCID: PMC11449063 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koae126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria, red algae, and cryptophytes produce 2 classes of proteins for light harvesting: water-soluble phycobiliproteins (PBP) and membrane-intrinsic proteins that bind chlorophylls (Chls) and carotenoids. In cyanobacteria, red algae, and glaucophytes, phycobilisomes (PBS) are complexes of brightly colored PBP and linker (assembly) proteins. To date, 6 structural classes of PBS have been described: hemiellipsoidal, block-shaped, hemidiscoidal, bundle-shaped, paddle-shaped, and far-red-light bicylindrical. Two additional antenna complexes containing single types of PBP have also been described. Since 2017, structures have been reported for examples of all of these complexes except bundle-shaped PBS by cryogenic electron microscopy. PBS range in size from about 4.6 to 18 mDa and can include ∼900 polypeptides and bind >2000 chromophores. Cyanobacteria additionally produce membrane-associated proteins of the PsbC/CP43 superfamily of Chl a/b/d-binding proteins, including the iron-stress protein IsiA and other paralogous Chl-binding proteins (CBP) that can form antenna complexes with Photosystem I (PSI) and/or Photosystem II (PSII). Red and cryptophyte algae also produce CBP associated with PSI but which belong to the Chl a/b-binding protein superfamily and which are unrelated to the CBP of cyanobacteria. This review describes recent progress in structure determination for PBS and the Chl proteins of cyanobacteria, red algae, and cryptophytan algae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Donald A Bryant
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Grettenberger CL, Sumner DY. Physiology, Not Nutrient Availability, May Have Limited Primary Productivity After the Emergence of Oxygenic Photosynthesis. GEOBIOLOGY 2024; 22:e12622. [PMID: 39324846 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 09/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis in Cyanobacteria was a transformative event in Earth's history. However, the scientific community disagrees over the duration of the delay between the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis and oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere, with estimates ranging from less than a hundred thousand to more than a billion years, depending on assumptions about rates of oxygen production and fluxes of reductants. Here, we propose a novel ecological hypothesis that a geologically significant delay could have been caused by biomolecular inefficiencies within proto-Cyanobacteria-ancestors of modern Cyanobacteria-that limited their maximum rates of oxygen production. Consideration of evolutionary processes and genomic data suggest to us that proto-cyanobacterial primary productivity was initially limited by photosystem instability, oxidative damage, and photoinhibition rather than nutrients or ecological competition. We propose that during the Archean era, cyanobacterial photosystems experienced protracted evolution, with biomolecular inefficiencies initially limiting primary productivity and oxygen production. Natural selection led to increases in efficiency and thus primary productivity through time. Eventually, evolutionary advances produced sufficient biomolecular efficiency that environmental factors, such as nutrient availability, limited primary productivity and shifted controls on oxygen production from physiological to environmental limitations. If correct, our novel hypothesis predicts a geologically significant interval of time between the first local oxygen production and sufficient production for oxygenation of environments. It also predicts that evolutionary rates were likely highly variable due to strong environmental selection pressures and potentially high mutation rates but low competitive interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christen L Grettenberger
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Dawn Y Sumner
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tan S, Liu L, Jiao JY, Li MM, Hu CJ, Lv AP, Qi YL, Li YX, Rao YZ, Qu YN, Jiang HC, Soo RM, Evans PN, Hua ZS, Li WJ. Exploring the Origins and Evolution of Oxygenic and Anoxygenic Photosynthesis in Deeply Branched Cyanobacteriota. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae151. [PMID: 39041196 PMCID: PMC11304991 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteriota, the sole prokaryotes capable of oxygenic photosynthesis (OxyP), occupy a unique and pivotal role in Earth's history. While the notion that OxyP may have originated from Cyanobacteriota is widely accepted, its early evolution remains elusive. Here, by using both metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, we explore 36 metagenome-assembled genomes from hot spring ecosystems, belonging to two deep-branching cyanobacterial orders: Thermostichales and Gloeomargaritales. Functional investigation reveals that Thermostichales encode the crucial thylakoid membrane biogenesis protein, vesicle-inducing protein in plastids 1 (Vipp1). Based on the phylogenetic results, we infer that the evolution of the thylakoid membrane predates the divergence of Thermostichales from other cyanobacterial groups and that Thermostichales may be the most ancient lineage known to date to have inherited this feature from their common ancestor. Apart from OxyP, both lineages are potentially capable of sulfide-driven AnoxyP by linking sulfide oxidation to the photosynthetic electron transport chain. Unexpectedly, this AnoxyP capacity appears to be an acquired feature, as the key gene sqr was horizontally transferred from later-evolved cyanobacterial lineages. The presence of two D1 protein variants in Thermostichales suggests the functional flexibility of photosystems, ensuring their survival in fluctuating redox environments. Furthermore, all MAGs feature streamlined phycobilisomes with a preference for capturing longer-wavelength light, implying a unique evolutionary trajectory. Collectively, these results reveal the photosynthetic flexibility in these early-diverging cyanobacterial lineages, shedding new light on the early evolution of Cyanobacteriota and their photosynthetic processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sha Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
| | - Lan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
| | - Jian-Yu Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
| | - Meng-Meng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
| | - Chao-Jian Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
| | - Ai-Ping Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
| | - Yan-Ling Qi
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Yu-Xian Li
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Yang-Zhi Rao
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Yan-Ni Qu
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Hong-Chen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, PR China
| | - Rochelle M Soo
- The University of Queensland, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Paul N Evans
- The University of Queensland, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zheng-Shuang Hua
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Iwai M, Patel-Tupper D, Niyogi KK. Structural Diversity in Eukaryotic Photosynthetic Light Harvesting. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 75:119-152. [PMID: 38360524 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070623-015519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Photosynthesis has been using energy from sunlight to assimilate atmospheric CO2 for at least 3.5 billion years. Through evolution and natural selection, photosynthetic organisms have flourished in almost all aquatic and terrestrial environments. This is partly due to the diversity of light-harvesting complex (LHC) proteins, which facilitate photosystem assembly, efficient excitation energy transfer, and photoprotection. Structural advances have provided angstrom-level structures of many of these proteins and have expanded our understanding of the pigments, lipids, and residues that drive LHC function. In this review, we compare and contrast recently observed cryo-electron microscopy structures across photosynthetic eukaryotes to identify structural motifs that underlie various light-harvesting strategies. We discuss subtle monomer changes that result in macroscale reorganization of LHC oligomers. Additionally, we find recurring patterns across diverse LHCs that may serve as evolutionary stepping stones for functional diversification. Advancing our understanding of LHC protein-environment interactions will improve our capacity to engineer more productive crops.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masakazu Iwai
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA;
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Dhruv Patel-Tupper
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Krishna K Niyogi
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA;
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ko JT, Li YY, Chen PY, Liu PY, Ho MY. Use of 16S rRNA gene sequences to identify cyanobacteria that can grow in far-red light. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13871. [PMID: 37772760 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Although most cyanobacteria use visible light (VL; λ = 400-700 nm) for photosynthesis, some have evolved strategies to use far-red light (FRL; λ = 700-800 nm). These cyanobacteria are defined as far-red light-utilizing cyanobacteria (FRLCyano), including two groups: (1) chlorophyll d-producing Acaryochloris spp. and (2) polyphyletic cyanobacteria that produce chlorophylls d and f in response to FRL. Numerous ecological studies examine pigments, such as chlorophylls d and f, to investigate the presence of FRLCyano in the environment. This method is not ideal because it can only detect FRLCyano that have made chlorophylls d or f. Here we develop a new method, far-red cyanobacteria identification (FRCI), to identify FRLCyano based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. From public databases and published articles, 62 16S rRNA gene sequences of FRLCyano were extracted. Comparing with related lineages, we determined that 97% sequence identity is the optimal cut-off for distinguishing FRLCyano from other cyanobacteria. To test the method experimentally, we collected samples from 17 sites in Taipei, Taiwan, and conducted VL and FRL enrichments. Our results demonstrate that FRCI can detect FRLCyano during FRL enrichments more sensitively than pigment analysis. FRCI can also resolve the composition of FRLCyano at the genus level, which pigment analysis cannot do. In addition, we applied FRCI to published datasets and discovered putative FRLCyano in diverse environments, including soils, hot springs and deserts. Overall, our results indicate that FRCI is a sensitive and high-resolution method using 16S rRNA gene sequences to identify FRLCyano.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jui-Tse Ko
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Yang Li
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Plant Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pa-Yu Chen
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Po-Yu Liu
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Yang Ho
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Plant Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Demoulin CF, Lara YJ, Lambion A, Javaux EJ. Oldest thylakoids in fossil cells directly evidence oxygenic photosynthesis. Nature 2024; 625:529-534. [PMID: 38172638 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06896-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Today oxygenic photosynthesis is unique to cyanobacteria and their plastid relatives within eukaryotes. Although its origin before the Great Oxidation Event is still debated1-4, the accumulation of O2 profoundly modified the redox chemistry of the Earth and the evolution of the biosphere, including complex life. Understanding the diversification of cyanobacteria is thus crucial to grasping the coevolution of our planet and life, but their early fossil record remains ambiguous5. Extant cyanobacteria include the thylakoid-less Gloeobacter-like group and the remainder of cyanobacteria that acquired thylakoid membranes6,7. The timing of this divergence is indirectly estimated at between 2.7 and 2.0 billion years ago (Ga) based on molecular clocks and phylogenies8-11 and inferred from the earliest undisputed fossil record of Eoentophysalis belcherensis, a 2.018-1.854 Ga pleurocapsalean cyanobacterium preserved in silicified stromatolites12,13. Here we report the oldest direct evidence of thylakoid membranes in a parallel-to-contorted arrangement within the enigmatic cylindrical microfossils Navifusa majensis from the McDermott Formation, Tawallah Group, Australia (1.78-1.73 Ga), and in a parietal arrangement in specimens from the Grassy Bay Formation, Shaler Supergroup, Canada (1.01-0.9 Ga). This discovery extends their fossil record by at least 1.2 Ga and provides a minimum age for the divergence of thylakoid-bearing cyanobacteria at roughly 1.75 Ga. It allows the unambiguous identification of early oxygenic photosynthesizers and a new redox proxy for probing early Earth ecosystems, highlighting the importance of examining the ultrastructure of fossil cells to decipher their palaeobiology and early evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine F Demoulin
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR Astrobiology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
| | - Yannick J Lara
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR Astrobiology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Alexandre Lambion
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR Astrobiology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Emmanuelle J Javaux
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR Astrobiology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Jiang HW, Wu HY, Wang CH, Yang CH, Ko JT, Ho HC, Tsai MD, Bryant DA, Li FW, Ho MC, Ho MY. A structure of the relict phycobilisome from a thylakoid-free cyanobacterium. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8009. [PMID: 38049400 PMCID: PMC10696076 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43646-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Phycobilisomes (PBS) are antenna megacomplexes that transfer energy to photosystems II and I in thylakoids. PBS likely evolved from a basic, inefficient form into the predominant hemidiscoidal shape with radiating peripheral rods. However, it has been challenging to test this hypothesis because ancestral species are generally inaccessible. Here we use spectroscopy and cryo-electron microscopy to reveal a structure of a "paddle-shaped" PBS from a thylakoid-free cyanobacterium that likely retains ancestral traits. This PBS lacks rods and specialized ApcD and ApcF subunits, indicating relict characteristics. Other features include linkers connecting two chains of five phycocyanin hexamers (CpcN) and two core subdomains (ApcH), resulting in a paddle-shaped configuration. Energy transfer calculations demonstrate that chains are less efficient than rods. These features may nevertheless have increased light absorption by elongating PBS before multilayered thylakoids with hemidiscoidal PBS evolved. Our results provide insights into the evolution and diversification of light-harvesting strategies before the origin of thylakoids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Han-Wei Jiang
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiang-Yi Wu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hsiung Wang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Han Yang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Tse Ko
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Han-Chen Ho
- Department of Anatomy, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Daw Tsai
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Donald A Bryant
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Fay-Wei Li
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Plant Biology Section, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Meng-Chiao Ho
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Graduate Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Ming-Yang Ho
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Institute of Plant Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Telegina TA, Vechtomova YL, Aybush AV, Buglak AA, Kritsky MS. Isomerization of carotenoids in photosynthesis and metabolic adaptation. Biophys Rev 2023; 15:887-906. [PMID: 37974987 PMCID: PMC10643480 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-023-01156-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In nature, carotenoids are present as trans- and cis-isomers. Various physical and chemical factors like light, heat, acids, catalytic agents, and photosensitizers can contribute to the isomerization of carotenoids. Living organisms in the process of evolution have developed different mechanisms of adaptation to light stress, which can also involve isomeric forms of carotenoids. Particularly, light stress conditions can enhance isomerization processes. The purpose of this work is to review the recent studies on cis/trans isomerization of carotenoids as well as the role of carotenoid isomers for the light capture, energy transfer, photoprotection in light-harvesting complexes, and reaction centers of the photosynthetic apparatus of plants and other photosynthetic organisms. The review also presents recent studies of carotenoid isomers for the biomedical aspects, showing cis- and trans-isomers differ in bioavailability, antioxidant activity and biological activity, which can be used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T. A. Telegina
- Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33 Leninsky Prospect, Building 2, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Yuliya L. Vechtomova
- Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33 Leninsky Prospect, Building 2, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - A. V. Aybush
- N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Kosygina Street, Building 1, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - A. A. Buglak
- Saint Petersburg State University, 7-9 Universitetskaya Emb., 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - M. S. Kritsky
- Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33 Leninsky Prospect, Building 2, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pessi IS, Popin RV, Durieu B, Lara Y, Tytgat B, Savaglia V, Roncero-Ramos B, Hultman J, Verleyen E, Vyverman W, Wilmotte A. Novel diversity of polar Cyanobacteria revealed by genome-resolved metagenomics. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen001056. [PMID: 37417735 PMCID: PMC10438808 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Benthic microbial mats dominated by Cyanobacteria are important features of polar lakes. Although culture-independent studies have provided important insights into the diversity of polar Cyanobacteria, only a handful of genomes have been sequenced to date. Here, we applied a genome-resolved metagenomics approach to data obtained from Arctic, sub-Antarctic and Antarctic microbial mats. We recovered 37 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Cyanobacteria representing 17 distinct species, most of which are only distantly related to genomes that have been sequenced so far. These include (i) lineages that are common in polar microbial mats such as the filamentous taxa Pseudanabaena, Leptolyngbya, Microcoleus/Tychonema and Phormidium; (ii) the less common taxa Crinalium and Chamaesiphon; (iii) an enigmatic Chroococcales lineage only distantly related to Microcystis; and (iv) an early branching lineage in the order Gloeobacterales that is distributed across the cold biosphere, for which we propose the name Candidatus Sivonenia alaskensis. Our results show that genome-resolved metagenomics is a powerful tool for expanding our understanding of the diversity of Cyanobacteria, especially in understudied remote and extreme environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Igor S. Pessi
- Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rafael V. Popin
- Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Benoit Durieu
- InBioS – Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Yannick Lara
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR-Astrobiology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Bjorn Tytgat
- Laboratory of Protistology & Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Valentina Savaglia
- InBioS – Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Laboratory of Protistology & Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Beatriz Roncero-Ramos
- InBioS – Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Jenni Hultman
- Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Helsinki, Finland
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elie Verleyen
- Laboratory of Protistology & Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wim Vyverman
- Laboratory of Protistology & Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annick Wilmotte
- InBioS – Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Rockwell NC, Lagarias JC. GUN4 appeared early in cyanobacterial evolution. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad131. [PMID: 37152672 PMCID: PMC10156173 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis relies on chlorophylls, which are synthesized via a common tetrapyrrole trunk pathway also leading to heme, vitamin B12, and other pigmented cofactors. The first committed step for chlorophyll biosynthesis is insertion of magnesium into protoporphyrin IX by magnesium chelatase. Magnesium chelatase is composed of H-, I-, and D-subunits, with the tetrapyrrole substrate binding to the H-subunit. This subunit is rapidly inactivated in the presence of substrate, light, and oxygen, so oxygenic photosynthetic organisms require mechanisms to protect magnesium chelatase from similar loss of function. An additional protein, GUN4, binds to the H-subunit and to tetrapyrroles. GUN4 has been proposed to serve this protective role via its ability to bind linear tetrapyrroles (bilins). In the current work, we probe the origins of bilin binding by GUN4 via comparative phylogenetic analysis and biochemical validation of a conserved bilin-binding motif. Based on our results, we propose that bilin-binding GUN4 proteins arose early in cyanobacterial evolution and that this early acquisition represents an ancient adaptation for maintaining chlorophyll biosynthesis in the presence of light and oxygen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan C Rockwell
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - J Clark Lagarias
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Steube N, Moldenhauer M, Weiland P, Saman D, Kilb A, Ramírez Rojas AA, Garg SG, Schindler D, Graumann PL, Benesch JLP, Bange G, Friedrich T, Hochberg GKA. Fortuitously compatible protein surfaces primed allosteric control in cyanobacterial photoprotection. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:756-767. [PMID: 37012377 PMCID: PMC10172135 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02018-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Highly specific interactions between proteins are a fundamental prerequisite for life, but how they evolve remains an unsolved problem. In particular, interactions between initially unrelated proteins require that they evolve matching surfaces. It is unclear whether such surface compatibilities can only be built by selection in small incremental steps, or whether they can also emerge fortuitously. Here, we used molecular phylogenetics, ancestral sequence reconstruction and biophysical characterization of resurrected proteins to retrace the evolution of an allosteric interaction between two proteins that act in the cyanobacterial photoprotection system. We show that this interaction between the orange carotenoid protein (OCP) and its unrelated regulator, the fluorescence recovery protein (FRP), evolved when a precursor of FRP was horizontally acquired by cyanobacteria. FRP's precursors could already interact with and regulate OCP even before these proteins first encountered each other in an ancestral cyanobacterium. The OCP-FRP interaction exploits an ancient dimer interface in OCP, which also predates the recruitment of FRP into the photoprotection system. Together, our work shows how evolution can fashion complex regulatory systems easily out of pre-existing components.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Steube
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Marcus Moldenhauer
- Institute of Chemistry PC14, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Weiland
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Saman
- Department of Chemistry, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Alexandra Kilb
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Sriram G Garg
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Schindler
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Peter L Graumann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Justin L P Benesch
- Department of Chemistry, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Gert Bange
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Friedrich
- Institute of Chemistry PC14, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Georg K A Hochberg
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Frangedakis E, Marron AO, Waller M, Neubauer A, Tse SW, Yue Y, Ruaud S, Waser L, Sakakibara K, Szövényi P. What can hornworts teach us? FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1108027. [PMID: 36968370 PMCID: PMC10030945 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1108027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The hornworts are a small group of land plants, consisting of only 11 families and approximately 220 species. Despite their small size as a group, their phylogenetic position and unique biology are of great importance. Hornworts, together with mosses and liverworts, form the monophyletic group of bryophytes that is sister to all other land plants (Tracheophytes). It is only recently that hornworts became amenable to experimental investigation with the establishment of Anthoceros agrestis as a model system. In this perspective, we summarize the recent advances in the development of A. agrestis as an experimental system and compare it with other plant model systems. We also discuss how A. agrestis can help to further research in comparative developmental studies across land plants and to solve key questions of plant biology associated with the colonization of the terrestrial environment. Finally, we explore the significance of A. agrestis in crop improvement and synthetic biology applications in general.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alan O. Marron
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Manuel Waller
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna Neubauer
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sze Wai Tse
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yuling Yue
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie Ruaud
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lucas Waser
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Péter Szövényi
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Priyadarshini N, Steube N, Wiens D, Narikawa R, Wilde A, Hochberg GKA, Enomoto G. Evidence for an early green/red photocycle that precedes the diversification of GAF domain photoreceptor cyanobacteriochromes. PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN PHOTOCHEMISTRY ASSOCIATION AND THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR PHOTOBIOLOGY 2023:10.1007/s43630-023-00387-4. [PMID: 36781703 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-023-00387-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Phytochromes are linear tetrapyrrole-binding photoreceptors in eukaryotes and bacteria, primarily responding to red and far-red light signals reversibly. Among the GAF domain-based phytochrome superfamily, cyanobacteria-specific cyanobacteriochromes show various optical properties covering the entire visible region. It is unknown what physiological demands drove the evolution of cyanobacteriochromes in cyanobacteria. Here, we utilize ancestral sequence reconstruction and biochemical verification to show that the resurrected ancestral cyanobacteriochrome proteins reversibly respond to green and red light signals. pH titration analyses indicate that the deprotonation of the bound phycocyanobilin chromophore is crucial to perceive green light. The ancestral cyanobacteriochromes show only modest thermal reversion to the green light-absorbing form, suggesting that they evolved to sense the incident green/red light ratio. Many cyanobacteria can utilize green light for photosynthesis using phycobilisome light-harvesting complexes. The green/red sensing cyanobacteriochromes may have allowed better acclimation to changing light environments by rearranging the absorption capacity of the phycobilisome through chromatic acclimation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nibedita Priyadarshini
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.,Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, Albertstr. 19, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Niklas Steube
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Dennis Wiens
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Rei Narikawa
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-Ohsawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan
| | - Annegret Wilde
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Georg K A Hochberg
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany. .,Faculty of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 4, 35032, Marburg, Germany. .,Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 14, 35032, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Gen Enomoto
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany. .,Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo, 182-8585, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Strunecký O, Ivanova AP, Mareš J. An updated classification of cyanobacterial orders and families based on phylogenomic and polyphasic analysis. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2023; 59:12-51. [PMID: 36443823 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacterial taxonomy is facing a period of rapid changes thanks to the ease of 16S rRNA gene sequencing and established workflows for description of new taxa. Since the last comprehensive review of the cyanobacterial system in 2014 until 2021, at least 273 species in 140 genera were newly described. These taxa were mainly placed into previously defined orders and families although several new families were proposed. However, the classification of most taxa still relied on hierarchical relationships inherited from the classical morphological taxonomy. Similarly, the obviously polyphyletic orders such as Synechococcales and Oscillatoriales were left unchanged. In this study, the rising number of genomic sequences of cyanobacteria and well-described reference strains allowed us to reconstruct a robust phylogenomic tree for taxonomic purposes. A less robust but better sampled 16S rRNA gene phylogeny was mapped to the phylogenomic backbone. Based on both these phylogenies, a polyphasic classification throughout the whole phylum of Cyanobacteria was created, with ten new orders and fifteen new families. The proposed system of cyanobacterial orders and families relied on a phylogenomic tree but still employed phenotypic apomorphies where possible to make it useful for professionals in the field. It was, however, confirmed that morphological convergence of phylogenetically distant taxa was a frequent phenomenon in cyanobacteria. Moreover, the limited phylogenetic informativeness of the 16S rRNA gene, resulting in ambiguous phylogenies above the genus level, emphasized the integration of genomic data as a prerequisite for the conclusive taxonomic placement of a vast number of cyanobacterial genera in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Otakar Strunecký
- Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, CENAKVA, Institute of Aquaculture and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Na Sádkách 1780, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Pavlovna Ivanova
- Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, CENAKVA, Institute of Aquaculture and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Na Sádkách 1780, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Mareš
- Biology Centre of the CAS, Institute of Hydrobiology, Na Sádkách 702/7, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Kalwani P, Rath D, Ballal A. Loss of 2-Cys-Prx affects cellular ultrastructure, disturbs redox poise and impairs photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:2972-2986. [PMID: 35909079 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In a striking similarity to plant chloroplasts, the cyanobacterium Anabaena displays very low catalase activity, but expresses several peroxiredoxins (Prxs), including the typical 2-Cys-Prx (annotated as Alr4641), that detoxify H2 O2 . Due to the presence of multiple Prxs, the precise contribution of Alr4641 to the oxidative stress response of Anabaena is not well-defined. To unambiguously assess its in vivo function, the Alr4641 protein was knocked down using the CRISPRi approach in Anabaena PCC 7120. The knockdown strain (An-KD4641), which showed over 85% decrease in the content of Alr4641, was viable, but grew slower than the control strain (An-dCas9). An-KD4641 showed elevated levels of reactive oxygen species and the expression of several redox-responsive genes was analogous to that of An-dCas9 subjected to oxidative stress. The knockdown strain displayed reduced filament size, altered thylakoid ultrastructure, a marked drop in the ratio of phycocyanin to chlorophyll a and decreased photosynthetic parameters compared to An-dCas9. In comparison to the control strain, exposure to H2 O2 had a more severe effect on the photosynthetic parameters or survival of An-KD4641. Thus, in the absence of adequate catalase activity, 2-Cys-Prx appears to be the principal Prx responsible for maintaining redox homoeostasis in diverse photosynthetic systems ranging from chloroplasts to cyanobacteria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Prakash Kalwani
- Molecular Biology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, India
| | - Devashish Rath
- Applied Genomics Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, India
| | - Anand Ballal
- Molecular Biology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, India
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Slonimskiy YB, Zupnik AO, Varfolomeeva LA, Boyko KM, Maksimov EG, Sluchanko NN. A primordial Orange Carotenoid Protein: Structure, photoswitching activity and evolutionary aspects. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 222:167-180. [PMID: 36165868 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.09.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthesizing prokaryotes responsible for the Great Oxygenation Event on Earth ~2.5 Ga years ago. They use a specific photoprotective mechanism based on the 35-kDa photoactive Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP), a promising target for developing novel optogenetic tools and for biomass engineering. The two-domain OCP presumably stems from domain fusion, yet the primitive thylakoid-less cyanobacteria Gloeobacter encodes a complete OCP. Its photosynthesis regulation lacks the so-called Fluorescence Recovery Protein (FRP), which in Synechocystis inhibits OCP-mediated phycobilisome fluorescence quenching, and Gloeobacter OCP belongs to the recently defined, heterogeneous clade OCPX (GlOCPX), the least characterized compared to OCP2 and especially OCP1 clades. Here, we describe the first crystal structure of OCPX, which explains unique functional adaptations of Gloeobacter OCPX compared to OCP1 from Synechocystis. We show that monomeric GlOCPX exploits a remarkable intramolecular locking mechanism stabilizing its dark-adapted state and exhibits drastically accelerated, less temperature-dependent recovery after photoactivation. While GlOCPX quenches Synechocystis phycobilisomes similar to Synechocystis OCP1, it evades interaction with and regulation by FRP from other species and likely uses alternative mechanisms for fluorescence recovery. This analysis of a primordial OCPX sheds light on its evolution, rationalizing renaming and subdivision of the OCPX clade into subclades - OCP3a, OCP3b, OCP3c.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yury B Slonimskiy
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrei O Zupnik
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Larisa A Varfolomeeva
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Konstantin M Boyko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Eugene G Maksimov
- M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Nikolai N Sluchanko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Use of Quartz Sand Columns to Study Far-Red Light Photoacclimation (FaRLiP) in Cyanobacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0056222. [PMID: 35727027 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00562-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Some cyanobacteria can perform far-red light photoacclimation (FaRLiP), which allows them to use far-red light (FRL) for oxygenic photosynthesis. Most of the cyanobacteria able to use FRL were discovered in low visible-light (VL; λ = 400-700 nm) environments that are also enriched in FRL (λ = 700-800 nm). However, these cyanobacteria grow faster in VL than in FRL in laboratory conditions, indicating that FRL is not their preferred light source when VL is available. Therefore, it is interesting to understand why such strains were primarily found in FRL-enriched but not VL-enriched environments. To this aim, we established a terrestrial model system with quartz sand to study the distribution and photoacclimation of cyanobacterial strains. A FaRLiP-performing cyanobacterium, Leptolyngbya sp. JSC-1, and a VL-utilizing model cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, were compared in this study. We found that, although Leptolyngbya sp. JSC-1 can grow well in both VL and FRL, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 grows much faster than Leptolyngbya sp. JSC-1 in VL. In addition, the growth was higher in liquid cocultures than in monocultures of Leptolyngbya sp. JSC-1 or Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. In an artificial terrestrial model system, Leptolyngbya sp. JSC-1 has an advantage when growing in coculture at greater depths by performing FaRLiP. Therefore, strong competition for VL and slower growth rate are possible reasons why FRL-utilizing cyanobacteria are found in environments with low VL intensities. This model system provides a valuable tool for future studies of cyanobacterial ecological niches and interactions in a terrestrial environment. IMPORTANCE This study uses sand columns to establish a terrestrial model system for the investigation of the distribution and acclimation of cyanobacteria to far-red light. Previous studies of this group of cyanobacteria required direct in situ samplings. The variability of conditions and abundances of the cyanobacteria in natural settings impeded detailed analyses and comparisons. Therefore, we established this model system under controlled conditions in the laboratory. In this system, the distribution and acclimation of two cyanobacteria were similar to the situation observed in natural environments, which validates that it can be used to study fundamental questions. Using this approach, we made the unanticipated observation that two cyanobacteria grow faster in coculture than in axenic cultures. This laboratory-based model system can provide a valuable new tool for comparing cyanobacterial strains (e.g., mutants and wild type), exploring interactions between cyanobacterial strains and interactions with other bacteria, and characterizing ecological niches of cyanobacteria.
Collapse
|
19
|
Mallén-Ponce MJ, Huertas MJ, Florencio FJ. Exploring the Diversity of the Thioredoxin Systems in Cyanobacteria. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11040654. [PMID: 35453339 PMCID: PMC9025218 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11040654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria evolved the ability to perform oxygenic photosynthesis using light energy to reduce CO2 from electrons extracted from water and form nutrients. These organisms also developed light-dependent redox regulation through the Trx system, formed by thioredoxins (Trxs) and thioredoxin reductases (TRs). Trxs are thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases that serve as reducing substrates for target enzymes involved in numerous processes such as photosynthetic CO2 fixation and stress responses. We focus on the evolutionary diversity of Trx systems in cyanobacteria and discuss their phylogenetic relationships. The study shows that most cyanobacteria contain at least one copy of each identified Trx, and TrxA is the only one present in all genomes analyzed. Ferredoxin thioredoxin reductase (FTR) is present in all groups except Gloeobacter and Prochlorococcus, where there is a ferredoxin flavin-thioredoxin reductase (FFTR). Our data suggest that both TRs may have coexisted in ancestral cyanobacteria together with other evolutionarily related proteins such as NTRC or DDOR, probably used against oxidative stress. Phylogenetic studies indicate that they have different evolutionary histories. As cyanobacteria diversified to occupy new habitats, some of these proteins were gradually lost in some groups. Finally, we also review the physiological relevance of redox regulation in cyanobacteria through the study of target enzymes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel J. Mallén-Ponce
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain;
- Departamento de Bioquímica Vegetal y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Profesor García González s/n, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.J.M.-P.); (M.J.H.)
| | - María José Huertas
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain;
- Departamento de Bioquímica Vegetal y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Profesor García González s/n, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.J.M.-P.); (M.J.H.)
| | - Francisco J. Florencio
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain;
- Departamento de Bioquímica Vegetal y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Profesor García González s/n, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Jabbur ML, Johnson CH. Spectres of Clock Evolution: Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Front Physiol 2022; 12:815847. [PMID: 35222066 PMCID: PMC8874327 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.815847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian clocks are phylogenetically widespread biological oscillators that allow organisms to entrain to environmental cycles and use their steady-state phase relationship to anticipate predictable daily phenomena – such as the light-dark transitions of a day – and prepare accordingly. Present from cyanobacteria to mammals, circadian clocks are evolutionarily ancient and are thought to increase the fitness of the organisms that possess them by allowing for better resource usage and/or proper internal temporal order. Here, we review literature with respect to the ecology and evolution of circadian clocks, with a special focus on cyanobacteria as model organisms. We first discuss what can be inferred about future clock evolution in response to climate change, based on data from latitudinal clines and domestication. We then address our current understanding of the role that circadian clocks might be contributing to the adaptive fitness of cyanobacteria at the present time. Lastly, we discuss what is currently known about the oldest known circadian clock, and the early Earth conditions that could have led to its evolution.
Collapse
|
21
|
Saw JH, Cardona T, Montejano G. Complete Genome Sequencing of a Novel Gloeobacter Species from a Waterfall Cave in Mexico. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6446517. [PMID: 34850891 PMCID: PMC8691054 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Only two complete genomes of the cyanobacterial genus Gloeobacter from two very different regions of the world currently exist. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of a third member of the genus isolated from a waterfall cave in Mexico. Analysis of the average nucleotide identities (ANIs) between published Gloeobacter genomes revealed that the complete genome of this new member is only 92.7% similar to Gloeobacter violaceus and therefore we determined it to be a new species. We propose to name this new species Gloeobacter morelensis after the location in Mexico where it was isolated. The complete genome consists of one circular chromosome (4,921,229 bp), one linear plasmid (172,328 bp), and one circular plasmid (8,839 bp). Its genome is the largest of all completely sequenced genomes of Gloeobacter species. Pangenomic comparisons revealed that G. morelensis encodes 759 genes not shared with other Gloeobacter species. Despite being more closely related to G. violaceus, it features an extremely divergent psbA gene encoding an atypical D1 core subunit of Photosystem II previously only found within the genome of Gloeobacter kilaueensis. In addition, we detected evidence of concerted evolution of psbA genes encoding identical D1 in all three Gloeobacter genomes, a characteristic that seems widespread in cyanobacteria and may therefore be traced back to their last common ancestor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy H Saw
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Tanai Cardona
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Gustavo Montejano
- Facultad de Ciencias, Laboratorio de Ficología, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Characterizing the Uncultivated Microbial Minority: towards Understanding the Roles of the Rare Biosphere in Microbial Communities. mSystems 2021; 6:e0077321. [PMID: 34427533 PMCID: PMC8407377 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00773-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial communities are frequently numerically dominated by just a few species. Often, the long “tail” of the rank-abundance plots of microbial communities constitutes the so-called “rare biosphere,” microorganisms that are highly diverse but are typically found in low abundance in these communities. Their presence in microbial communities has only recently become apparent with advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies. Despite their low numbers, they are thought to play important roles in their communities and may function as potential members to keep the communities intact and resilient. Their phylogenetic diversity also means that they are important subjects for better understanding the interplay between microbial diversity and evolution. I propose that more efforts should be put into characterizing these poorly understood and mostly unknown microbial lineages that hold vast potentials for our understanding of microbial diversity, ecology, and evolution of life on this planet.
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
Photosynthetic Cyanobacteria and their descendants are the only known organisms capable of oxygenic photosynthesis. Their metabolism permanently changed the Earth’s surface and the evolutionary trajectory of life, but little is known about their evolutionary history. Genomes of the Gloeobacterales, an order of deeply divergent photosynthetic Cyanobacteria, may hold clues about the evolutionary process. However, there are only three published genomes within this order, and it is difficult to make broad inferences based on such little data. Here, I describe five species within the Gloeobacterales retrieved from publicly available databases and examine their photosynthetic gene content and the environments in which Gloeobacterales genomes and 16S rRNA gene sequences are found. The Gloeobacterales contain reduced photosystems and inhabit cold, wet-rock, and low-light environments. They are likely present in low abundances due to their low growth rate. Future searches for Gloeobacterales should target these environments, and samples should be deeply sequenced to capture the low-abundance taxa. Publicly available databases contain undescribed taxa within the Gloeobacterales. However, searching through all available data with current methods is computationally expensive. Therefore, new methods must be developed to search for these and other evolutionarily important taxa. Once identified, these novel photosynthetic Cyanobacteria will help illuminate the origin and evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis. IMPORTANCE Early branching photosynthetic Cyanobacteria such as the Gloeobacterales may provide clues into the evolutionary history of oxygenic photosynthesis, but there are few genomes or cultured taxa from this order. Five new metagenome-assembled genomes suggest that members of the Gloeobacterales all contain reduced photosystems and lack genes associated with thylakoids and circadian rhythms. Their distribution suggests that they may thrive in environments that are marginal for other species, including wet-rock and cold environments. These traits may aid in the discovery and cultivation of novel species in this clade.
Collapse
|
24
|
Delwiche CF. Microbial biodiversity: A newly isolated cyanobacterium sheds light on the evolution of photosynthesis. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R843-R845. [PMID: 34256915 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
A newly isolated cyanobacterium found growing in close association with a tropical, non-vascular plant has been cultured and its genome sequenced. Its lineage is well over a billion years old and gives insights into the evolutionary origin of oxygenic photosynthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charles F Delwiche
- Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| |
Collapse
|