1
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Liu AK, Kaeser B, Chen L, West-Roberts J, Taylor-Kearney LJ, Lavy A, Günzing D, Li WJ, Hammel M, Nogales E, Banfield JF, Shih PM. Deep-branching evolutionary intermediates reveal structural origins of form I rubisco. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5316-5325.e3. [PMID: 37979578 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
The enzyme rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) catalyzes the majority of biological carbon fixation on Earth. Although the vast majority of rubiscos across the tree of life assemble as homo-oligomers, the globally predominant form I enzyme-found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria-forms a unique hetero-oligomeric complex. The recent discovery of a homo-oligomeric sister group to form I rubisco (named form I') has filled a key gap in our understanding of the enigmatic origins of the form I clade. However, to elucidate the series of molecular events leading to the evolution of form I rubisco, we must examine more distantly related sibling clades to contextualize the molecular features distinguishing form I and form I' rubiscos. Here, we present a comparative structural study retracing the evolutionary history of rubisco that reveals a complex structural trajectory leading to the ultimate hetero-oligomerization of the form I clade. We structurally characterize the oligomeric states of deep-branching form Iα and I'' rubiscos recently discovered from metagenomes, which represent key evolutionary intermediates preceding the form I clade. We further solve the structure of form I'' rubisco, revealing the molecular determinants that likely primed the enzyme core for the transition from a homo-oligomer to a hetero-oligomer. Our findings yield new insight into the evolutionary trajectory underpinning the adoption and entrenchment of the prevalent assembly of form I rubisco, providing additional context when viewing the enzyme family through the broader lens of protein evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert K Liu
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA; Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Benjamin Kaeser
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - LinXing Chen
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jacob West-Roberts
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Leah J Taylor-Kearney
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
| | - Adi Lavy
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Damian Günzing
- Department of Physics, University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, P.R. China
| | - Michal Hammel
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Eva Nogales
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3053, Australia; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Patrick M Shih
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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2
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Jin K, Chen G, Yang Y, Zhang Z, Lu T. Strategies for manipulating Rubisco and creating photorespiratory bypass to boost C 3 photosynthesis: Prospects on modern crop improvement. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 46:363-378. [PMID: 36444099 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis is a process that uses solar energy to fix CO2 in the air and converts it into sugar, and ultimately powers almost all life activities on the earth. C3 photosynthesis is the most common form of photosynthesis in crops. Current efforts of increasing crop yields in response to growing global food requirement are mostly focused on improving C3 photosynthesis. In this review, we summarized the strategies of C3 photosynthesis improvement in terms of Rubisco properties and photorespiratory limitation. Potential engineered targets include Rubisco subunits and their catalytic sites, Rubisco assembly chaperones, and Rubisco activase. In addition, we reviewed multiple photorespiratory bypasses built by strategies of synthetic biology to reduce the release of CO2 and ammonia and minimize energy consumption by photorespiration. The potential strategies are suggested to enhance C3 photosynthesis and boost crop production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaining Jin
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Department of Plant Sciences, Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Guoxin Chen
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yirong Yang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhiguo Zhang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Tiegang Lu
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
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3
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Bauwe H. Photorespiration - Rubisco's repair crew. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 280:153899. [PMID: 36566670 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The photorespiratory repair pathway (photorespiration in short) was set up from ancient metabolic modules about three billion years ago in cyanobacteria, the later ancestors of chloroplasts. These prokaryotes developed the capacity for oxygenic photosynthesis, i.e. the use of water as a source of electrons and protons (with O2 as a by-product) for the sunlight-driven synthesis of ATP and NADPH for CO2 fixation in the Calvin cycle. However, the CO2-binding enzyme, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (known under the acronym Rubisco), is not absolutely selective for CO2 and can also use O2 in a side reaction. It then produces 2-phosphoglycolate (2PG), the accumulation of which would inhibit and potentially stop the Calvin cycle and subsequently photosynthetic electron transport. Photorespiration removes the 2-PG and in this way prevents oxygenic photosynthesis from poisoning itself. In plants, the core of photorespiration consists of ten enzymes distributed over three different types of organelles, requiring interorganellar transport and interaction with several auxiliary enzymes. It goes together with the release and to some extent loss of freshly fixed CO2. This disadvantageous feature can be suppressed by CO2-concentrating mechanisms, such as those that evolved in C4 plants thirty million years ago, which enhance CO2 fixation and reduce 2PG synthesis. Photorespiration itself provided a pioneer variant of such mechanisms in the predecessors of C4 plants, C3-C4 intermediate plants. This article is a review and update particularly on the enzyme components of plant photorespiration and their catalytic mechanisms, on the interaction of photorespiration with other metabolism and on its impact on the evolution of photosynthesis. This focus was chosen because a better knowledge of the enzymes involved and how they are embedded in overall plant metabolism can facilitate the targeted use of the now highly advanced methods of metabolic network modelling and flux analysis. Understanding photorespiration more than before as a process that enables, rather than reduces, plant photosynthesis, will help develop rational strategies for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermann Bauwe
- University of Rostock, Plant Physiology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 3, D-18051, Rostock, Germany.
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4
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Liu AK, Pereira JH, Kehl AJ, Rosenberg DJ, Orr DJ, Chu SKS, Banda DM, Hammel M, Adams PD, Siegel JB, Shih PM. Structural plasticity enables evolution and innovation of RuBisCO assemblies. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadc9440. [PMID: 36026446 PMCID: PMC9417184 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adc9440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Oligomerization is a core structural feature that defines the form and function of many proteins. Most proteins form molecular complexes; however, there remains a dearth of diversity-driven structural studies investigating the evolutionary trajectory of these assemblies. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RuBisCO) is one such enzyme that adopts multiple assemblies, although the origins and distribution of its different oligomeric states remain cryptic. Here, we retrace the evolution of ancestral and extant form II RuBisCOs, revealing a complex and diverse history of oligomerization. We structurally characterize a newly discovered tetrameric RuBisCO, elucidating how solvent-exposed surfaces can readily adopt new interactions to interconvert or give rise to new oligomeric states. We further use these principles to engineer and demonstrate how changes in oligomerization can be mediated by relatively few mutations. Our findings yield insight into how structural plasticity may give rise to new oligomeric states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert K. Liu
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jose H. Pereira
- Technology Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Alexander J. Kehl
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Daniel J. Rosenberg
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Graduate Group in Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Douglas J. Orr
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Simon K. S. Chu
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Douglas M. Banda
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Michal Hammel
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Paul D. Adams
- Technology Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Justin B. Siegel
- Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Chemistry Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA 95616, USA
| | - Patrick M. Shih
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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5
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An Insight of RuBisCO Evolution through a Multilevel Approach. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11121761. [PMID: 34944405 PMCID: PMC8698309 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
RuBisCO is the most abundant enzyme on earth; it regulates the organic carbon cycle in the biosphere. Studying its structural evolution will help to develop new strategies of genetic improvement in order to increase food production and mitigate CO2 emissions. In the present work, we evaluate how the evolution of sequence and structure among isoforms I, II and III of RuBisCO defines their intrinsic flexibility and residue-residue interactions. To do this, we used a multilevel approach based on phylogenetic inferences, multiple sequence alignment, normal mode analysis, and molecular dynamics. Our results show that the three isoforms exhibit greater fluctuation in the loop between αB and βC, and also present a positive correlation with loop 6, an important region for enzymatic activity because it regulates RuBisCO conformational states. Likewise, an increase in the flexibility of the loop structure between αB and βC, as well as Lys330 (form II) and Lys322 (form III) of loop 6, is important to increase photosynthetic efficiency. Thus, the cross-correlation dynamics analysis showed changes in the direction of movement of the secondary structures in the three isoforms. Finally, key amino acid residues related to the flexibility of the RuBisCO structure were indicated, providing important information for its enzymatic engineering.
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6
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Whitney SM, Sharwood RE. Rubisco Engineering by Plastid Transformation and Protocols for Assessing Expression. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2317:195-214. [PMID: 34028770 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1472-3_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The assimilation of CO2 within chloroplasts is catalyzed by the bifunctional enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, Rubisco. Within higher plants the Rubisco large subunit gene, rbcL, is encoded in the plastid genome, while the Rubisco small subunit gene, RbcS is coded in the nucleus by a multigene family. Rubisco is considered a poor catalyst due to its slow turnover rate and its additional fixation of O2 that can result in wasteful loss of carbon through the energy requiring photorespiratory cycle. Improving the carboxylation efficiency and CO2/O2 selectivity of Rubisco within higher plants has been a long term goal which has been greatly advanced in recent times using plastid transformation techniques. Here we present experimental methodologies for efficiently engineering Rubisco in the plastids of a tobacco master line and analyzing leaf Rubisco content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer M Whitney
- Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, College of Science, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia.
| | - Robert E Sharwood
- Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, College of Science, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
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7
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Banda DM, Pereira JH, Liu AK, Orr DJ, Hammel M, He C, Parry MAJ, Carmo-Silva E, Adams PD, Banfield JF, Shih PM. Novel bacterial clade reveals origin of form I Rubisco. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:1158-1166. [PMID: 32868887 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-00762-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco sustains the biosphere through the fixation of CO2 into biomass. In plants and cyanobacteria, form I Rubisco is structurally comprised of large and small subunits, whereas all other Rubisco forms lack small subunits. The rise of the form I complex through the innovation of small subunits represents a key, yet poorly understood, transition in Rubisco's evolution. Through metagenomic analyses, we discovered a previously uncharacterized clade sister to form I Rubisco that evolved without small subunits. This clade diverged before the evolution of cyanobacteria and the origin of the small subunit; thus, it provides a unique reference point to advance our understanding of form I Rubisco evolution. Structural and kinetic data presented here reveal how a proto-form I Rubisco assembled and functioned without the structural stability imparted from small subunits. Our findings provide insight into a key evolutionary transition of the most abundant enzyme on Earth and the predominant entry point for nearly all global organic carbon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas M Banda
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jose H Pereira
- Technology Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Albert K Liu
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Douglas J Orr
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Michal Hammel
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Christine He
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Martin A J Parry
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Paul D Adams
- Technology Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Patrick M Shih
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.
- Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
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8
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Xia LY, Jiang YL, Kong WW, Sun H, Li WF, Chen Y, Zhou CZ. Molecular basis for the assembly of RuBisCO assisted by the chaperone Raf1. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:708-717. [PMID: 32451445 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-0665-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The folding and assembly of RuBisCO, the most abundant enzyme in nature, needs a series of chaperones, including the RuBisCO accumulation factor Raf1, which is highly conserved in cyanobacteria and plants. Here, we report the crystal structures of Raf1 from cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 and its complex with RuBisCO large subunit RbcL. Structural analyses and biochemical assays reveal that each Raf1 dimer captures an RbcL dimer, with the C-terminal tail inserting into the catalytic pocket, and further mediates the assembly of RbcL dimers to form the octameric core of RuBisCO. Furthermore, the cryo-electron microscopy structures of the RbcL-Raf1-RbcS assembly intermediates enable us to see a dynamic assembly process from RbcL8Raf18 to the holoenzyme RbcL8RbcS8. In vitro assays also indicate that Raf1 can attenuate and reverse CcmM-mediated cyanobacterial RuBisCO condensation. Combined with previous findings, we propose a putative model for the assembly of cyanobacterial RuBisCO coordinated by the chaperone Raf1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yun Xia
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China
| | - Yong-Liang Jiang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
- Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China.
| | - Wen-Wen Kong
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China
| | - Hui Sun
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Wei-Fang Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Yuxing Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
| | - Cong-Zhao Zhou
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
- Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China.
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9
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Iñiguez C, Capó-Bauçà S, Niinemets Ü, Stoll H, Aguiló-Nicolau P, Galmés J. Evolutionary trends in RuBisCO kinetics and their co-evolution with CO 2 concentrating mechanisms. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 101:897-918. [PMID: 31820505 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
RuBisCO-catalyzed CO2 fixation is the main source of organic carbon in the biosphere. This enzyme is present in all domains of life in different forms (III, II, and I) and its origin goes back to 3500 Mya, when the atmosphere was anoxygenic. However, the RuBisCO active site also catalyzes oxygenation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, therefore, the development of oxygenic photosynthesis and the subsequent oxygen-rich atmosphere promoted the appearance of CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) and/or the evolution of a more CO2 -specific RuBisCO enzyme. The wide variability in RuBisCO kinetic traits of extant organisms reveals a history of adaptation to the prevailing CO2 /O2 concentrations and the thermal environment throughout evolution. Notable differences in the kinetic parameters are found among the different forms of RuBisCO, but the differences are also associated with the presence and type of CCMs within each form, indicative of co-evolution of RuBisCO and CCMs. Trade-offs between RuBisCO kinetic traits vary among the RuBisCO forms and also among phylogenetic groups within the same form. These results suggest that different biochemical and structural constraints have operated on each type of RuBisCO during evolution, probably reflecting different environmental selective pressures. In a similar way, variations in carbon isotopic fractionation of the enzyme point to significant differences in its relationship to the CO2 specificity among different RuBisCO forms. A deeper knowledge of the natural variability of RuBisCO catalytic traits and the chemical mechanism of RuBisCO carboxylation and oxygenation reactions raises the possibility of finding unrevealed landscapes in RuBisCO evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concepción Iñiguez
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Sebastià Capó-Bauçà
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Chair of Crop Science and Plant Biology, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51006, Tartu, Estonia
- Estonian Academy of Sciences, Kohtu 6, 10130, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Heather Stoll
- Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Sonnegstrasse 5, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Pere Aguiló-Nicolau
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Jeroni Galmés
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
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10
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Jaffe AL, Castelle CJ, Dupont CL, Banfield JF. Lateral Gene Transfer Shapes the Distribution of RuBisCO among Candidate Phyla Radiation Bacteria and DPANN Archaea. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:435-446. [PMID: 30544151 PMCID: PMC6389311 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is considered to be the most abundant enzyme on Earth. Despite this, its full diversity and distribution across the domains of life remain to be determined. Here, we leverage a large set of bacterial, archaeal, and viral genomes recovered from the environment to expand our understanding of existing RuBisCO diversity and the evolutionary processes responsible for its distribution. Specifically, we report a new type of RuBisCO present in Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) bacteria that is related to the archaeal Form III enzyme and contains the amino acid residues necessary for carboxylase activity. Genome-level metabolic analyses supported the inference that these RuBisCO function in a CO2-incorporating pathway that consumes nucleotides. Importantly, some Gottesmanbacteria (CPR) also encode a phosphoribulokinase that may augment carbon metabolism through a partial Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle. Based on the scattered distribution of RuBisCO and its discordant evolutionary history, we conclude that this enzyme has been extensively laterally transferred across the CPR bacteria and DPANN archaea. We also report RuBisCO-like proteins in phage genomes from diverse environments. These sequences cluster with proteins in the Beckwithbacteria (CPR), implicating phage as a possible mechanism of RuBisCO transfer. Finally, we synthesize our metabolic and evolutionary analyses to suggest that lateral gene transfer of RuBisCO may have facilitated major shifts in carbon metabolism in several important bacterial and archaeal lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Jaffe
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Cindy J Castelle
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA
| | | | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA.,Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.,Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
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11
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Bundela R, Keown J, Watkin S, Pearce FG. Structure of a hyperthermostable dimeric archaeal Rubisco from Hyperthermus butylicus. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2019; 75:536-544. [DOI: 10.1107/s2059798319006466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The crystal structure of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) from the hyperthermophilic archaeonHyperthermus butylicusis presented at 1.8 Å resolution. Previous structures of archaeal Rubisco have been found to assemble into decamers, and this oligomerization was thought to be required for a highly thermally stable enzyme. In the current study,H. butylicusRubisco is shown to exist as a dimer in solution, yet has a thermal denaturation midpoint of 114°C, suggesting that high thermal stability can be achieved without an increased oligomeric state. This increased thermal stability appears to be due to an increased number of electrostatic interactions within the monomeric subunit. As such,H. butylicusRubisco presents a well characterized system in which to investigate the role of assembly and thermal stability in enzyme function.
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12
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The Prodigal Compound: Return of Ribosyl 1,5-Bisphosphate as an Important Player in Metabolism. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2018; 83:83/1/e00040-18. [PMID: 30567937 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00040-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosyl 1,5-bisphosphate (PRibP) was discovered 65 years ago and was believed to be an important intermediate in ribonucleotide metabolism, a role immediately taken over by its "big brother" phosphoribosyldiphosphate. Only recently has PRibP come back into focus as an important player in the metabolism of ribonucleotides with the discovery of the pentose bisphosphate pathway that comprises, among others, the intermediates PRibP and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (cf. ribose 5-phosphate and ribulose 5-phosphate of the pentose phosphate pathway). Enzymes of several pathways produce and utilize PRibP not only in ribonucleotide metabolism but also in the catabolism of phosphonates, i.e., compounds containing a carbon-phosphorus bond. Pathways for PRibP metabolism are found in all three domains of life, most prominently among organisms of the archaeal domain, where they have been identified either experimentally or by bioinformatic analysis within all of the four main taxonomic groups, Euryarchaeota, TACK, DPANN, and Asgard. Advances in molecular genetics of archaea have greatly improved the understanding of the physiology of PRibP metabolism, and reconciliation of molecular enzymology and three-dimensional structure analysis of enzymes producing or utilizing PRibP emphasize the versatility of the compound. Finally, PRibP is also an effector of several metabolic activities in many organisms, including higher organisms such as mammals. In the present review, we describe all aspects of PRibP metabolism, with emphasis on the biochemical, genetic, and physiological aspects of the enzymes that produce or utilize PRibP. The inclusion of high-resolution structures of relevant enzymes that bind PRibP provides evidence for the flexibility and importance of the compound in metabolism.
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13
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Liu D, Ramya RCS, Mueller-Cajar O. Surveying the expanding prokaryotic Rubisco multiverse. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2018; 364:3983162. [PMID: 28854711 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnx156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The universal, but catalytically modest, CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco is currently experiencing intense interest by researchers aiming to enhance crop photosynthesis. These efforts are mostly focused on the highly conserved hexadecameric enzyme found in land plants. In comparison, prokaryotic organisms harbor a far greater diversity in Rubisco forms. Recent work towards improving our appreciation of microbial Rubisco properties and harnessing their potential is surveyed. New structural models are providing informative glimpses into catalytic subtleties and diverse oligomeric states. Ongoing characterization is informing us about the conservation of constraints, such as sugar phosphate inhibition and the associated dependence on Rubisco activase helper proteins. Prokaryotic Rubiscos operate under a far wider range of metabolic contexts than the photosynthetic function of higher plant enzymes. Relaxed selection pressures may have resulted in the exploration of a larger volume of sequence space than permitted in organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis. To tap into the potential of microbial Rubiscos, in vivo selection systems are being used to discover functional metagenomic Rubiscos. Various directed evolution systems to optimize their function have been developed. It is anticipated that this approach will provide access to biotechnologically valuable enzymes that cannot be encountered in the higher plant Rubisco space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Liu
- 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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14
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Wachter RM. A peptide adhesive molded by magnesium glues Rubisco's subunits together. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6851-6852. [PMID: 28432177 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.h116.767145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Rubisco enzymes play central roles in carbon fixation, with potential importance in biotechnology, but have eluded a full description of their multistep assembly and function. A new article describes the fascinating discovery that some archaeal Rubiscos contain a built-in assembly domain inserted into an otherwise canonical Rubisco fold, providing a tremendous expansion of our understanding of the diversity of naturally occurring Rubiscos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka M Wachter
- From the School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287
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15
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Gunn LH, Valegård K, Andersson I. A unique structural domain in Methanococcoides burtonii ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) acts as a small subunit mimic. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6838-6850. [PMID: 28154188 PMCID: PMC5399129 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.767145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The catalytic inefficiencies of the CO2-fixing enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) often limit plant productivity. Strategies to engineer more efficient plant Rubiscos have been hampered by evolutionary constraints, prompting interest in Rubisco isoforms from non-photosynthetic organisms. The methanogenic archaeon Methanococcoides burtonii contains a Rubisco isoform that functions to scavenge the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) by-product of purine/pyrimidine metabolism. The crystal structure of M. burtonii Rubisco (MbR) presented here at 2.6 Å resolution is composed of catalytic large subunits (LSu) assembled into pentamers of dimers, (L2)5, and differs from Rubiscos from higher plants where LSus are glued together by small subunits (SSu) into hexadecameric L8S8 enzymes. MbR contains a unique 29-amino acid insertion near the C terminus, which folds as a separate domain in the structure. This domain, which is visualized for the first time in this study, is located in a similar position to SSus in L8S8 enzymes between LSus of adjacent L2 dimers, where negatively charged residues coordinate around a Mg2+ ion in a fashion that suggests this domain may be important for the assembly process. The Rubisco assembly domain is thus an inbuilt SSu mimic that concentrates L2 dimers. MbR assembly is ligand-stimulated, and we show that only 6-carbon molecules with a particular stereochemistry at the C3 carbon can induce oligomerization. Based on MbR structure, subunit arrangement, sequence, phylogenetic distribution, and function, MbR and a subset of Rubiscos from the Methanosarcinales order are proposed to belong to a new Rubisco subgroup, named form IIIB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura H Gunn
- From the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, S-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Karin Valegård
- From the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, S-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Inger Andersson
- From the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, S-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
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16
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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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17
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Wrighton KC, Castelle CJ, Varaljay VA, Satagopan S, Brown CT, Wilkins MJ, Thomas BC, Sharon I, Williams KH, Tabita FR, Banfield JF. RubisCO of a nucleoside pathway known from Archaea is found in diverse uncultivated phyla in bacteria. ISME JOURNAL 2016; 10:2702-2714. [PMID: 27137126 PMCID: PMC5113843 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2016.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Metagenomic studies recently uncovered form II/III RubisCO genes, originally thought to only occur in archaea, from uncultivated bacteria of the candidate phyla radiation (CPR). There are no isolated CPR bacteria and these organisms are predicted to have limited metabolic capacities. Here we expand the known diversity of RubisCO from CPR lineages. We report a form of RubisCO, distantly similar to the archaeal form III RubisCO, in some CPR bacteria from the Parcubacteria (OD1), WS6 and Microgenomates (OP11) phyla. In addition, we significantly expand the Peregrinibacteria (PER) II/III RubisCO diversity and report the first II/III RubisCO sequences from the Microgenomates and WS6 phyla. To provide a metabolic context for these RubisCOs, we reconstructed near-complete (>93%) PER genomes and the first closed genome for a WS6 bacterium, for which we propose the phylum name Dojkabacteria. Genomic and bioinformatic analyses suggest that the CPR RubisCOs function in a nucleoside pathway similar to that proposed in Archaea. Detection of form II/III RubisCO and nucleoside metabolism gene transcripts from a PER supports the operation of this pathway in situ. We demonstrate that the PER form II/III RubisCO is catalytically active, fixing CO2 to physiologically complement phototrophic growth in a bacterial photoautotrophic RubisCO deletion strain. We propose that the identification of these RubisCOs across a radiation of obligately fermentative, small-celled organisms hints at a widespread, simple metabolic platform in which ribose may be a prominent currency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly C Wrighton
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Cindy J Castelle
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Vanessa A Varaljay
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Sriram Satagopan
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Michael J Wilkins
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Brian C Thomas
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Itai Sharon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kenneth H Williams
- Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - F Robert Tabita
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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18
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Wilson RH, Alonso H, Whitney SM. Evolving Methanococcoides burtonii archaeal Rubisco for improved photosynthesis and plant growth. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22284. [PMID: 26926260 PMCID: PMC4772096 DOI: 10.1038/srep22284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In photosynthesis Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) catalyses the often rate limiting CO2-fixation step in the Calvin cycle. This makes Rubisco both the gatekeeper for carbon entry into the biosphere and a target for functional improvement to enhance photosynthesis and plant growth. Encumbering the catalytic performance of Rubisco is its highly conserved, complex catalytic chemistry. Accordingly, traditional efforts to enhance Rubisco catalysis using protracted "trial and error" protein engineering approaches have met with limited success. Here we demonstrate the versatility of high throughput directed (laboratory) protein evolution for improving the carboxylation properties of a non-photosynthetic Rubisco from the archaea Methanococcoides burtonii. Using chloroplast transformation in the model plant Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) we confirm the improved forms of M. burtonii Rubisco increased photosynthesis and growth relative to tobacco controls producing wild-type M. burtonii Rubisco. Our findings indicate continued directed evolution of archaeal Rubisco offers new potential for enhancing leaf photosynthesis and plant growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert H. Wilson
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Hernan Alonso
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Spencer M. Whitney
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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19
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Lara-Gonzalez S, Estrella P, Portillo C, Cruces ME, Jimenez-Sandoval P, Fattori J, Migliorini-Figueira AC, Lopez-Hidalgo M, Diaz-Quezada C, Lopez-Castillo M, Trasviña-Arenas CH, Sanchez-Sandoval E, Gómez-Puyou A, Ortega-Lopez J, Arroyo R, Benítez-Cardoza CG, Brieba LG. Substrate-Induced Dimerization of Engineered Monomeric Variants of Triosephosphate Isomerase from Trichomonas vaginalis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141747. [PMID: 26618356 PMCID: PMC4664265 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 10/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The dimeric nature of triosephosphate isomerases (TIMs) is maintained by an extensive surface area interface of more than 1600 Å2. TIMs from Trichomonas vaginalis (TvTIM) are held in their dimeric state by two mechanisms: a ball and socket interaction of residue 45 of one subunit that fits into the hydrophobic pocket of the complementary subunit and by swapping of loop 3 between subunits. TvTIMs differ from other TIMs in their unfolding energetics. In TvTIMs the energy necessary to unfold a monomer is greater than the energy necessary to dissociate the dimer. Herein we found that the character of residue I45 controls the dimer-monomer equilibrium in TvTIMs. Unfolding experiments employing monomeric and dimeric mutants led us to conclude that dimeric TvTIMs unfold following a four state model denaturation process whereas monomeric TvTIMs follow a three state model. In contrast to other monomeric TIMs, monomeric variants of TvTIM1 are stable and unexpectedly one of them (I45A) is only 29-fold less active than wild-type TvTIM1. The high enzymatic activity of monomeric TvTIMs contrast with the marginal catalytic activity of diverse monomeric TIMs variants. The stability of the monomeric variants of TvTIM1 and the use of cross-linking and analytical ultracentrifugation experiments permit us to understand the differences between the catalytic activities of TvTIMs and other marginally active monomeric TIMs. As TvTIMs do not unfold upon dimer dissociation, herein we found that the high enzymatic activity of monomeric TvTIM variants is explained by the formation of catalytic dimeric competent species assisted by substrate binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Lara-Gonzalez
- IPICYT, División de Biología Molecular, Camino a la Presa San José 2055, CP 78216, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México
| | - Priscilla Estrella
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 629, CP 36500, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
| | - Carmen Portillo
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 629, CP 36500, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
| | - María E. Cruces
- Laboratorio de Investigación Bioquímica, Programa Institucional en Biomedicina Molecular ENMyH-IPN, Guillermo Massieu Helguera No. 239, La Escalera Ticoman, 07320, D.F, Mexico
| | - Pedro Jimenez-Sandoval
- Laboratorio de Investigación Bioquímica, Programa Institucional en Biomedicina Molecular ENMyH-IPN, Guillermo Massieu Helguera No. 239, La Escalera Ticoman, 07320, D.F, Mexico
| | - Juliana Fattori
- Laboratório Nacional de Biociências, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais Campinas SP, Brazil
| | - Ana C. Migliorini-Figueira
- Laboratório Nacional de Biociências, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais Campinas SP, Brazil
| | - Marisol Lopez-Hidalgo
- Laboratorio de Investigación Bioquímica, Programa Institucional en Biomedicina Molecular ENMyH-IPN, Guillermo Massieu Helguera No. 239, La Escalera Ticoman, 07320, D.F, Mexico
| | - Corina Diaz-Quezada
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 629, CP 36500, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
| | - Margarita Lopez-Castillo
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 629, CP 36500, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
| | - Carlos H. Trasviña-Arenas
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 629, CP 36500, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
| | - Eugenia Sanchez-Sandoval
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 629, CP 36500, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
| | - Armando Gómez-Puyou
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México
| | - Jaime Ortega-Lopez
- Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, Av. IPN, 2508, C.P. 07360, D.F., México
| | - Rossana Arroyo
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, Av. IPN, 2508, C.P. 07360, D.F., México
| | - Claudia G. Benítez-Cardoza
- Laboratorio de Investigación Bioquímica, Programa Institucional en Biomedicina Molecular ENMyH-IPN, Guillermo Massieu Helguera No. 239, La Escalera Ticoman, 07320, D.F, Mexico
- * E-mail: (LGB); (CGB)
| | - Luis G. Brieba
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 629, CP 36500, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
- * E-mail: (LGB); (CGB)
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20
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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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21
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Dey S, North JA, Sriram J, Evans BS, Tabita FR. In Vivo Studies in Rhodospirillum rubrum Indicate That Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase (Rubisco) Catalyzes Two Obligatorily Required and Physiologically Significant Reactions for Distinct Carbon and Sulfur Metabolic Pathways. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:30658-68. [PMID: 26511314 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.691295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms possess fundamental metabolic pathways to ensure that needed carbon and sulfur compounds are provided to the cell in the proper chemical form and oxidation state. For most organisms capable of using CO2 as sole source of carbon, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) catalyzes primary carbon dioxide assimilation. In addition, sulfur salvage pathways are necessary to ensure that key sulfur-containing compounds are both available and, where necessary, detoxified in the cell. Using knock-out mutations and metabolomics in the bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum, we show here that Rubisco concurrently catalyzes key and essential reactions for seemingly unrelated but physiologically essential central carbon and sulfur salvage metabolic pathways of the cell. In this study, complementation and mutagenesis studies indicated that representatives of all known extant functional Rubisco forms found in nature are capable of simultaneously catalyzing reactions required for both CO2-dependent growth as well as growth using 5-methylthioadenosine as sole sulfur source under anaerobic photosynthetic conditions. Moreover, specific inactivation of the CO2 fixation reaction did not affect the ability of Rubisco to support anaerobic 5-methylthioadenosine metabolism, suggesting that the active site of Rubisco has evolved to ensure that this enzyme maintains both key functions. Thus, despite the coevolution of both functions, the active site of this protein may be differentially modified to affect only one of its key functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Dey
- From the Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 and
| | - Justin A North
- From the Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 and
| | - Jaya Sriram
- From the Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 and
| | - Bradley S Evans
- the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri, 63132
| | - F Robert Tabita
- From the Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 and
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22
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Kreel NE, Tabita FR. Serine 363 of a Hydrophobic Region of Archaeal Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus and Thermococcus kodakaraensis Affects CO2/O2 Substrate Specificity and Oxygen Sensitivity. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138351. [PMID: 26381513 PMCID: PMC4575112 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Archaeal ribulose 1, 5-bisphospate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) is differentiated from other RubisCO enzymes and is classified as a form III enzyme, as opposed to the form I and form II RubisCOs typical of chemoautotrophic bacteria and prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs. The form III enzyme from archaea is particularly interesting as several of these proteins exhibit unusual and reversible sensitivity to molecular oxygen, including the enzyme from Archaeoglobus fulgidus. Previous studies with A. fulgidus RbcL2 had shown the importance of Met-295 in oxygen sensitivity and pointed towards the potential significance of another residue (Ser-363) found in a hydrophobic pocket that is conserved in all RubisCO proteins. In the current study, further structure/function studies have been performed focusing on Ser-363 of A. fulgidus RbcL2; various changes in this and other residues of the hydrophobic pocket point to and definitively establish the importance of Ser-363 with respect to interactions with oxygen. In addition, previous findings had indicated discrepant CO2/O2 specificity determinations of the Thermococcus kodakaraensis RubisCO, a close homolog of A. fulgidus RbcL2. It is shown here that the T. kodakaraensis enzyme exhibits a similar substrate specificity as the A. fulgidus enzyme and is also oxygen sensitive, with equivalent residues involved in oxygen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan E. Kreel
- The Ohio State University Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210–1292, United States of America
| | - F. Robert Tabita
- The Ohio State University Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210–1292, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210–1292, United States of America
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23
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Aono R, Sato T, Imanaka T, Atomi H. A pentose bisphosphate pathway for nucleoside degradation in Archaea. Nat Chem Biol 2015; 11:355-60. [PMID: 25822915 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.1786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2014] [Accepted: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Owing to the absence of the pentose phosphate pathway, the degradation pathway for the ribose moieties of nucleosides is unknown in Archaea. Here, in the archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis, we identified a metabolic network that links the pentose moieties of nucleosides or nucleotides to central carbon metabolism. The network consists of three nucleoside phosphorylases, an ADP-dependent ribose-1-phosphate kinase and two enzymes of a previously identified NMP degradation pathway, ribose-1,5-bisphosphate isomerase and type III ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Ribose 1,5-bisphosphate and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate are intermediates of this pathway, which is thus designated the pentose bisphosphate pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riku Aono
- 1] Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. [2] Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takaaki Sato
- 1] Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. [2] Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tadayuki Imanaka
- 1] Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan. [2] Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Haruyuki Atomi
- 1] Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. [2] Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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24
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Singh J, Pandey P, James D, Chandrasekhar K, Achary VMM, Kaul T, Tripathy BC, Reddy MK. Enhancing C3 photosynthesis: an outlook on feasible interventions for crop improvement. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2014; 12:1217-30. [PMID: 25196090 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2014] [Revised: 07/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/20/2014] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite the declarations and collective measures taken to eradicate hunger at World Food Summits, food security remains one of the biggest issues that we are faced with. The current scenario could worsen due to the alarming increase in world population, further compounded by adverse climatic conditions, such as increase in atmospheric temperature, unforeseen droughts and decreasing soil moisture, which will decrease crop yield even further. Furthermore, the projected increase in yields of C3 crops as a result of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations is much less than anticipated. Thus, there is an urgent need to increase crop productivity beyond existing yield potentials to address the challenge of food security. One of the domains of plant biology that promises hope in overcoming this problem is study of C3 photosynthesis. In this review, we have examined the potential bottlenecks of C3 photosynthesis and the strategies undertaken to overcome them. The targets considered for possible intervention include RuBisCO, RuBisCO activase, Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle enzymes, CO2 and carbohydrate transport, and light reactions among many others. In addition, other areas which promise scope for improvement of C3 photosynthesis, such as mining natural genetic variations, mathematical modelling for identifying new targets, installing efficient carbon fixation and carbon concentrating mechanisms have been touched upon. Briefly, this review intends to shed light on the recent advances in enhancing C3 photosynthesis for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitender Singh
- Plant Molecular Biology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India; School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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25
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Joshi J, Mueller-Cajar O, Tsai YCC, Hartl FU, Hayer-Hartl M. Role of small subunit in mediating assembly of red-type form I Rubisco. J Biol Chem 2014; 290:1066-74. [PMID: 25371207 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.613091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is the key enzyme involved in photosynthetic carbon fixation, converting atmospheric CO2 to organic compounds. Form I Rubisco is a cylindrical complex composed of eight large (RbcL) subunits that are capped by four small subunits (RbcS) at the top and four at the bottom. Form I Rubiscos are phylogenetically divided into green- and red-type. Some red-type enzymes have catalytically superior properties. Thus, understanding their folding and assembly is of considerable biotechnological interest. Folding of the green-type RbcL subunits in cyanobacteria is mediated by the GroEL/ES chaperonin system, and assembly to holoenzyme requires specialized chaperones such as RbcX and RAF1. Here, we show that the red-type RbcL subunits in the proteobacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides also fold with GroEL/ES. However, assembly proceeds in a chaperone-independent manner. We find that the C-terminal β-hairpin extension of red-type RbcS, which is absent in green-type RbcS, is critical for efficient assembly. The β-hairpins of four RbcS subunits form an eight-stranded β-barrel that protrudes into the central solvent channel of the RbcL core complex. The two β-barrels stabilize the complex through multiple interactions with the RbcL subunits. A chimeric green-type RbcS carrying the C-terminal β-hairpin renders the assembly of a cyanobacterial Rubisco independent of RbcX. Our results may facilitate the engineering of crop plants with improved growth properties expressing red-type Rubisco.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jidnyasa Joshi
- From the Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Oliver Mueller-Cajar
- From the Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Yi-Chin C Tsai
- From the Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - F Ulrich Hartl
- From the Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Manajit Hayer-Hartl
- From the Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
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26
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Carbohydrate metabolism in Archaea: current insights into unusual enzymes and pathways and their regulation. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2014; 78:89-175. [PMID: 24600042 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00041-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The metabolism of Archaea, the third domain of life, resembles in its complexity those of Bacteria and lower Eukarya. However, this metabolic complexity in Archaea is accompanied by the absence of many "classical" pathways, particularly in central carbohydrate metabolism. Instead, Archaea are characterized by the presence of unique, modified variants of classical pathways such as the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway and the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway. The pentose phosphate pathway is only partly present (if at all), and pentose degradation also significantly differs from that known for bacterial model organisms. These modifications are accompanied by the invention of "new," unusual enzymes which cause fundamental consequences for the underlying regulatory principles, and classical allosteric regulation sites well established in Bacteria and Eukarya are lost. The aim of this review is to present the current understanding of central carbohydrate metabolic pathways and their regulation in Archaea. In order to give an overview of their complexity, pathway modifications are discussed with respect to unusual archaeal biocatalysts, their structural and mechanistic characteristics, and their regulatory properties in comparison to their classic counterparts from Bacteria and Eukarya. Furthermore, an overview focusing on hexose metabolic, i.e., glycolytic as well as gluconeogenic, pathways identified in archaeal model organisms is given. Their energy gain is discussed, and new insights into different levels of regulation that have been observed so far, including the transcript and protein levels (e.g., gene regulation, known transcription regulators, and posttranslational modification via reversible protein phosphorylation), are presented.
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27
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Whitney SM, Sharwood RE. Plastid transformation for Rubisco engineering and protocols for assessing expression. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1132:245-62. [PMID: 24599858 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-995-6_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The assimilation of CO2 within chloroplasts is catalyzed by the bi-functional enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, Rubisco. Within higher plants the Rubisco large subunit gene, rbcL, is encoded in the plastid genome, while the Rubisco small subunit gene, RbcS is coded in the nucleus by a multi-gene family. Rubisco is considered a poor catalyst due to its slow turnover rate and its additional fixation of O2 that can result in wasteful loss of carbon through the energy requiring photorespiratory cycle. Improving the carboxylation efficiency and CO2/O2 selectivity of Rubisco within higher plants has been a long-term goal which has been greatly advanced in recent times using plastid transformation techniques. Here we present experimental methodologies for efficiently engineering Rubisco in the plastids of a tobacco master-line and analyzing leaf Rubisco content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer M Whitney
- College of Medicine, Biology and Ecology, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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28
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Galmés J, Perdomo JA, Flexas J, Whitney SM. Photosynthetic characterization of Rubisco transplantomic lines reveals alterations on photochemistry and mesophyll conductance. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2013; 115:153-66. [PMID: 23703453 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-013-9848-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/10/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Improving Rubisco catalysis is considered a promising way to enhance C3-photosynthesis and photosynthetic water use efficiency (WUE) provided the introduced changes have little or no impact on other processes affecting photosynthesis such as leaf photochemistry or leaf CO2 diffusion conductances. However, the extent to which the factors affecting photosynthetic capacity are co-regulated is unclear. The aim of the present study was to characterize the photochemistry and CO2 transport processes in the leaves of three transplantomic tobacco genotypes expressing hybrid Rubisco isoforms comprising different Flaveria L-subunits that show variations in catalysis and differing trade-offs between the amount of Rubisco and its activation state. Stomatal conductance (g s) in each transplantomic tobacco line matched wild-type, while their photochemistry showed co-regulation with the variations in Rubisco catalysis. A tight co-regulation was observed between Rubisco activity and mesophyll conductance (g m) that was independent of g s thus producing plants with varying g m/g s ratios. Since the g m/g s ratio has been shown to positively correlate with intrinsic WUE, the present results suggest that altering photosynthesis by modifying Rubisco catalysis may also be useful for targeting WUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroni Galmés
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. de Valldemossa Km.7.5, 07122 Palma, Spain.
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29
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Parry MAJ, Andralojc PJ, Scales JC, Salvucci ME, Carmo-Silva AE, Alonso H, Whitney SM. Rubisco activity and regulation as targets for crop improvement. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2013; 64:717-30. [PMID: 23162118 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ers336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/oxygenase) enables net carbon fixation through the carboxylation of RuBP. However, some characteristics of Rubisco make it surprisingly inefficient and compromise photosynthetic productivity. For example, Rubisco catalyses a wasteful reaction with oxygen that leads to the release of previously fixed CO(2) and NH(3) and the consumption of energy during photorespiration. Furthermore, Rubisco is slow and large amounts are needed to support adequate photosynthetic rates. Consequently, Rubisco has been studied intensively as a prime target for manipulations to 'supercharge' photosynthesis and improve both productivity and resource use efficiency. The catalytic properties of Rubiscos from diverse sources vary considerably, suggesting that changes in turnover rate, affinity, or specificity for CO(2) can be introduced to improve Rubisco performance in specific crops and environments. While attempts to manipulate plant Rubisco by nuclear transformation have had limited success, modifying its catalysis by targeted changes to its catalytic large subunit via chloroplast transformation have been much more successful. However, this technique is still in need of development for most major food crops including maize, wheat, and rice. Other bioengineering approaches for improving Rubisco performance include improving the activity of its ancillary protein, Rubisco activase, in addition to modulating the synthesis and degradation of Rubisco's inhibitory sugar phosphate ligands. As the rate-limiting step in carbon assimilation, even modest improvements in the overall performance of Rubisco pose a viable pathway for obtaining significant gains in plant yield, particularly under stressful environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin A J Parry
- Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK.
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30
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Hanson MR, Gray BN, Ahner BA. Chloroplast transformation for engineering of photosynthesis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2013; 64:731-42. [PMID: 23162121 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ers325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Many efforts are underway to engineer improvements in photosynthesis to meet the challenges of increasing demands for food and fuel in rapidly changing environmental conditions. Various transgenes have been introduced into either the nuclear or plastid genomes in attempts to increase photosynthetic efficiency. We examine the current knowledge of the critical features that affect levels of expression of plastid transgenes and protein accumulation in transplastomic plants, such as promoters, 5' and 3' untranslated regions, RNA-processing sites, translation signals and amino acid sequences that affect protein turnover. We review the prior attempts to manipulate the properties of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco) through plastid transformation. We illustrate how plastid operons could be created for expression of the multiple genes needed to introduce new pathways or enzymes to enhance photosynthetic rates or reduce photorespiration. We describe here the past accomplishments and future prospects for manipulating plant enzymes and pathways to enhance carbon assimilation through plastid transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen R Hanson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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31
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Enzymatic characterization of AMP phosphorylase and ribose-1,5-bisphosphate isomerase functioning in an archaeal AMP metabolic pathway. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:6847-55. [PMID: 23065974 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01335-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
AMP phosphorylase (AMPpase), ribose-1,5-bisphosphate (R15P) isomerase, and type III ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) have been proposed to constitute a novel pathway involved in AMP metabolism in the Archaea. Here we performed a biochemical examination of AMPpase and R15P isomerase from Thermococcus kodakarensis. R15P isomerase was specific for the α-anomer of R15P and did not recognize other sugar compounds. We observed that activity was extremely low with the substrate R15P alone but was dramatically activated in the presence of AMP. Using AMP-activated R15P isomerase, we reevaluated the substrate specificity of AMPpase. AMPpase exhibited phosphorylase activity toward CMP and UMP in addition to AMP. The [S]-v plot (plot of velocity versus substrate concentration) of the enzyme toward AMP was sigmoidal, with an increase in activity observed at concentrations higher than approximately 3 mM. The behavior of the two enzymes toward AMP indicates that the pathway is intrinsically designed to prevent excess degradation of intracellular AMP. We further examined the formation of 3-phosphoglycerate from AMP, CMP, and UMP in T. kodakarensis cell extracts. 3-Phosphoglycerate generation was observed from AMP alone, and from CMP or UMP in the presence of dAMP, which also activates R15P isomerase. 3-Phosphoglycerate was not formed when 2-carboxyarabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate, a Rubisco inhibitor, was added. The results strongly suggest that these enzymes are actually involved in the conversion of nucleoside monophosphates to 3-phosphoglycerate in T. kodakarensis.
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32
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Leakey ADB, Lau JA. Evolutionary context for understanding and manipulating plant responses to past, present and future atmospheric [CO2]. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2012; 367:613-29. [PMID: 22232771 PMCID: PMC3248707 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in atmospheric [CO(2)] is a prominent feature of the environmental history over which vascular plants have evolved. Periods of falling and low [CO(2)] in the palaeo-record appear to have created selective pressure for important adaptations in modern plants. Today, rising [CO(2)] is a key component of anthropogenic global environmental change that will impact plants and the ecosystem goods and services they deliver. Currently, there is limited evidence that natural plant populations have evolved in response to contemporary increases in [CO(2)] in ways that increase plant productivity or fitness, and no evidence for incidental breeding of crop varieties to achieve greater yield enhancement from rising [CO(2)]. Evolutionary responses to elevated [CO(2)] have been studied by applying selection in controlled environments, quantitative genetics and trait-based approaches. Findings to date suggest that adaptive changes in plant traits in response to future [CO(2)] will not be consistently observed across species or environments and will not be large in magnitude compared with physiological and ecological responses to future [CO(2)]. This lack of evidence for strong evolutionary effects of elevated [CO(2)] is surprising, given the large effects of elevated [CO(2)] on plant phenotypes. New studies under more stressful, complex environmental conditions associated with climate change may revise this view. Efforts are underway to engineer plants to: (i) overcome the limitations to photosynthesis from today's [CO(2)] and (ii) benefit maximally from future, greater [CO(2)]. Targets range in scale from manipulating the function of a single enzyme (e.g. Rubisco) to adding metabolic pathways from bacteria as well as engineering the structural and functional components necessary for C(4) photosynthesis into C(3) leaves. Successfully improving plant performance will depend on combining the knowledge of the evolutionary context, cellular basis and physiological integration of plant responses to varying [CO(2)].
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D B Leakey
- Department of Plant Biology and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1201 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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33
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Whitney SM, Sharwood RE, Orr D, White SJ, Alonso H, Galmés J. Isoleucine 309 acts as a C4 catalytic switch that increases ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) carboxylation rate in Flaveria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:14688-93. [PMID: 21849620 PMCID: PMC3167554 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1109503108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Improving global yields of important agricultural crops is a complex challenge. Enhancing yield and resource use by engineering improvements to photosynthetic carbon assimilation is one potential solution. During the last 40 million years C(4) photosynthesis has evolved multiple times, enabling plants to evade the catalytic inadequacies of the CO(2)-fixing enzyme, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco). Compared with their C(3) ancestors, C(4) plants combine a faster rubisco with a biochemical CO(2)-concentrating mechanism, enabling more efficient use of water and nitrogen and enhanced yield. Here we show the versatility of plastome manipulation in tobacco for identifying sequences in C(4)-rubisco that can be transplanted into C(3)-rubisco to improve carboxylation rate (V(C)). Using transplastomic tobacco lines expressing native and mutated rubisco large subunits (L-subunits) from Flaveria pringlei (C(3)), Flaveria floridana (C(3)-C(4)), and Flaveria bidentis (C(4)), we reveal that Met-309-Ile substitutions in the L-subunit act as a catalytic switch between C(4) ((309)Ile; faster V(C), lower CO(2) affinity) and C(3) ((309)Met; slower V(C), higher CO(2) affinity) catalysis. Application of this transplastomic system permits further identification of other structural solutions selected by nature that can increase rubisco V(C) in C(3) crops. Coengineering a catalytically faster C(3) rubisco and a CO(2)-concentrating mechanism within C(3) crop species could enhance their efficiency in resource use and yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer M Whitney
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia.
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34
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Zhang XH, Webb J, Huang YH, Lin L, Tang RS, Liu A. Hybrid Rubisco of tomato large subunits and tobacco small subunits is functional in tobacco plants. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2011; 180:480-8. [PMID: 21421395 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2010.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2010] [Revised: 11/07/2010] [Accepted: 11/09/2010] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Biogenesis of functional ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) in plants requires specific assembly in the chloroplast of the imported, cytosol-synthesized small subunits (SS) with the chloroplast-made large subunits (LS). Accumulating evidence indicates that chloroplasts (plastids) generally have a low tolerance for assembling foreign or modified Rubisco. To explore Rubisco engineering, we created two lines of transplastomic tobacco plants whose rbcL gene was replaced by tomato-derived rbcL: plant LLS2 with Rubisco composed of tobacco SS and Q437R LS and plant LLS4 with a hybrid Rubisco of tobacco SS and tomato LS (representing four substitutions of Y226F, A230T, S279T and Q437R from tobacco LS). Plant LLS2 exhibited similar phenotypes as the wild type. Plant LLS4 showed lower chlorophyll and Rubisco levels particularly in young emerging leaves, lower photosynthesis rates and biomass during early stages of development, but was able to reach reproductive maturity and somewhat wild type-like phenotype under ambient CO₂ condition. In vitro assays detected similar carboxylase activity and RuBP affinity in LLS2 and LLS4 plants as in wild type. Our studies demonstrated that tomato LS was sufficiently assembled with tobacco SS into functional Rubisco. The hybrid Rubisco of tomato LS and tobacco SS can drive photosynthesis that supports photoautotrophic growth and reproduction of tobacco plants under ambient CO₂ and light conditions. We discuss the effect of these residue substitutions on Rubisco activity and the possible attribution of chlorophyll deficiency to the in planta photosynthesis performance in the hybrid Rubisco plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing-Hai Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA.
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35
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Whitney SM, Houtz RL, Alonso H. Advancing our understanding and capacity to engineer nature's CO2-sequestering enzyme, Rubisco. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2011; 155:27-35. [PMID: 20974895 PMCID: PMC3075749 DOI: 10.1104/pp.110.164814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 289] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2010] [Accepted: 10/18/2010] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Spencer M Whitney
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
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