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Siadjeu C, Kadereit G. C 4-like Sesuvium sesuvioides (Aizoaceae) exhibits CAM in cotyledons and putative C 4-like + CAM metabolism in adult leaves as revealed by transcriptome analysis. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:688. [PMID: 39003461 PMCID: PMC11245778 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10553-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The co-occurrence of C4 and CAM photosynthesis in a single species seems to be unusual and rare. This is likely due to the difficulty in effectively co-regulating both pathways. Here, we conducted a comparative transcriptomic analysis of leaves and cotyledons of the C4-like species Sesuvium sesuvioides (Aizoaceae) using RNA-seq. RESULTS When compared to cotyledons, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase 4 (PEPC4) and some key C4 genes were found to be up-regulated in leaves. During the day, the expression of NADP-dependent malic enzyme (NADP-ME) was significantly higher in cotyledons than in leaves. The titratable acidity confirmed higher acidity in the morning than in the previous evening indicating the induction of weak CAM in cotyledons by environmental conditions. Comparison of the leaves of S. sesuvioides (C4-like) and S. portulacastrum (C3) revealed that PEPC1 was significantly higher in S. sesuvioides, while PEPC3 and PEPC4 were up-regulated in S. portulacastrum. Finally, potential key regulatory elements involved in the C4-like and CAM pathways were identified. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide a new species in which C4-like and CAM co-occur and raise the question if this phenomenon is indeed so rare or just hard to detect and probably more common in succulent C4 lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Siadjeu
- Prinzessin Therese von Bayern Lehrstuhl für Systematik, Biodiversität & Evolution der Pflanzen, Ludwig-Maximilans-Universität München, Menzinger Str. 67, Munich, 80638, Germany.
| | - Gudrun Kadereit
- Prinzessin Therese von Bayern Lehrstuhl für Systematik, Biodiversität & Evolution der Pflanzen, Ludwig-Maximilans-Universität München, Menzinger Str. 67, Munich, 80638, Germany
- Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg Und Botanische Staatssammlung München, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns, Menzinger Str. 65, Munich, 80638, Germany
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2
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Gilman IS, Heyduk K, Maya-Lastra C, Hancock LP, Edwards EJ. Predicting photosynthetic pathway from anatomy using machine learning. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:1029-1042. [PMID: 38173400 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Plants with Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) have long been associated with a specialized anatomy, including succulence and thick photosynthetic tissues. Firm, quantitative boundaries between non-CAM and CAM plants have yet to be established - if they indeed exist. Using novel computer vision software to measure anatomy, we combined new measurements with published data across flowering plants. We then used machine learning and phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate relationships between CAM and anatomy. We found significant differences in photosynthetic tissue anatomy between plants with differing CAM phenotypes. Machine learning-based classification was over 95% accurate in differentiating CAM from non-CAM anatomy, and had over 70% recall of distinct CAM phenotypes. Phylogenetic least squares regression and threshold analyses revealed that CAM evolution was significantly correlated with increased mesophyll cell size, thicker leaves, and decreased intercellular airspace. Our findings suggest that machine learning may be used to aid the discovery of new CAM species and that the evolutionary trajectory from non-CAM to strong, obligate CAM requires continual anatomical specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian S Gilman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Karolina Heyduk
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Carlos Maya-Lastra
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Biology, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX, 76909, USA
| | - Lillian P Hancock
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
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3
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Gilman IS, Smith JAC, Holtum JAM, Sage RF, Silvera K, Winter K, Edwards EJ. The CAM lineages of planet Earth. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:627-654. [PMID: 37698538 PMCID: PMC10799995 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND SCOPE The growth of experimental studies of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in diverse plant clades, coupled with recent advances in molecular systematics, presents an opportunity to re-assess the phylogenetic distribution and diversity of species capable of CAM. It has been more than two decades since the last comprehensive lists of CAM taxa were published, and an updated survey of the occurrence and distribution of CAM taxa is needed to facilitate and guide future CAM research. We aimed to survey the phylogenetic distribution of these taxa, their diverse morphology, physiology and ecology, and the likely number of evolutionary origins of CAM based on currently known lineages. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We found direct evidence (in the form of experimental or field observations of gas exchange, day-night fluctuations in organic acids, carbon isotope ratios and enzymatic activity) for CAM in 370 genera of vascular plants, representing 38 families. Further assumptions about the frequency of CAM species in CAM clades and the distribution of CAM in the Cactaceae and Crassulaceae bring the currently estimated number of CAM-capable species to nearly 7 % of all vascular plants. The phylogenetic distribution of these taxa suggests a minimum of 66 independent origins of CAM in vascular plants, possibly with dozens more. To achieve further insight into CAM origins, there is a need for more extensive and systematic surveys of previously unstudied lineages, particularly in living material to identify low-level CAM activity, and for denser sampling to increase phylogenetic resolution in CAM-evolving clades. This should allow further progress in understanding the functional significance of this pathway by integration with studies on the evolution and genomics of CAM in its many forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian S Gilman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Joseph A M Holtum
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Katia Silvera
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
- Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Klaus Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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4
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Holtum JAM. The diverse diaspora of CAM: a pole-to-pole sketch. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:597-625. [PMID: 37303205 PMCID: PMC10800000 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis is a successful adaptation that has evolved often in angiosperms, gymnosperms, ferns and lycophytes. Present in ~5 % of vascular plants, the CAM diaspora includes all continents apart from Antarctica. Species with CAM inhabit most landscapes colonized by vascular plants, from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, from below sea level to 4800 m a.s.l., from rainforests to deserts. They have colonized terrestrial, epiphytic, lithophytic, palustrine and aquatic systems, developing perennial, annual or geophyte strategies that can be structurally arborescent, shrub, forb, cladode, epiphyte, vine or leafless with photosynthetic roots. CAM can enhance survival by conserving water, trapping carbon, reducing carbon loss and/or via photoprotection. SCOPE This review assesses the phylogenetic diversity and historical biogeography of selected lineages with CAM, i.e. ferns, gymnosperms and eumagnoliids, Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceae, Crassulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Aizoaceae, Portulacineae (Montiaceae, Basellaceae, Halophytaceae, Didiereaceae, Talinaceae, Portulacaceae, Anacampserotaceae and Cactaceae) and aquatics. CONCLUSIONS Most extant CAM lineages diversified after the Oligocene/Miocene, as the planet dried and CO2 concentrations dropped. Radiations exploited changing ecological landscapes, including Andean emergence, Panamanian Isthmus closure, Sundaland emergence and submergence, changing climates and desertification. Evidence remains sparse for or against theories that CAM biochemistry tends to evolve before pronounced changes in anatomy and that CAM tends to be a culminating xerophytic trait. In perennial taxa, any form of CAM can occur depending upon the lineage and the habitat, although facultative CAM appears uncommon in epiphytes. CAM annuals lack strong CAM. In CAM annuals, C3 + CAM predominates, and inducible or facultative CAM is common.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A M Holtum
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD4811, Australia
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5
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Pereira L, Bianconi ME, Osborne CP, Christin PA, Dunning LT. Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:365-382. [PMID: 37422712 PMCID: PMC10667010 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous groups of plants have adapted to CO2 limitations by independently evolving C4 photosynthesis. This trait relies on concerted changes in anatomy and biochemistry to concentrate CO2 within the leaf and thereby boost productivity in tropical conditions. The ecological and economic importance of C4 photosynthesis has motivated intense research, often relying on comparisons between distantly related C4 and non-C4 plants. The photosynthetic type is fixed in most species, with the notable exception of the grass Alloteropsis semialata. This species includes populations exhibiting the ancestral C3 state in southern Africa, intermediate populations in the Zambezian region and C4 populations spread around the palaeotropics. SCOPE We compile here the knowledge on the distribution and evolutionary history of the Alloteropsis genus as a whole and discuss how this has furthered our understanding of C4 evolution. We then present a chromosome-level reference genome for a C3 individual and compare the genomic architecture with that of a C4 accession of A. semialata. CONCLUSIONS Alloteropsis semialata is one of the best systems in which to investigate the evolution of C4 photosynthesis because the genetic and phenotypic variation provides a fertile ground for comparative and population-level studies. Preliminary comparative genomic investigations show that the C3 and C4 genomes are highly syntenic and have undergone a modest amount of gene duplication and translocation since the different photosynthetic groups diverged. The background knowledge and publicly available genomic resources make A. semialata a great model for further comparative analyses of photosynthetic diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Pereira
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Matheus E Bianconi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
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6
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Wang X, Ma X, Yan G, Hua L, Liu H, Huang W, Liang Z, Chao Q, Hibberd JM, Jiao Y, Zhang M. Gene duplications facilitate C4-CAM compatibility in common purslane. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 193:2622-2639. [PMID: 37587696 PMCID: PMC10663116 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) integrates both C4 and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis pathways and is a promising model plant to explore C4-CAM plasticity. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-level genome of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-malic enzyme (ME) subtype common purslane that provides evidence for 2 rounds of whole-genome duplication (WGD) with an ancient WGD (P-β) in the common ancestor to Portulacaceae and Cactaceae around 66.30 million years ago (Mya) and another (Po-α) specific to common purslane lineage around 7.74 Mya. A larger number of gene copies encoding key enzymes/transporters involved in C4 and CAM pathways were detected in common purslane than in related species. Phylogeny, conserved functional site, and collinearity analyses revealed that the Po-α WGD produced the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase-encoded gene copies used for photosynthesis in common purslane, while the P-β WGD event produced 2 ancestral genes of functionally differentiated (C4- and CAM-specific) beta carbonic anhydrases involved in the C4 + CAM pathways. Additionally, cis-element enrichment analysis in the promoters showed that CAM-specific genes have recruited both evening and midnight circadian elements as well as the Abscisic acid (ABA)-independent regulatory module mediated by ethylene-response factor cis-elements. Overall, this study provides insights into the origin and evolutionary process of C4 and CAM pathways in common purslane, as well as potential targets for engineering crops by integrating C4 or CAM metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoliang Wang
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Xuxu Ma
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Ge Yan
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Lei Hua
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Han Liu
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Wei Huang
- National Maize Improvement Center, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Zhikai Liang
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Qing Chao
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Yuannian Jiao
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Mei Zhang
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
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7
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Lievens A, Paracchini V, Garlant L, Pietretti D, Maquet A, Ulberth F. Detection and Quantification of Botanical Impurities in Commercial Oregano ( Origanum vulgare) Using Metabarcoding and Digital PCR. Foods 2023; 12:2998. [PMID: 37627997 PMCID: PMC10453138 DOI: 10.3390/foods12162998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA technology for food authentication is already well established, and with the advent of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and, more specifically, metabarcoding, compositional analysis of food at the molecular level has rapidly gained popularity. This has led to several reports in the media about the presence of foreign, non-declared species in several food commodities. As herbs and spices are attractive targets for fraudulent manipulation, a combination of digital PCR and metabarcoding by NGS was employed to check the purity of 285 oregano samples taken from the European market. By using novel primers and analytical approaches, it was possible to detect and quantify both adulterants and contaminants in these samples. The results highlight the high potential of NGS for compositional analysis, although its quantitative information (read count percentages) is unreliable, and other techniques are therefore needed to complement the sequencing information for assessing authenticity ('true to the name') of food ingredients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoon Lievens
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), B-2440 Geel, Belgium
| | | | - Linda Garlant
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), B-2440 Geel, Belgium
| | - Danilo Pietretti
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), B-2440 Geel, Belgium
| | - Alain Maquet
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), B-2440 Geel, Belgium
| | - Franz Ulberth
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), B-2440 Geel, Belgium
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8
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Heyduk K, McAssey EV, Leebens‐Mack J. Differential timing of gene expression and recruitment in independent origins of CAM in the Agavoideae (Asparagaceae). THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:2111-2126. [PMID: 35596719 PMCID: PMC9796715 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis has evolved repeatedly across the plant tree of life, however our understanding of the genetic convergence across independent origins remains hampered by the lack of comparative studies. Here, we explore gene expression profiles in eight species from the Agavoideae (Asparagaceae) encompassing three independent origins of CAM. Using comparative physiology and transcriptomics, we examined the variable modes of CAM in this subfamily and the changes in gene expression across time of day and between well watered and drought-stressed treatments. We further assessed gene expression and the molecular evolution of genes encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PPC), an enzyme required for primary carbon fixation in CAM. Most time-of-day expression profiles are largely conserved across all eight species and suggest that large perturbations to the central clock are not required for CAM evolution. By contrast, transcriptional response to drought is highly lineage specific. Yucca and Beschorneria have CAM-like expression of PPC2, a copy of PPC that has never been shown to be recruited for CAM in angiosperms. Together the physiological and transcriptomic comparison of closely related C3 and CAM species reveals similar gene expression profiles, with the notable exception of differential recruitment of carboxylase enzymes for CAM function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Heyduk
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaHonoluluHI96822USA
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGA30602USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenCT06520USA
| | - Edward V. McAssey
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaHonoluluHI96822USA
| | - Jim Leebens‐Mack
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGA30602USA
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9
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Ferrari RC, Kawabata AB, Ferreira SS, Hartwell J, Freschi L. A matter of time: regulatory events behind the synchronization of C4 and crassulacean acid metabolism in Portulaca oleracea. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:4867-4885. [PMID: 35439821 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Portulaca species can switch between C4 and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) depending on environmental conditions. However, the regulatory mechanisms behind this rare photosynthetic adaptation remain elusive. Using Portulaca oleracea as a model system, here we investigated the involvement of the circadian clock, plant hormones, and transcription factors in coordinating C4 and CAM gene expression. Free-running experiments in constant conditions suggested that C4 and CAM gene expression are intrinsically connected to the circadian clock. Detailed time-course, drought, and rewatering experiments revealed distinct time frames for CAM induction and reversion (days versus hours, respectively), which were accompanied by changes in abscisic acid (ABA) and cytokinin metabolism and signaling. Exogenous ABA and cytokinins were shown to promote and repress CAM expression in P. oleracea, respectively. Moreover, the drought-induced decline in C4 transcript levels was completely recovered upon cytokinin treatment. The ABA-regulated transcription factor genes HB7, NFYA7, NFYC9, TT8, and ARR12 were identified as likely candidate regulators of CAM induction following this approach, whereas NFYC4 and ARR9 were connected to C4 expression patterns. Therefore, we provide insights into the signaling events controlling C4-CAM transitions in response to water availability and over the day/night cycle, highlighting candidate genes for future functional studies in the context of facultative C4-CAM photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Callegari Ferrari
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Aline Bastos Kawabata
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Sávio Siqueira Ferreira
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - James Hartwell
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Luciano Freschi
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
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10
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Moreno-Villena JJ, Zhou H, Gilman IS, Tausta SL, Cheung CYM, Edwards EJ. Spatial resolution of an integrated C 4+CAM photosynthetic metabolism. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn2349. [PMID: 35930634 PMCID: PMC9355352 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn2349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
C4 and CAM photosynthesis have repeatedly evolved in plants over the past 30 million years. Because both repurpose the same set of enzymes but differ in their spatial and temporal deployment, they have long been considered as distinct and incompatible adaptations. Portulaca contains multiple C4 species that perform CAM when droughted. Spatially explicit analyses of gene expression reveal that C4 and CAM systems are completely integrated in Portulaca oleracea, with CAM and C4 carbon fixation occurring in the same cells and CAM-generated metabolites likely incorporated directly into the C4 cycle. Flux balance analysis corroborates the gene expression findings and predicts an integrated C4+CAM system under drought. This first spatially explicit description of a C4+CAM photosynthetic metabolism presents a potential new blueprint for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose J. Moreno-Villena
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208106, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Haoran Zhou
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208106, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Ian S. Gilman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208106, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - S. Lori Tausta
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 600 West Campus, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | | | - Erika J. Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208106, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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11
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Gilman IS, Moreno-Villena JJ, Lewis ZR, Goolsby EW, Edwards EJ. Gene co-expression reveals the modularity and integration of C4 and CAM in Portulaca. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:735-753. [PMID: 35285495 PMCID: PMC9157154 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) have been considered as largely independent adaptations despite sharing key biochemical modules. Portulaca is a geographically widespread clade of over 100 annual and perennial angiosperm species that primarily use C4 but facultatively exhibit CAM when drought stressed, a photosynthetic system known as C4 + CAM. It has been hypothesized that C4 + CAM is rare because of pleiotropic constraints, but these have not been deeply explored. We generated a chromosome-level genome assembly of Portulaca amilis and sampled mRNA from P. amilis and Portulaca oleracea during CAM induction. Gene co-expression network analyses identified C4 and CAM gene modules shared and unique to both Portulaca species. A conserved CAM module linked phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase to starch turnover during the day-night transition and was enriched in circadian clock regulatory motifs in the P. amilis genome. Preservation of this co-expression module regardless of water status suggests that Portulaca constitutively operate a weak CAM cycle that is transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally upregulated during drought. C4 and CAM mostly used mutually exclusive genes for primary carbon fixation, and it is likely that nocturnal CAM malate stores are shuttled into diurnal C4 decarboxylation pathways, but we found evidence that metabolite cycling may occur at low levels. C4 likely evolved in Portulaca through co-option of redundant genes and integration of the diurnal portion of CAM. Thus, the ancestral CAM system did not strongly constrain C4 evolution because photosynthetic gene networks are not co-regulated for both daytime and nighttime functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian S Gilman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Author for correspondence:
| | - Jose J Moreno-Villena
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Zachary R Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Eric W Goolsby
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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12
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Shu JP, Yan YH, Wang RJ. Convergent molecular evolution of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene family in C 4 and crassulacean acid metabolism plants. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12828. [PMID: 35116203 PMCID: PMC8784020 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), as the key enzyme in initial carbon fixation of C4and crassulacean acid mechanism (CAM) pathways, was thought to undergo convergent adaptive changes resulting in the convergent evolution of C4 and CAM photosynthesis in vascular plants. However, the integral evolutionary history and convergence of PEPC in plants remain poorly understood. In the present study, we identified the members of PEPC gene family across green plants with seventeen genomic datasets, found ten conserved motifs and modeled three-dimensional protein structures of 90 plant-type PEPC genes. After reconstructing PEPC gene family tree and reconciled with species tree, we found PEPC genes underwent 71 gene duplication events and 16 gene loss events, which might result from whole-genome duplication events in plants. Based on the phylogenetic tree of the PEPC gene family, we detected four convergent evolution sites of PEPC in C4 species but none in CAM species. The PEPC gene family was ubiquitous and highly conservative in green plants. After originating from gene duplication of ancestral C3-PEPC, C4-PEPC isoforms underwent convergent molecular substitution that might facilitate the convergent evolution of C4 photosynthesis in Angiosperms. However, there was no evidence for convergent molecular evolution of PEPC genes between CAM plants. Our findings help to understand the origin and convergent evolution of C4 and CAM plants and shed light on the adaptation of plants in dry, hot environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang-Ping Shu
- Key laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China,Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, The National Orchid Conservation Centre of China and The Orchid Conservation and Research Centre of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China,Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, The National Orchid Conservation Centre of China and The Orchid Conservation and Research Centre of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yue-Hong Yan
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, The National Orchid Conservation Centre of China and The Orchid Conservation and Research Centre of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China,Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, The National Orchid Conservation Centre of China and The Orchid Conservation and Research Centre of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rui-Jiang Wang
- Key laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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13
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Rawat N, Wungrampha S, Singla-Pareek SL, Yu M, Shabala S, Pareek A. Rewilding staple crops for the lost halophytism: Toward sustainability and profitability of agricultural production systems. MOLECULAR PLANT 2022; 15:45-64. [PMID: 34915209 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2021.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Abiotic stress tolerance has been weakened during the domestication of all major staple crops. Soil salinity is a major environmental constraint that impacts over half of the world population; however, given the increasing reliance on irrigation and the lack of available freshwater, agriculture in the 21st century will increasingly become saline. Therefore, global food security is critically dependent on the ability of plant breeders to create high-yielding staple crop varieties that will incorporate salinity tolerance traits and account for future climate scenarios. Previously, we have argued that the current agricultural practices and reliance on crops that exclude salt from uptake is counterproductive and environmentally unsustainable, and thus called for a need for a major shift in a breeding paradigm to incorporate some halophytic traits that were present in wild relatives but were lost in modern crops during domestication. In this review, we provide a comprehensive physiological and molecular analysis of the key traits conferring crop halophytism, such as vacuolar Na+ sequestration, ROS desensitization, succulence, metabolic photosynthetic switch, and salt deposition in trichomes, and discuss the strategies for incorporating them into elite germplasm, to address a pressing issue of boosting plant salinity tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishtha Rawat
- Stress Physiology and Molecular Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Silas Wungrampha
- Stress Physiology and Molecular Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Sneh L Singla-Pareek
- Plant Stress Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Min Yu
- International Research Centre for Environmental Membrane Biology, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
| | - Sergey Shabala
- International Research Centre for Environmental Membrane Biology, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China; Tasmanian Institute for Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Hobart Tas 7001, Australia.
| | - Ashwani Pareek
- Stress Physiology and Molecular Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India; National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali 140306, India.
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14
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Abstract
Tremendous chemical diversity is the hallmark of plants and is supported by highly complex biochemical machinery. Plant metabolic enzymes originated and were transferred from eukaryotic and prokaryotic ancestors and further diversified by the unprecedented rates of gene duplication and functionalization experienced in land plants. Unlike microbes, which have frequent horizontal gene transfer events and multiple inputs of energy and organic carbon, land plants predominantly rely on organic carbon generated from CO2 and have experienced very few, if any, gene transfers during their recent evolutionary history. As such, plant metabolic networks have evolved in a stepwise manner and on existing networks under various evolutionary constraints. This review aims to take a broader view of plant metabolic evolution and lay a framework to further explore evolutionary mechanisms of the complex metabolic network. Understanding the underlying metabolic and genetic constraints is also an empirical prerequisite for rational engineering and redesigning of plant metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi A Maeda
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA;
| | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany;
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15
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Callegari Ferrari R, Pires Bittencourt P, Yumi Nagumo P, Silva Oliveira W, Aurineide Rodrigues M, Hartwell J, Freschi L. Developing Portulaca oleracea as a model system for functional genomics analysis of C 4/CAM photosynthesis. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2021; 48:666-682. [PMID: 33256895 DOI: 10.1071/fp20202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Previously regarded as an intriguing photosynthetic curiosity, the occurrence of C4 and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis within a single organism has recently emerged as a source of information for future biotechnological use. Among C4/CAM facultative species, Portulaca oleracea L. has been used as a model for biochemical and gene expression analysis of C4/CAM under field and laboratory conditions. In the present work, we focussed on developing molecular tools to facilitate functional genomics studies in this species, from the optimisation of RNA isolation protocols to a method for stable genetic transformation. Eleven variations of RNA extraction procedures were tested and compared for RNA quantity and quality. Also, 7 sample sets comprising total RNA from hormonal and abiotic stress treatments, distinct plant organs, leaf developmental stages, and subspecies were used to select, among 12 reference genes, the most stable reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis of each experimental condition. Furthermore, different explant sources, Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains, and regeneration and antibiotic selection media were tested in various combinations to optimise a protocol for stable genetic transformation of P. oleracea. Altogether, we provide essential tools for functional gene analysis in the context of C4/CAM photosynthesis, including an efficient RNA isolation method, preferred reference genes for RT-qPCR normalisation for a range of experimental conditions, and a protocol to produce P. oleracea stable transformants using A. tumefaciens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Callegari Ferrari
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Priscila Pires Bittencourt
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Paula Yumi Nagumo
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Willian Silva Oliveira
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Maria Aurineide Rodrigues
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brasil
| | - James Hartwell
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Luciano Freschi
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brasil; and Corresponding author.
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16
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Winter K, Garcia M, Virgo A, Ceballos J, Holtum JAM. Does the C 4 plant Trianthema portulacastrum (Aizoaceae) exhibit weakly expressed crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)? FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2021; 48:655-665. [PMID: 33213694 DOI: 10.1071/fp20247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We examined whether crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is present in Trianthema portulacastrum L. (Aizoaceae), a pantropical, salt-tolerant C4 annual herb with atriplicoid-type Kranz anatomy in leaves but not in stems. The leaves of T. portulacastrum are slightly succulent and the stems are fleshy, similar to some species of Portulaca, the only genus known in which C4 and CAM co-occur. Low- level nocturnal acidification typical of weakly expressed, predominantly constitutive CAM was measured in plants grown for their entire life-cycle in an outdoor raised garden box. Acidification was greater in stems than in leaves. Plants showed net CO2 uptake only during the light irrespective of soil water availability. However, nocturnal traces of CO2 exchange exhibited curved kinetics of reduced CO2 loss during the middle of the night consistent with low-level CAM. Trianthema becomes the second genus of vascular land plants in which C4 and features of CAM have been demonstrated to co-occur in the same plant and the first C4 plant with CAM-type acidification described for the Aizoaceae. Traditionally the stems of herbs are not sampled in screening studies. Small herbs with mildly succulent leaves and fleshy stems might be a numerically significant component of CAM biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama; and Corresponding author.
| | - Milton Garcia
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Aurelio Virgo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Jorge Ceballos
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Joseph A M Holtum
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama; and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia
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17
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Russ Monson and the evolution of C 4 photosynthesis. Oecologia 2021; 197:823-840. [PMID: 33661402 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04883-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Early in his career, Russ Monson produced a series of influential eco-physiological papers that helped lay the foundation for the study of C4 plant evolution. Among the most important was a 1984 paper with Maurice Ku and Gerry Edwards that outlined the pathway for the evolutionary bridge from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. This model proposed C4 photosynthesis arose out of a shuttle that imported photorespiratory metabolites into bundle sheath (BS) cells, where glycine decarboxylase cleaved off CO2, allowing it to accumulate and be efficiently refixed by BS Rubisco. By the mid-1990's, Monson's research focus had shifted away from C4 plants, save for one 2003 paper on C3 versus C4 stomatal control with Travis Huxman, and a series of critical reviews on C4 evolution. These reviews heavily influenced the modern synthesis of C4 evolutionary studies, which incorporates phylogenomic understanding with physiological, molecular, and structural characterizations of trait shifts in multiple evolutionary lineages. Subsequent research supported the Monson et al. model from 1984, by showing a glycine shuttle occurs in nearly all C3-C4 intermediate species identified. Monson also examined the physiological controls over the ecological distribution of C3, C3-C4 intermediate, and C4 photosynthesis, building our understanding of the fitness value of the intermediate and C4 pathway in relevant microenvironments. By establishing the foundation for discoveries that followed, Russ Monson can rightly be considered a leading pioneer contributing to the evolutionary biology of C4 photosynthesis.
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18
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Ferrari RC, Cruz BC, Gastaldi VD, Storl T, Ferrari EC, Boxall SF, Hartwell J, Freschi L. Exploring C 4-CAM plasticity within the Portulaca oleracea complex. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14237. [PMID: 32859905 PMCID: PMC7455729 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71012-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Portulaca oleracea is a C4 herb capable of performing CAM under drought stress. It is distributed worldwide and is either considered a polymorphic species or a complex of subspecies, due to its numerous morphological variations. We evaluated CAM plasticity within P. oleracea genotypes since the complexity surrounding this species may be reflected in intraspecific variations in photosynthetic behavior. Eleven subspecies of P. oleracea from distant geographical locations and one cultivar were morphologically and physiologically characterized. C4 and CAM photosynthesis were monitored in plants exposed to well-watered, droughted and rewatered treatments, and data obtained were compared among individual genotypes. All subspecies expressed CAM in a fully-reversible manner. Transcript abundance of C4–CAM signature genes was shown to be a useful indicator of the C4–CAM–C4 switches in all genotypes. C4-related genes were down-regulated and subsequently fully expressed upon drought and rewatering, respectively. CAM-marker genes followed the opposite pattern. A gradient of morphological traits and drought-induced nighttime malate accumulation was observed across genotypes. Therefore, different combinations of CAM expression levels, plant sizes and shapes are available within the P. oleracea complex, which can be a valuable tool in the context of C4/CAM photosynthesis research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Callegari Ferrari
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Bruna Coelho Cruz
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | | | - Thalyson Storl
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Elisa Callegari Ferrari
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Susanna F Boxall
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - James Hartwell
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Luciano Freschi
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
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19
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Wong GKS, Soltis DE, Leebens-Mack J, Wickett NJ, Barker MS, Van de Peer Y, Graham SW, Melkonian M. Sequencing and Analyzing the Transcriptomes of a Thousand Species Across the Tree of Life for Green Plants. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 71:741-765. [PMID: 31851546 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042916-041040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The 1,000 Plants (1KP) initiative was the first large-scale effort to collect next-generation sequencing (NGS) data across a phylogenetically representative sampling of species for a major clade of life, in this case theViridiplantae, or green plants. As an international multidisciplinary consortium, we focused on plant evolution and its practical implications. Among the major outcomes were the inference of a reference species tree for green plants by phylotranscriptomic analysis of low-copy genes, a survey of paleopolyploidy (whole-genome duplications) across the Viridiplantae, the inferred evolutionary histories for many gene families and biological processes, the discovery of novel light-sensitive proteins for optogenetic studies in mammalian neuroscience, and elucidation of the genetic network for a complex trait (C4 photosynthesis). Altogether, 1KP demonstrated how value can be extracted from a phylodiverse sequencing data set, providing a template for future projects that aim to generate even more data, including complete de novo genomes, across the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gane Ka-Shu Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada;
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Douglas E Soltis
- Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
| | - Jim Leebens-Mack
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Norman J Wickett
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois 60022, USA
| | - Michael S Barker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
| | - Yves Van de Peer
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Sean W Graham
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Michael Melkonian
- Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45141 Essen, Germany
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20
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Ferrari RC, Bittencourt PP, Rodrigues MA, Moreno-Villena JJ, Alves FRR, Gastaldi VD, Boxall SF, Dever LV, Demarco D, Andrade SCS, Edwards EJ, Hartwell J, Freschi L. C 4 and crassulacean acid metabolism within a single leaf: deciphering key components behind a rare photosynthetic adaptation. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 225:1699-1714. [PMID: 31610019 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Although biochemically related, C4 and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) systems are expected to be incompatible. However, Portulaca species, including P. oleracea, operate C4 and CAM within a single leaf, and the mechanisms behind this unique photosynthetic arrangement remain largely unknown. Here, we employed RNA-seq to identify candidate genes involved exclusively or shared by C4 or CAM, and provided an in-depth characterization of their transcript abundance patterns during the drought-induced photosynthetic transitions in P. oleracea. Data revealed fewer candidate CAM-specific genes than those recruited to function in C4 . The putative CAM-specific genes were predominantly involved in night-time primary carboxylation reactions and malate movement across the tonoplast. Analysis of gene transcript-abundance regulation and photosynthetic physiology indicated that C4 and CAM coexist within a single P. oleracea leaf under mild drought conditions. Developmental and environmental cues were shown to regulate CAM expression in stems, whereas the shift from C4 to C4 -CAM hybrid photosynthesis in leaves was strictly under environmental control. Moreover, efficient starch turnover was identified as part of the metabolic adjustments required for CAM operation in both organs. These findings provide insights into C4 /CAM connectivity and compatibility, contributing to a deeper understanding of alternative ways to engineer CAM into C4 crop species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata C Ferrari
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Priscila P Bittencourt
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Maria A Rodrigues
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Jose J Moreno-Villena
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, PO Box 208105, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Frederico R R Alves
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Vinícius D Gastaldi
- Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas (HCFMUSP), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05403-903, Brasil
| | - Susanna F Boxall
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Louisa V Dever
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Diego Demarco
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Sónia C S Andrade
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, PO Box 208105, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - James Hartwell
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Luciano Freschi
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
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21
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Guralnick LJ, Gilbert KE, Denio D, Antico N. The Development of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) Photosynthesis in Cotyledons of the C 4 Species, Portulaca grandiflora (Portulacaceae). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:E55. [PMID: 31906418 PMCID: PMC7020464 DOI: 10.3390/plants9010055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Portulaca grandiflora simultaneously utilizes both the C4 and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthetic pathways. Our goal was to determine whether CAM developed and was functional simultaneously with the C4 pathway in cotyledons of P. grandiflora. We studied during development whether CAM would be induced with water stress by monitoring the enzyme activity, leaf structure, JO2 (rate of O2 evolution calculated by fluorescence analysis), and the changes in titratable acidity of 10 and 25 days old cotyledons. In the 10 days old cotyledons, C4 and CAM anatomy were evident within the leaf tissue. The cotyledons showed high titratable acid levels but a small CAM induction. In the 25 days old cotyledons, there was a significant acid fluctuation under 7 days of water stress. The overall enzyme activity was reduced in the 10 days old plants, while in the 25 days old plants CAM activity increased under water-stressed conditions. In addition to CAM, the research showed the presence of glycine decarboxylase in the CAM tissue. Thus, it appears both pathways develop simultaneously in the cotyledons but the CAM pathway, due to anatomical constraints, may be slower to develop than the C4 pathway. Cotyledons showed the ancestral Atriplicoid leaf anatomy, which leads to the question: Could a CAM cell be the precursor to the C4 pathway? Further study of this may lead to understanding into the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in the Portulaca.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lonnie J. Guralnick
- Department of Biology, Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry Rd., Bristol, RI 02809, USA; (K.E.G.); (D.D.); (N.A.)
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22
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Yang X, Liu D, Tschaplinski TJ, Tuskan GA. Comparative genomics can provide new insights into the evolutionary mechanisms and gene function in CAM plants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:6539-6547. [PMID: 31616946 PMCID: PMC6883262 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis is an important biological innovation enabling plant adaptation to hot and dry environments. CAM plants feature high water-use efficiency, with potential for sustainable crop production under water-limited conditions. A deep understanding of CAM-related gene function and molecular evolution of CAM plants is critical for exploiting the potential of engineering CAM into C3 crops to enhance crop production on semi-arid or marginal agricultural lands. With the newly emerging genomics resources for multiple CAM species, progress has been made in comparative genomics studies on the molecular basis and subsequently on the evolution of CAM. Here, recent advances in CAM comparative genomics research in constitutive and facultative CAM plants are reviewed, with a focus on the analyses of DNA/protein sequences and gene expression to provide new insights into the path and driving force of CAM evolution and to identify candidate genes involved in CAM-related biological processes. Potential applications of new computational and experimental technologies (e.g. CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome-editing technology) to the comparative and evolutionary genomics research on CAM plants are offered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Yang
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, USA
| | - Degao Liu
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development and Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Timothy J Tschaplinski
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, USA
| | - Gerald A Tuskan
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, USA
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23
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Winter K, Sage RF, Edwards EJ, Virgo A, Holtum JAM. Facultative crassulacean acid metabolism in a C3-C4 intermediate. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:6571-6579. [PMID: 30820551 PMCID: PMC6883265 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The Portulacaceae enable the study of the evolutionary relationship between C4 and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis. Shoots of well-watered plants of the C3-C4 intermediate species Portulaca cryptopetala Speg. exhibit net uptake of CO2 solely during the light. CO2 fixation is primarily via the C3 pathway as indicated by a strong stimulation of CO2 uptake when shoots were provided with air containing 2% O2. When plants were subjected to water stress, daytime CO2 uptake was reduced and CAM-type net CO2 uptake in the dark occurred. This was accompanied by nocturnal accumulation of acid in both leaves and stems, also a defining characteristic of CAM. Following rewatering, net CO2 uptake in the dark ceased in shoots, as did nocturnal acidification of the leaves and stems. With this unequivocal demonstration of stress-related reversible, i.e. facultative, induction of CAM, P. cryptopetala becomes the first C3-C4 intermediate species reported to exhibit CAM. Portulaca molokiniensis Hobdy, a C4 species, also exhibited CAM only when subjected to water stress. Facultative CAM has now been demonstrated in all investigated species of Portulaca, which are well sampled from across the phylogeny. This strongly suggests that in Portulaca, a lineage in which species engage predominately in C4 photosynthesis, facultative CAM is ancestral to C4. In a broader context, it has now been demonstrated that CAM can co-exist in leaves that exhibit any of the other types of photosynthesis known in terrestrial plants: C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Aurelio Virgo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Joseph A M Holtum
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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Winter K, Garcia M, Virgo A, Holtum JAM. Operating at the very low end of the crassulacean acid metabolism spectrum: Sesuvium portulacastrum (Aizoaceae). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:6561-6570. [PMID: 30535159 PMCID: PMC6883264 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Demonstration of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in species with low usage of this system relative to C3-photosynthetic CO2 assimilation can be challenging experimentally but provides crucial information on the early steps of CAM evolution. Here, weakly expressed CAM was detected in the well-known pantropical coastal, leaf-succulent herb Sesuvium portulacastrum, demonstrating that CAM is present in the Sesuvioideae, the only sub-family of the Aizoaceae in which it had not yet been shown conclusively. In outdoor plots in Panama, leaves and stems of S. portulacastrum consistently exhibited a small degree of nocturnal acidification which, in leaves, increased during the dry season. In potted plants, nocturnal acidification was mainly facultative, as levels of acidification increased in a reversible manner following the imposition of short-term water-stress. In drought-stressed plants, nocturnal net CO2 exchange approached the CO2-compensation point, consistent with low rates of CO2 dark fixation sufficient to eliminate respiratory carbon loss. Detection of low-level CAM in S. portulacastrum adds to the growing number of species that cannot be considered C3 plants sensu stricto, although they obtain CO2 principally via the C3 pathway. Knowledge about the presence/absence of low-level CAM is critical when assessing trajectories of CAM evolution in lineages. The genus Sesuvium is of particular interest because it also contains C4 species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Milton Garcia
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Aurelio Virgo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Joseph A M Holtum
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
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Edwards EJ. Evolutionary trajectories, accessibility and other metaphors: the case of C 4 and CAM photosynthesis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:1742-1755. [PMID: 30993711 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Are evolutionary outcomes predictable? Adaptations that show repeated evolutionary convergence across the Tree of Life provide a special opportunity to dissect the context surrounding their origins, and identify any commonalities that may predict why certain traits evolved many times in particular clades and yet never evolved in others. The remarkable convergence of C4 and Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis in vascular plants makes them exceptional model systems for understanding the repeated evolution of complex phenotypes. This review highlights what we have learned about the recurring assembly of C4 and CAM, focusing on the increasingly predictable stepwise evolutionary integration of anatomy and biochemistry. With the caveat that we currently understand C4 evolution better than we do CAM, I propose a general model that explains and unites C4 and CAM evolutionary trajectories. Available data suggest that anatomical modifications are the 'rate-limiting step' in each trajectory, which in large part determines the evolutionary accessibility of both syndromes. The idea that organismal structure exerts a primary influence on innovation is discussed in the context of other systems. Whether the rate-limiting step occurs early or late in the evolutionary assembly of a new phenotype may have profound implications for its distribution across the Tree of Life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St, New Haven, CT, 06520-8105, USA
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26
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Wang N, Yang Y, Moore MJ, Brockington SF, Walker JF, Brown JW, Liang B, Feng T, Edwards C, Mikenas J, Olivieri J, Hutchison V, Timoneda A, Stoughton T, Puente R, Majure LC, Eggli U, Smith SA. Evolution of Portulacineae Marked by Gene Tree Conflict and Gene Family Expansion Associated with Adaptation to Harsh Environments. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:112-126. [PMID: 30371871 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Several plant lineages have evolved adaptations that allow survival in extreme and harsh environments including many families within the plant clade Portulacineae (Caryophyllales) such as the Cactaceae, Didiereaceae, and Montiaceae. Here, using newly generated transcriptomic data, we reconstructed the phylogeny of Portulacineae and examined potential correlates between molecular evolution and adaptation to harsh environments. Our phylogenetic results were largely congruent with previous analyses, but we identified several early diverging nodes characterized by extensive gene tree conflict. For particularly contentious nodes, we present detailed information about the phylogenetic signal for alternative relationships. We also analyzed the frequency of gene duplications, confirmed previously identified whole genome duplications (WGD), and proposed a previously unidentified WGD event within the Didiereaceae. We found that the WGD events were typically associated with shifts in climatic niche but did not find a direct association with WGDs and diversification rate shifts. Diversification shifts occurred within the Portulacaceae, Cactaceae, and Anacampserotaceae, and whereas these did not experience WGDs, the Cactaceae experienced extensive gene duplications. We examined gene family expansion and molecular evolutionary patterns with a focus on genes associated with environmental stress responses and found evidence for significant gene family expansion in genes with stress adaptation and clades found in extreme environments. These results provide important directions for further and deeper examination of the potential links between molecular evolutionary patterns and adaptation to harsh environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Wang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Ya Yang
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN
| | - Michael J Moore
- Department of Biology, Oberlin College, Science Center K111, Oberlin, OH
| | - Samuel F Brockington
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph F Walker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Joseph W Brown
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Bin Liang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Tao Feng
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Edwards
- Department of Biology, Oberlin College, Science Center K111, Oberlin, OH
| | - Jessica Mikenas
- Department of Biology, Oberlin College, Science Center K111, Oberlin, OH
| | - Julia Olivieri
- Department of Biology, Oberlin College, Science Center K111, Oberlin, OH
| | - Vera Hutchison
- Department of Biology, Oberlin College, Science Center K111, Oberlin, OH
| | - Alfonso Timoneda
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tommy Stoughton
- Center for the Environment, MSC 63, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH
| | - Raúl Puente
- Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ
| | - Lucas C Majure
- Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ.,Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Urs Eggli
- Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Stephen A Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
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Niechayev NA, Pereira PN, Cushman JC. Understanding trait diversity associated with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 49:74-85. [PMID: 31284077 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2019.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a specialized mode of photosynthesis that exploits a temporal CO2 pump with nocturnal CO2 uptake and concentration to reduce photorespiration, improve water-use efficiency (WUE), and optimize the adaptability of plants to climates with seasonal or intermittent water limitations. CAM plants display a plastic continuum in the extent to which species engage in net nocturnal CO2 uptake that ranges from 0 to 100%. CAM plants also display diverse enzyme and organic acid and carbohydrate storage systems, which likely reflect the multiple, independent evolutionary origins of CAM. CAM is often accompanied by a diverse set of anatomical traits, such as tissue succulence and water-storage and water-capture strategies to attenuate drought. Other co-adaptive traits, such as thick cuticles, epicuticular wax, low stomatal density, high stomatal responsiveness, and shallow rectifier-like roots limit water loss under conditions of water deficit. Recommendations for future research efforts to better explore and understand the diversity of traits associated with CAM and CAM Biodesign efforts are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A Niechayev
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557-0330, United States
| | - Paula N Pereira
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557-0330, United States
| | - John C Cushman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557-0330, United States.
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29
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Bohley K, Schröder T, Kesselmeier J, Ludwig M, Kadereit G. C4-like photosynthesis and the effects of leaf senescence on C4-like physiology in Sesuvium sesuvioides (Aizoaceae). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:1553-1565. [PMID: 30689935 PMCID: PMC6411375 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Sesuvium sesuvioides (Sesuvioideae, Aizoaceae) is a perennial, salt-tolerant herb distributed in flats, depressions, or disturbed habitats of southern Africa and the Cape Verdes. Based on carbon isotope values, it is considered a C4 species, despite a relatively high ratio of mesophyll to bundle sheath cells (2.7:1) in the portulacelloid leaf anatomy. Using leaf anatomy, immunocytochemistry, gas exchange measurements, and enzyme activity assays, we sought to identify the biochemical subtype of C4 photosynthesis used by S. sesuvioides and to explore the anatomical, physiological, and biochemical traits of young, mature, and senescing leaves, with the aim to elucidate the plasticity and possible limitations of the photosynthetic efficiency in this species. Assays indicated that S. sesuvioides employs the NADP-malic enzyme as the major decarboxylating enzyme. The activity of C4 enzymes, however, declined as leaves aged, and the proportion of water storage tissue increased while air space decreased. These changes suggest a functional shift from photosynthesis to water storage in older leaves. Interestingly, S. sesuvioides demonstrated CO2 compensation points ranging between C4 and C3-C4 intermediate values, and immunocytochemistry revealed labeling of the Rubisco large subunit in mesophyll cells. We hypothesize that S. sesuvioides represents a young C4 lineage with C4-like photosynthesis in which C3 and C4 cycles are running simultaneously in the mesophyll.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Bohley
- Institut für Molekulare Physiologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany
- Institut für Organismische und Molekulare Evolutionsbiologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany
| | - Till Schröder
- Philipps-Universität, FB 16–Pharmazie, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kesselmeier
- Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Multiphase Chemistry Department, Mainz, Germany
| | - Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular Sciences [310], University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Gudrun Kadereit
- Institut für Molekulare Physiologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany
- Institut für Organismische und Molekulare Evolutionsbiologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany
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30
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Heyduk K, Hwang M, Albert V, Silvera K, Lan T, Farr K, Chang TH, Chan MT, Winter K, Leebens-Mack J. Altered Gene Regulatory Networks Are Associated With the Transition From C 3 to Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in Erycina (Oncidiinae: Orchidaceae). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 9:2000. [PMID: 30745906 PMCID: PMC6360190 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.02000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis is a modification of the core C3 photosynthetic pathway that improves the ability of plants to assimilate carbon in water-limited environments. CAM plants fix CO2 mostly at night, when transpiration rates are low. All of the CAM pathway genes exist in ancestral C3 species, but the timing and magnitude of expression are greatly altered between C3 and CAM species. Understanding these regulatory changes is key to elucidating the mechanism by which CAM evolved from C3. Here, we use two closely related species in the Orchidaceae, Erycina pusilla (CAM) and Erycina crista-galli (C3), to conduct comparative transcriptomic analyses across multiple time points. Clustering of genes with expression variation across the diel cycle revealed some canonical CAM pathway genes similarly expressed in both species, regardless of photosynthetic pathway. However, gene network construction indicated that 149 gene families had significant differences in network connectivity and were further explored for these functional enrichments. Genes involved in light sensing and ABA signaling were some of the most differently connected genes between the C3 and CAM Erycina species, in agreement with the contrasting diel patterns of stomatal conductance in C3 and CAM plants. Our results suggest changes to transcriptional cascades are important for the transition from C3 to CAM photosynthesis in Erycina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Heyduk
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Michelle Hwang
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Victor Albert
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Katia Silvera
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Tianying Lan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Kimberly Farr
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Tien-Hao Chang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Ming-Tsair Chan
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Klaus Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Jim Leebens-Mack
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
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31
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Yin H, Guo HB, Weston DJ, Borland AM, Ranjan P, Abraham PE, Jawdy SS, Wachira J, Tuskan GA, Tschaplinski TJ, Wullschleger SD, Guo H, Hettich RL, Gross SM, Wang Z, Visel A, Yang X. Diel rewiring and positive selection of ancient plant proteins enabled evolution of CAM photosynthesis in Agave. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:588. [PMID: 30081833 PMCID: PMC6090859 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4964-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) enhances plant water-use efficiency through an inverse day/night pattern of stomatal closure/opening that facilitates nocturnal CO2 uptake. CAM has evolved independently in over 35 plant lineages, accounting for ~ 6% of all higher plants. Agave species are highly heat- and drought-tolerant, and have been domesticated as model CAM crops for beverage, fiber, and biofuel production in semi-arid and arid regions. However, the genomic basis of evolutionary innovation of CAM in genus Agave is largely unknown. Results Using an approach that integrated genomics, gene co-expression networks, comparative genomics and protein structure analyses, we investigated the molecular evolution of CAM as exemplified in Agave. Comparative genomics analyses among C3, C4 and CAM species revealed that core metabolic components required for CAM have ancient genomic origins traceable to non-vascular plants while regulatory proteins required for diel re-programming of metabolism have a more recent origin shared among C3, C4 and CAM species. We showed that accelerated evolution of key functional domains in proteins responsible for primary metabolism and signaling, together with a diel re-programming of the transcription of genes involved in carbon fixation, carbohydrate processing, redox homeostasis, and circadian control is required for the evolution of CAM in Agave. Furthermore, we highlighted the potential candidates contributing to the adaptation of CAM functional modules. Conclusions This work provides evidence of adaptive evolution of CAM related pathways. We showed that the core metabolic components required for CAM are shared by non-vascular plants, but regulatory proteins involved in re-reprogramming of carbon fixation and metabolite transportation appeared more recently. We propose that the accelerated evolution of key proteins together with a diel re-programming of gene expression were required for CAM evolution from C3 ancestors in Agave. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4964-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengfu Yin
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,Present address: Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhejiang, 311400, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao-Bo Guo
- Department of Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - David J Weston
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Anne M Borland
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Priya Ranjan
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,DOE-Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Paul E Abraham
- DOE-Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 37831, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Sara S Jawdy
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,DOE-Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - James Wachira
- Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, 21251, USA
| | - Gerald A Tuskan
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,DOE-Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Timothy J Tschaplinski
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,DOE-Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Stan D Wullschleger
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Hong Guo
- Department of Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Robert L Hettich
- DOE-Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.,Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 37831, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Stephen M Gross
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA.,Present address: Illumina, Inc., San Diego, CA, 92122, USA
| | - Zhong Wang
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA.,School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.,Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Axel Visel
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA.,School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.,Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Xiaohan Yang
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA. .,DOE-Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
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González-Segura L, Mújica-Jiménez C, Juárez-Díaz JA, Güémez-Toro R, Martinez-Castilla LP, Muñoz-Clares RA. Identification of the allosteric site for neutral amino acids in the maize C 4 isozyme of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase: The critical role of Ser-100. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:9945-9957. [PMID: 29743237 PMCID: PMC6028945 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.002884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The isozymes of photosynthetic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from C4 plants (PEPC-C4) play a critical role in their atmospheric CO2 assimilation and productivity. They are allosterically activated by phosphorylated trioses or hexoses, such as d-glucose 6-phosphate, and inhibited by l-malate or l-aspartate. Additionally, PEPC-C4 isozymes from grasses are activated by glycine, serine, or alanine, but the allosteric site for these compounds remains unknown. Here, we report a new crystal structure of the isozyme from Zea mays (ZmPEPC-C4) with glycine bound at the monomer-monomer interfaces of the two dimers of the tetramer, making interactions with residues of both monomers. This binding site is close to, but different from, the one proposed to bind glucose 6-phosphate. Docking experiments indicated that d/l-serine or d/l-alanine could also bind to this site, which does not exist in the PEPC-C4 isozyme from the eudicot plant Flaveria, mainly because of a lysyl residue at the equivalent position of Ser-100 in ZmPEPC-C4 Accordingly, the ZmPEPC-C4 S100K mutant is not activated by glycine, serine, or alanine. Amino acid sequence alignments showed that PEPC-C4 isozymes from the monocot family Poaceae have either serine or glycine at this position, whereas those from Cyperaceae and eudicot families have lysine. The size and charge of the residue equivalent to Ser-100 are not only crucial for the activation of PEPC-C4 isozymes by neutral amino acids but also affect their affinity for the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate and their allosteric regulation by glucose 6-phosphate and malate, accounting for the reported kinetic differences between PEPC-C4 isozymes from monocot and eudicot plants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Javier Andrés Juárez-Díaz
- Departamento de Biología Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Ciudad de México, México
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Some like it hot: the physiological ecology of C 4 plant evolution. Oecologia 2018; 187:941-966. [PMID: 29955992 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4191-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of C4 photosynthesis requires an intermediate phase where photorespiratory glycine produced in the mesophyll cells must flow to the vascular sheath cells for metabolism by glycine decarboxylase. This glycine flux concentrates photorespired CO2 within the sheath cells, allowing it to be efficiently refixed by sheath Rubisco. A modest C4 biochemical cycle is then upregulated, possibly to support the refixation of photorespired ammonia in sheath cells, with subsequent increases in C4 metabolism providing incremental benefits until an optimized C4 pathway is established. 'Why' C4 photosynthesis evolved is largely explained by ancestral C3 species exploiting photorespiratory CO2 to improve carbon gain and thus enhance fitness. While photorespiration depresses C3 performance, it produces a resource (photorespired CO2) that can be exploited to build an evolutionary bridge to C4 photosynthesis. 'Where' C4 evolved is indicated by the habitat of species branching near C3-to-C4 transitions on phylogenetic trees. Consistent with the photorespiratory bridge hypothesis, transitional species show that the large majority of > 60 C4 lineages arose in hot, dry, and/or saline regions where photorespiratory potential is high. 'When' C4 evolved has been clarified by molecular clock analyses using phylogenetic data, coupled with isotopic signatures from fossils. Nearly all C4 lineages arose after 25 Ma when atmospheric CO2 levels had fallen to near current values. This reduction in CO2, coupled with persistent high temperature at low-to-mid-latitudes, met a precondition where photorespiration was elevated, thus facilitating the evolutionary selection pressure that led to C4 photosynthesis.
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Holtum JAM, Hancock LP, Edwards EJ, Winter K. Crassulacean acid metabolism in the Basellaceae (Caryophyllales). PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2018; 20:409-414. [PMID: 29369469 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
C4 and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) have evolved in the order Caryophyllales many times but neither C4 nor CAM have been recorded for the Basellaceae, a small family in the CAM-rich sub-order Portulacineae. 24 h gas exchange and day-night changes in titratable acidity were measured in leaves of Anredera baselloides exposed to wet-dry-wet cycles. While net CO2 uptake was restricted to the light period in well-watered plants, net CO2 fixation in the dark, accompanied by significant nocturnal increases in leaf acidity, developed in droughted plants. Plants reverted to solely C3 photosynthesis upon rewatering. The reversible induction of nocturnal net CO2 uptake by drought stress indicates that this species is able to exhibit CAM in a facultative manner. This is the first report of CAM in a member of the Basellaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A M Holtum
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - L P Hancock
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - E J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - K Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
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Goolsby EW, Moore AJ, Hancock LP, De Vos JM, Edwards EJ. Molecular evolution of key metabolic genes during transitions to C 4 and CAM photosynthesis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2018; 105:602-613. [PMID: 29660114 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Next-generation sequencing facilitates rapid production of well-sampled phylogenies built from very large genetic data sets, which can then be subsequently exploited to examine the molecular evolution of the genes themselves. We present an evolutionary analysis of 83 gene families (19 containing carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) genes, 64 containing non-CCM genes) in the portullugo clade (Caryophyllales), a diverse lineage of mostly arid-adapted plants that contains multiple evolutionary origins of all known photosynthesis types in land plants (C3 , C4 , CAM, C4 -CAM, and various intermediates). METHODS We inferred a phylogeny of 197 individuals from 167 taxa using coalescent-based approaches and individual gene family trees using maximum likelihood. Positive selection analyses were conducted on individual gene family trees with a mixed effects model of evolution (MEME). We devised new indices to compare levels of convergence and prevalence of particular residues between CCM and non-CCM genes and between species with different photosynthetic pathways. KEY RESULTS Contrary to expectations, there were no significant differences in the levels of positive selection detected in CCM versus non-CCM genes. However, we documented a significantly higher level of convergent amino acid substitutions in CCM genes, especially in C4 taxa. CONCLUSIONS Our analyses reveal a new suite of amino acid residues putatively important for C4 and CAM function. We discuss both the advantages and challenges of using targeted enrichment sequence data for exploratory studies of molecular evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric W Goolsby
- Brown University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Box G-W, 80 Waterman St, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA
- Yale University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 165 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
| | - Abigail J Moore
- Brown University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Box G-W, 80 Waterman St, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology and Oklahoma Biological Survey, 136 George Lynn Cross Hall, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019, USA
| | - Lillian P Hancock
- Brown University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Box G-W, 80 Waterman St, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA
| | - Jurriaan M De Vos
- Brown University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Box G-W, 80 Waterman St, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA
- University of Basel, Department of Environmental Sciences-Botany, Bernoullistrasse 32, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Brown University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Box G-W, 80 Waterman St, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA
- Yale University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 165 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
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Functional Anatomical Traits of the Photosynthetic Organs of Plants with Crassulacean Acid Metabolism. THE LEAF: A PLATFORM FOR PERFORMING PHOTOSYNTHESIS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-93594-2_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Boxall SF, Dever LV, Kneřová J, Gould PD, Hartwell J. Phosphorylation of Phospho enolpyruvate Carboxylase Is Essential for Maximal and Sustained Dark CO 2 Fixation and Core Circadian Clock Operation in the Obligate Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Species Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi. THE PLANT CELL 2017; 29:2519-2536. [PMID: 28887405 PMCID: PMC5774574 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.17.00301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PPC; EC 4.1.1.31) catalyzes primary nocturnal CO2 fixation in Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species. CAM PPC is regulated posttranslationally by a circadian clock-controlled protein kinase called phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase (PPCK). PPCK phosphorylates PPC during the dark period, reducing its sensitivity to feedback inhibition by malate and thus enhancing nocturnal CO2 fixation to stored malate. Here, we report the generation and characterization of transgenic RNAi lines of the obligate CAM species Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi with reduced levels of KfPPCK1 transcripts. Plants with reduced or no detectable dark phosphorylation of PPC displayed up to a 66% reduction in total dark period CO2 fixation. These perturbations paralleled reduced malate accumulation at dawn and decreased nocturnal starch turnover. Loss of oscillations in the transcript abundance of KfPPCK1 was accompanied by a loss of oscillations in the transcript abundance of many core circadian clock genes, suggesting that perturbing the only known link between CAM and the circadian clock feeds back to perturb the central circadian clock itself. This work shows that clock control of KfPPCK1 prolongs the activity of PPC throughout the dark period in K. fedtschenkoi, optimizing CAM-associated dark CO2 fixation, malate accumulation, CAM productivity, and core circadian clock robustness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna F Boxall
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Louisa V Dever
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Jana Kneřová
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Peter D Gould
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - James Hartwell
- Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
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Moore AJ, Vos JMD, Hancock LP, Goolsby E, Edwards EJ. Targeted Enrichment of Large Gene Families for Phylogenetic Inference: Phylogeny and Molecular Evolution of Photosynthesis Genes in the Portullugo Clade (Caryophyllales). Syst Biol 2017; 67:367-383. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syx078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Abigail J Moore
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Box G-W, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology and Oklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Jurriaan M De Vos
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Box G-W, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Department of Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, UK
- Department of Environmental Sciences—Botany, University of Basel, Totengässlein 3, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lillian P Hancock
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Box G-W, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Eric Goolsby
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Box G-W, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, PO Box 208105, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Box G-W, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, PO Box 208105, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Holtum JAM, Hancock LP, Edwards EJ, Winter K. Optional use of CAM photosynthesis in two C 4 species, Portulaca cyclophylla and Portulaca digyna. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 214:91-96. [PMID: 28511087 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2017.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Revised: 01/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Low levels of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) are demonstrated in two species with C4 photosynthesis, Portulaca cyclophylla and P. digyna. The expression of CAM in P. cyclophylla and P. digyna is facultative, i.e. optional. Well-watered plants did not accumulate acid at night and exhibited gas-exchange patterns consistent with C4 photosynthesis. CAM-type nocturnal acidification was reversible in that it was induced following drought and lost when droughted plants were rewatered. In P. cyclophylla, droughting was accompanied by a small but discernible net uptake of CO2 during the dark, whereas in P. digyna, net CO2 exchange at night approached the CO2 compensation point but did not transition beyond it. This report brings the number of known C4 species with a capacity for expressing CAM to six. All are species of Portulaca. The observation of CAM in P. cyclophylla and P. digyna is the first for species in the opposite-leaved (OL) Portulacelloid-anatomy lineage of Portulaca and for the Australian clade therein. The other four species are within the alternate-leaved (AL) lineage, in the Atriploid-anatomy Oleracea and the Pilosoid-anatomy Pilosa clades. Studies of the evolutionary origins of C4 and CAM in Portulaca will benefit from a more wide-range survey of CAM across its species, particularly in the C3-C4 intermediate-containing Cryptopetala clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A M Holtum
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Queensland, Australia; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama.
| | - Lillian P Hancock
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Box G-W, Providence RI 02912, USA.
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Box G-W, Providence RI 02912, USA.
| | - Klaus Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama.
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Bräutigam A, Schlüter U, Eisenhut M, Gowik U. On the Evolutionary Origin of CAM Photosynthesis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 174:473-477. [PMID: 28416703 PMCID: PMC5462059 DOI: 10.1104/pp.17.00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Generation of carbon skeletons for amino acid synthesis in some C3 plants resembles fluxes needed for CAM-type photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bräutigam
- Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK), Network Analysis and Modeling, D-06466 Seeland, OT Gatersleben; Germany (A.B.); and
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry (U.S., M.E.) and Institute of Developmental and Molecular Plant Biology (U.G.), Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Urte Schlüter
- Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK), Network Analysis and Modeling, D-06466 Seeland, OT Gatersleben; Germany (A.B.); and
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry (U.S., M.E.) and Institute of Developmental and Molecular Plant Biology (U.G.), Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Marion Eisenhut
- Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK), Network Analysis and Modeling, D-06466 Seeland, OT Gatersleben; Germany (A.B.); and
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry (U.S., M.E.) and Institute of Developmental and Molecular Plant Biology (U.G.), Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Udo Gowik
- Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK), Network Analysis and Modeling, D-06466 Seeland, OT Gatersleben; Germany (A.B.); and
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry (U.S., M.E.) and Institute of Developmental and Molecular Plant Biology (U.G.), Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Abstract
Succulent plants are iconic components of the florae of many terrestrial ecosystems, but despite having caused fascination and prompted investigation for centuries, they still harbour many secrets in terms of physiological function and evolution. Tackling these mysteries is important, as this will not only provide insights into the dynamics and details of the convergent evolution of a major adaptive syndrome, but also inform efforts to conserve endangered biodiversity and utilize the unique physiological characteristics of succulents for biofuel and biomass production. Here I review advances in the phylogeny and organismal biology of succulent plants, and discuss how insights from recent work in the wider fields of plant hydraulics and photosynthetic physiology may relate to succulents. The potential for the exploration of mechanistic relationships between anatomical structure and physiological function to improve our understanding of the constraints that have shaped the evolution of succulence is highlighted. Finally, attention is drawn to how new methodologies and technologies provide exciting opportunities to address the wide range of outstanding questions in succulent plant biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Males
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
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42
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Clayton H, Saladié M, Rolland V, Sharwood R, Macfarlane T, Ludwig M. Loss of the Chloroplast Transit Peptide from an Ancestral C 3 Carbonic Anhydrase Is Associated with C 4 Evolution in the Grass Genus Neurachne. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 173:1648-1658. [PMID: 28153918 PMCID: PMC5338660 DOI: 10.1104/pp.16.01893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Neurachne is the only known grass lineage containing closely related C3, C3-C4 intermediate, and C4 species, making it an ideal taxon with which to study the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in the grasses. To begin dissecting the molecular changes that led to the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in this group, the complementary DNAs encoding four distinct β-carbonic anhydrase (CA) isoforms were characterized from leaf tissue of Neurachne munroi (C4), Neurachne minor (C3-C4), and Neurachne alopecuroidea (C3). Two genes (CA1 and CA2) each encode two different isoforms: CA1a/CA1b and CA2a/CA2b. Transcript analyses found that CA1 messenger RNAs were significantly more abundant than transcripts from the CA2 gene in the leaves of each species examined, constituting ∼99% of all β-CA transcripts measured. Localization experiments using green fluorescent protein fusion constructs showed that, while CA1b is a cytosolic CA in all three species, the CA1a proteins are differentially localized. The N. alopecuroidea and N. minor CA1a isoforms were imported into chloroplasts of Nicotiana benthamiana leaf cells, whereas N. munroi CA1a localized to the cytosol. Sequence analysis indicated an 11-amino acid deletion in the amino terminus of N. munroi CA1a relative to the C3 and C3-C4 proteins, suggesting that chloroplast targeting of CA1a is the ancestral state and that loss of a functional chloroplast transit peptide in N. munroi CA1a is associated with the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in Neurachne spp. Remarkably, this mechanism is homoplastic with the evolution of the C4-associated CA in the dicotyledonous genus Flaveria, although the actual mutations in the two lineages differ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harmony Clayton
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia (H.C., M.S., M.L.)
- Australian Research Council Centre for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia (V.R., R.S.); and
- Western Australian Herbarium, Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth, Western Australia 6152, Australia (T.M.)
| | - Montserrat Saladié
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia (H.C., M.S., M.L.)
- Australian Research Council Centre for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia (V.R., R.S.); and
- Western Australian Herbarium, Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth, Western Australia 6152, Australia (T.M.)
| | - Vivien Rolland
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia (H.C., M.S., M.L.)
- Australian Research Council Centre for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia (V.R., R.S.); and
- Western Australian Herbarium, Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth, Western Australia 6152, Australia (T.M.)
| | - Robert Sharwood
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia (H.C., M.S., M.L.)
- Australian Research Council Centre for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia (V.R., R.S.); and
- Western Australian Herbarium, Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth, Western Australia 6152, Australia (T.M.)
| | - Terry Macfarlane
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia (H.C., M.S., M.L.)
- Australian Research Council Centre for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia (V.R., R.S.); and
- Western Australian Herbarium, Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth, Western Australia 6152, Australia (T.M.)
| | - Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia (H.C., M.S., M.L.);
- Australian Research Council Centre for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia (V.R., R.S.); and
- Western Australian Herbarium, Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth, Western Australia 6152, Australia (T.M.)
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Sage RF. A portrait of the C4 photosynthetic family on the 50th anniversary of its discovery: species number, evolutionary lineages, and Hall of Fame. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:4039-4056. [PMID: 28110278 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erx005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Fifty years ago, the C4 photosynthetic pathway was first characterized. In the subsequent five decades, much has been learned about C4 plants, such that it is now possible to place nearly all C4 species into their respective evolutionary lineages. Sixty-one independent lineages of C4 photosynthesis are identified, with additional, ancillary C4 origins possible in 12 of these principal lineages. The lineages produced ~8100 C4 species (5044 grasses, 1322 sedges, and 1777 eudicots). Using midpoints of stem and crown node dates in their respective phylogenies, the oldest and most speciose C4 lineage is the grass lineage Chloridoideae, estimated to be near 30 million years old. Most C4 lineages are estimated to be younger than 15 million years. Older C4 lineages tend to be more speciose, while those younger than 7 million years have <43 species each. To further highlight C4 photosynthesis for a 50th anniversary snapshot, a Hall of Fame comprised of the 40 most significant C4 species is presented. Over the next 50 years, preservation of the Earth's C4 diversity is a concern, largely because of habitat loss due to elevated CO2 effects, invasive species, and expanded agricultural activities. Ironically, some members of the C4 Hall of Fame are leading threats to the natural C4 flora due to their association with human activities on landscapes where most C4 plants occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5R3C6
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Sage RF, Sultmanis S. Why are there no C 4 forests? JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 203:55-68. [PMID: 27481816 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2016.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Revised: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is absent from the arborescent life form, with the exception of seven Hawaiian Euphorbia species and a few desert shrubs that become arborescent with age. As a consequence, wherever C3 trees can establish, their height advantage enables them to outcompete low stature C4 vegetation. Had C4 photosynthesis been able to evolve in an arborescent life form, forest cover (by C4 trees) could have been much more extensive than today, with significant consequences for the biosphere. Here, we address why there are so few C4 trees. Physiological explanations associated with low light performance of C4 photosynthesis are not supported, because C4 shade-tolerant species exhibit similar performance as shade-tolerant C3 species in terms of quantum yield, steady-state photosynthetic and use of sunflecks. Hence, hypothetical C4 trees could occur in the regeneration niche of forests. Constraints associated with the evolutionary history of the C4 lineages are more plausible. Most C4 species are grasses and sedges, which lack meristems needed for arborescence, while most C4 eudicots are highly specialized for harsh (arid, saline, hot) or disturbed habitats where arborescence may be maladapted. Most C4 eudicot clades are also young, and have not had sufficient time to radiate beyond the extreme environments where C4 evolution is favored. In the case of the Hawaiian Euphorbia species, they belong to one of the oldest and most diverse C4 lineages, which primed this group to evolve arborescence in a low-competition environment that appeared on the remote Hawaiian Islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S3B2, Canada.
| | - Stefanie Sultmanis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S3B2, Canada
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Liu F, Li J, Feng G, Li Z. New Genomic Insights into "Entotheonella" Symbionts in Theonella swinhoei: Mixotrophy, Anaerobic Adaptation, Resilience, and Interaction. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1333. [PMID: 27610106 PMCID: PMC4996862 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
“Entotheonella” (phylum “Tectomicrobia”) is a filamentous symbiont that produces almost all known bioactive compounds derived from the Lithistida sponge Theonella swinhoei. In contrast to the comprehensive knowledge of its secondary metabolism, knowledge of its lifestyle, resilience, and interaction with the sponge host and other symbionts remains rudimentary. In this study, we obtained two “Entotheonella” genomes from T. swinhoei from the South China Sea through metagenome binning, and used a RASTtk pipeline to achieve better genome annotation. The high average nucleotide index values suggested they were the same phylotypes as the two “Entotheonella” phylotypes from T. swinhoei from the Japan Sea. Genomic features related to utilization of various carbon sources, peptidase secretion, CO2 fixation, sulfate reduction, anaerobic respiration, and denitrification indicated the mixotrophic nature of “Entotheonella.” The endospore-forming potential along with metal- and antibiotic resistance indicated “Entotheonella” was highly resilient to harsh conditions. The potential for endospore formation also explained the widespread distribution of “Entotheonella” to some extent. The discovery of Type II (general secretion pathway proteins and the Widespread Colonization Island) and Type VI secretion systems in “Entotheonella” suggested it could secrete extracellular hydrolases, form tight adhesion, act against phagocytes, and kill other prokaryotes. Overall, the newly discovered genomic features suggest “Entotheonella” is a highly competitive member of the symbiotic community of T. swinhoei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Liu
- Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism-School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China
| | - Jinlong Li
- Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism-School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China
| | - Guofang Feng
- Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism-School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiyong Li
- Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism-School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China
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Sage RF. A portrait of the C4 photosynthetic family on the 50th anniversary of its discovery: species number, evolutionary lineages, and Hall of Fame. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:4039-56. [PMID: 27053721 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Fifty years ago, the C4 photosynthetic pathway was first characterized. In the subsequent five decades, much has been learned about C4 plants, such that it is now possible to place nearly all C4 species into their respective evolutionary lineages. Sixty-one independent lineages of C4 photosynthesis are identified, with additional, ancillary C4 origins possible in 12 of these principal lineages. The lineages produced ~8100 C4 species (5044 grasses, 1322 sedges, and 1777 eudicots). Using midpoints of stem and crown node dates in their respective phylogenies, the oldest and most speciose C4 lineage is the grass lineage Chloridoideae, estimated to be near 30 million years old. Most C4 lineages are estimated to be younger than 15 million years. Older C4 lineages tend to be more speciose, while those younger than 7 million years have <43 species each. To further highlight C4 photosynthesis for a 50th anniversary snapshot, a Hall of Fame comprised of the 40 most significant C4 species is presented. Over the next 50 years, preservation of the Earth's C4 diversity is a concern, largely because of habitat loss due to elevated CO2 effects, invasive species, and expanded agricultural activities. Ironically, some members of the C4 Hall of Fame are leading threats to the natural C4 flora due to their association with human activities on landscapes where most C4 plants occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5R3C6
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Hartwell J, Dever LV, Boxall SF. Emerging model systems for functional genomics analysis of Crassulacean acid metabolism. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 31:100-8. [PMID: 27082281 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is one of three main pathways of photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation found in higher plants. It stands out for its ability to underpin dramatic improvements in plant water use efficiency, which in turn has led to a recent renaissance in CAM research. The current ease with which candidate CAM-associated genes and proteins can be identified through high-throughput sequencing has opened up a new horizon for the development of diverse model CAM species that are amenable to genetic manipulations. The adoption of these model CAM species is underpinning rapid advances in our understanding of the complete gene set for CAM. We highlight recent breakthroughs in the functional characterisation of CAM genes that have been achieved through transgenic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Hartwell
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
| | - Louisa V Dever
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Susanna F Boxall
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
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Deng H, Zhang LS, Zhang GQ, Zheng BQ, Liu ZJ, Wang Y. Evolutionary history of PEPC genes in green plants: Implications for the evolution of CAM in orchids. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2016; 94:559-564. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Brilhaus D, Bräutigam A, Mettler-Altmann T, Winter K, Weber APM. Reversible Burst of Transcriptional Changes during Induction of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in Talinum triangulare. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 170:102-22. [PMID: 26530316 PMCID: PMC4704576 DOI: 10.1104/pp.15.01076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Drought tolerance is a key factor for agriculture in the 21st century as it is a major determinant of plant survival in natural ecosystems as well as crop productivity. Plants have evolved a range of mechanisms to cope with drought, including a specialized type of photosynthesis termed Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). CAM is associated with stomatal closure during the day as atmospheric CO2 is assimilated primarily during the night, thus reducing transpirational water loss. The tropical herbaceous perennial species Talinum triangulare is capable of transitioning, in a facultative, reversible manner, from C3 photosynthesis to weakly expressed CAM in response to drought stress. The transcriptional regulation of this transition has been studied. Combining mRNA-Seq with targeted metabolite measurements, we found highly elevated levels of CAM-cycle enzyme transcripts and their metabolic products in T. triangulare leaves upon water deprivation. The carbohydrate metabolism is rewired to reduce the use of reserves for growth to support the CAM-cycle and the synthesis of compatible solutes. This large-scale expression dataset of drought-induced CAM demonstrates transcriptional regulation of the C3-CAM transition. We identified candidate transcription factors to mediate this photosynthetic plasticity, which may contribute in the future to the design of more drought-tolerant crops via engineered CAM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Brilhaus
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine-University, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany (D.B., A.B., T.M.-A., A.P.M.W.); and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama (K.W.)
| | - Andrea Bräutigam
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine-University, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany (D.B., A.B., T.M.-A., A.P.M.W.); and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama (K.W.)
| | - Tabea Mettler-Altmann
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine-University, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany (D.B., A.B., T.M.-A., A.P.M.W.); and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama (K.W.)
| | - Klaus Winter
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine-University, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany (D.B., A.B., T.M.-A., A.P.M.W.); and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama (K.W.)
| | - Andreas P M Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine-University, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany (D.B., A.B., T.M.-A., A.P.M.W.); and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama (K.W.)
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Alissandratos A, Easton CJ. Biocatalysis for the application of CO2 as a chemical feedstock. Beilstein J Org Chem 2015; 11:2370-87. [PMID: 26734087 PMCID: PMC4685893 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.11.259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Biocatalysts, capable of efficiently transforming CO2 into other more reduced forms of carbon, offer sustainable alternatives to current oxidative technologies that rely on diminishing natural fossil-fuel deposits. Enzymes that catalyse CO2 fixation steps in carbon assimilation pathways are promising catalysts for the sustainable transformation of this safe and renewable feedstock into central metabolites. These may be further converted into a wide range of fuels and commodity chemicals, through the multitude of known enzymatic reactions. The required reducing equivalents for the net carbon reductions may be drawn from solar energy, electricity or chemical oxidation, and delivered in vitro or through cellular mechanisms, while enzyme catalysis lowers the activation barriers of the CO2 transformations to make them more energy efficient. The development of technologies that treat CO2-transforming enzymes and other cellular components as modules that may be assembled into synthetic reaction circuits will facilitate the use of CO2 as a renewable chemical feedstock, greatly enabling a sustainable carbon bio-economy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher J Easton
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
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