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Nguyen ND, Pulsford SB, Förster B, Rottet S, Rourke L, Long BM, Price GD. A carboxysome-based CO 2 concentrating mechanism for C 3 crop chloroplasts: advances and the road ahead. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 118:940-952. [PMID: 38321620 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16667] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
The introduction of the carboxysome-based CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM) into crop plants has been modelled to significantly increase crop yields. This projection serves as motivation for pursuing this strategy to contribute to global food security. The successful implementation of this engineering challenge is reliant upon the transfer of a microcompartment that encapsulates cyanobacterial Rubisco, known as the carboxysome, alongside active bicarbonate transporters. To date, significant progress has been achieved with respect to understanding various aspects of the cyanobacterial CCM, and more recently, different components of the carboxysome have been successfully introduced into plant chloroplasts. In this Perspective piece, we summarise recent findings and offer new research avenues that will accelerate research in this field to ultimately and successfully introduce the carboxysome into crop plants for increased crop yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nghiem D Nguyen
- Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Sacha B Pulsford
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, 137 Sullivan's Ck Rd, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Britta Förster
- Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Sarah Rottet
- Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Loraine Rourke
- Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Benedict M Long
- Discipline of Biological Sciences, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
| | - G Dean Price
- Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
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Weerasooriya HN, Longstreth DJ, DiMario RJ, Rosati VC, Cassel BA, Moroney JV. Carbonic anhydrases in the cell wall and plasma membrane of Arabidopsis thaliana are required for optimal plant growth on low CO 2. Front Mol Biosci 2024; 11:1267046. [PMID: 38455761 PMCID: PMC10917985 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1267046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Plants have many genes encoding both alpha and beta type carbonic anhydrases. Arabidopsis has eight alpha type and six beta type carbonic anhydrase genes. Individual carbonic anhydrases are localized to specific compartments within the plant cell. In this study, we investigate the roles of αCA2 and βCA4.1 in the growth of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana under different CO2 regimes. Methods: Here, we identified the intracellular location of αCA2 and βCA4.1 by linking the coding region of each gene to a fluorescent tag. Tissue expression was determined by investigating GUS expression driven by the αCA2 and βCA4.1 promoters. Finally, the role of these proteins in plant growth and photosynthesis was tested in plants with T-DNA insertions in the αCA2 and βCA4 genes. Results: Fluorescently tagged proteins showed that αCA2 is localized to the cell wall and βCA4.1 to the plasma membrane in plant leaves. Both proteins were expressed in roots and shoots. Plants missing either αCA2 or βCA4 did not show any growth defects under the conditions tested in this study. However, if both αCA2 and βCA4 were disrupted, plants had a significantly smaller above- ground fresh weight and rosette area than Wild Type (WT) plants when grown at 200 μL L-1 CO2 but not at 400 and 1,000 μL L-1 CO2. Growth of the double mutant plants at 200 μL L-1 CO2 was restoredif either αCA2 or βCA4.1 was transformed back into the double mutant plants. Discussion: Both the cell wall and plasma membrane CAs, αCA2 and βCA4.1 had to be knocked down to produce an effect on Arabidopsis growth and only when grown in a CO2 concentration that was significantly below ambient. This indicates that αCA2 and βCA4.1 have overlapping functions since the growth of lines where only one of these CAs was knocked down was indistinguishable from WT growth. The growth results and cellular locations of the two CAs suggest that together, αCA2 and βCA4.1 play an important role in the delivery of CO2 and HCO3 - to the plant cell.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - James V. Moroney
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
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Zhou L, Xiang X, Ji D, Chen Q, Ma T, Wang J, Liu C. A Carbonic Anhydrase, ZmCA4, Contributes to Photosynthetic Efficiency and Modulates CO2 Signaling Gene Expression by Interacting with Aquaporin ZmPIP2;6 in Maize. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 65:243-258. [PMID: 37955399 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcad145] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Carbonic anhydrase (CA) catalyzes the reversible CO2 hydration reaction that produces bicarbonate for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC). This is the initial step for transmitting the CO2 signal in C4 photosynthesis. However, it remains unknown whether the maize (Zea mays L.) CA gene, ZmCA4, plays a role in the maize photosynthesis process. In our study, we found that ZmCA4 was relatively highly expressed in leaves and localized in the chloroplast and the plasma membrane of mesophyll protoplasts. Knock-out of ZmCA4 reduced CA activity, while overexpression of ZmCA4 increased rubisco activity, as well as the quantum yield and relative electron transport rate in photosystem II. Overexpression of ZmCA4 enhanced maize yield-related traits. Moreover, ZmCA4 interacted with aquaporin ZmPIP2;6 in bimolecular fluorescence complementation and co-immunoprecipitation experiments. The double-knock-out mutant for ZmPIP2;6 and ZmCA4 genes showed reductions in its growth, CA and PEPC activities, assimilation rate and photosystem activity. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the expression of other ZmCAs, ZmPIPs, as well as CO2 signaling pathway homologous genes, and photosynthetic-related genes was all altered in the double-knock-out mutant compared with the wild type. Altogether, our study's findings point to a critical role of ZmCA4 in determining photosynthetic capacity and modulating CO2 signaling regulation via its interaction with ZmPIP2;6, thus providing insight into the potential genetic value of ZmCA4 for maize yield improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lian Zhou
- Maize Research Institute, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
- Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xiaoqin Xiang
- Maize Research Institute, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Dongpu Ji
- Maize Research Institute, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Qiulan Chen
- Maize Research Institute, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Tengfei Ma
- Maize Research Institute, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Jiuguang Wang
- Maize Research Institute, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
- Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Chaoxian Liu
- Maize Research Institute, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
- Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, No. 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
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Kasili RW, Rai AK, Moroney JV. LCIB functions as a carbonic anhydrase: evidence from yeast and Arabidopsis carbonic anhydrase knockout mutants. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023; 156:193-204. [PMID: 36856938 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-023-01005-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii evolved a CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) because of the limited CO2 in its natural environment. One critical component of the C. reinhardtii CCM is the limiting CO2 inducible B (LCIB) protein. LCIB is required for acclimation to air levels of CO2. C. reinhardtii cells with a mutated LCIB protein have an 'air-dier' phenotype when grown in low CO2 conditions, meaning they die in air levels of CO2 but can grow in high and very low CO2 conditions. The LCIB protein functions together with its close homolog in C. reinhardtii, limiting CO2 inducible C protein (LCIC), in a hexameric LCIB-LCIC complex. LCIB has been proposed to act as a vectoral carbonic anhydrase (CA) that helps to recapture CO2 that would otherwise leak out of the chloroplast. Although both LCIB and LCIC are structurally similar to βCAs, their CA activity has not been demonstrated to date. We provide evidence that LCIB is an active CA using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae CA knockout mutant (∆NCE103) and an Arabidopsis thaliana βCA5 knockout mutant (βca5). We show that different truncated versions of the LCIB protein complement ∆NCE103, while the full length LCIB protein complements βca5 plants, so that both the yeast and plant mutants can grow in low CO2 conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remmy W Kasili
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Ashwani K Rai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - James V Moroney
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.
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Sharma N, Froehlich JE, Rillema R, Raba DA, Chambers T, Kerfeld CA, Kramer DM, Walker B, Brandizzi F. Arabidopsis stromal carbonic anhydrases exhibit non-overlapping roles in photosynthetic efficiency and development. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37010739 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are ubiquitous enzymes that accelerate the reversible conversion of CO2 to HCO3 - . The Arabidopsis genome encodes members of the α-, β- and γ-CA families, and it has been hypothesized that βCA activity has a role in photosynthesis. In this work, we tested this hypothesis by characterizing the two plastidial βCAs, βCA1 and βCA5, in physiological conditions of growth. We conclusively established that both proteins are localized in the chloroplast stroma and that the loss of βCA5 induced the expression of βCA1, supporting the existence of regulatory mechanisms to control the expression of stromal βCAs. We also established that βCA1 and βCA5 have markedly different enzymatic kinetics and physiological relevance. Specifically, we found that βCA5 had a first-order rate constant ~10-fold lower than βCA1, and that the loss of βCA5 is detrimental to growth and could be rescued by high CO2 . Furthermore, we established that, while a βCA1 mutation showed near wild-type growth and no significant impact on photosynthetic efficiency, the loss of βCA5 markedly disrupted photosynthetic efficiency and light-harvesting capacity at ambient CO2 . Therefore, we conclude that in physiological autotrophic growth, the loss of the more highly expressed βCA1 does not compensate for the loss of a less active βCA5, which in turn is involved in growth and photosynthesis at ambient CO2 levels. These results lend support to the hypothesis that, in Arabidopsis,βCAs have non-overlapping roles in photosynthesis and identify a critical activity of stromal βCA5 and a dispensable role for βCA1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Sharma
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - John E Froehlich
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Rees Rillema
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Daniel A Raba
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Taylor Chambers
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Cheryl A Kerfeld
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - David M Kramer
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Berkley Walker
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Federica Brandizzi
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- DOE-Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
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Förster B, Rourke LM, Weerasooriya HN, Pabuayon ICM, Rolland V, Au EK, Bala S, Bajsa-Hirschel J, Kaines S, Kasili R, LaPlace L, Machingura MC, Massey B, Rosati VC, Stuart-Williams H, Badger MR, Price GD, Moroney JV. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast envelope protein LCIA transports bicarbonate in planta. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023:erad116. [PMID: 36987927 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
LCIA is a chloroplast envelope protein associated with the CO2 concentrating mechanism of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. LCIA is postulated to be a HCO3- channel, but previous studies were unable to show that LCIA was actively transporting bicarbonate in planta. Therefore, LCIA activity was investigated more directly in two heterologous systems: an E. coli mutant (DCAKO) lacking both native carbonic anhydrases and an Arabidopsis mutant (βca5) missing the plastid carbonic anhydrase βCA5. Both DCAKO and βca5 cannot grow in ambient CO2 conditions, as they lack carbonic anhydrase-catalyzed production of the necessary HCO3- concentration for lipid and nucleic acid biosynthesis. Expression of LCIA restored growth in both systems in ambient CO2 conditions, which strongly suggests that LCIA is facilitating HCO3- uptake in each system. To our knowledge, this is the first direct evidence that LCIA moves HCO3- across membranes in bacteria and plants. Furthermore, the βca5 plant bioassay used in this study is the first system for testing HCO3- transport activity in planta, an experimental breakthrough that will be valuable for future studies aimed at improving the photosynthetic efficiency of crop plants using components from algal CO2 concentrating mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britta Förster
- The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Loraine M Rourke
- The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Hiruni N Weerasooriya
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Isaiah C M Pabuayon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Vivien Rolland
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Eng Kee Au
- The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Soumi Bala
- The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Joanna Bajsa-Hirschel
- Natural Products Utilization Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, University, MS 38677, USA
| | - Sarah Kaines
- The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Remmy Kasili
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Lillian LaPlace
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | | | - Baxter Massey
- The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Viviana C Rosati
- Department of Biology, Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | | | - Murray R Badger
- The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - G Dean Price
- The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - James V Moroney
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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7
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OsαCA1 Affects Photosynthesis, Yield Potential, and Water Use Efficiency in Rice. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065560. [PMID: 36982632 PMCID: PMC10056782 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant growth and crop yield are essentially determined by photosynthesis when considering carbon dioxide (CO2) availability. CO2 diffusion inside a leaf is one of the factors that dictate the CO2 concentrations in chloroplasts. Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are zinc-containing enzymes that interconvert CO2 and bicarbonate ions (HCO3−), which, consequently, affect CO2 diffusion and thus play a fundamental role in all photosynthetic organisms. Recently, the great progress in the research in this field has immensely contributed to our understanding of the function of the β-type CAs; however, the analysis of α-type CAs in plants is still in its infancy. In this study, we identified and characterized the OsαCA1 gene in rice via the analysis of OsαCAs expression in flag leaves and the subcellular localization of its encoding protein. OsαCA1 encodes an α-type CA, whose protein is located in chloroplasts with a high abundance in photosynthetic tissues, including flag leaves, mature leaves, and panicles. OsαCA1 deficiency caused a significant reduction in assimilation rate, biomass accumulation, and grain yield. The growth and photosynthetic defects of the OsαCA1 mutant were attributable to the restricted CO2 supply at the chloroplast carboxylation sites, which could be partially rescued by the application of an elevated concentration of CO2 but not that of HCO3−. Furthermore, we have provided evidence that OsαCA1 positively regulates water use efficiency (WUE) in rice. In summary, our results reveal that the function of OsαCA1 is integral to rice photosynthesis and yield potential, underscoring the importance of α-type CAs in determining plant physiology and crop yield and providing genetic resources and new ideas for breeding high-yielding rice varieties.
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Small Structural Differences Govern the Carbonic Anhydrase II Inhibition Activity of Cytotoxic Triterpene Acetazolamide Conjugates. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28031009. [PMID: 36770674 PMCID: PMC9919727 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Acetylated triterpenoids betulin, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, and glycyrrhetinic acid were converted into their succinyl-spacered acetazolamide conjugates. These conjugates were screened for their inhibitory activity onto carbonic anhydrase II and their cytotoxicity employing several human tumor cell lines and non-malignant fibroblasts. As a result, the best inhibitors were derived from betulin and glycyrrhetinic acid while those derived from ursolic or oleanolic acid were significantly weaker inhibitors but also of diminished cytotoxicity. A betulin-derived conjugate held a Ki = 0.129 μM and an EC50 = 8.5 μM for human A375 melanoma cells.
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