1
|
Bano Z, Westhoff P. A K homology (KH) domain protein identified by a forward genetic screen affects bundle sheath anatomy in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLANT DIRECT 2024; 8:e577. [PMID: 38576996 PMCID: PMC10990680 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Because of their photosynthetic capacity, leaves function as solar panels providing the basis for the growth of the entire plant. Although the molecular mechanisms of leaf development have been well studied in model dicot and monocot species, a lot of information is still needed about the interplay of the genes that regulate cell division and differentiation and thereby affect the photosynthetic performance of the leaf. We were specifically interested in understanding the differentiation of mesophyll and bundle sheath cells in Arabidopsis thaliana and aimed to identify genes that are involved in determining bundle sheath anatomy. To this end, we established a forward genetic screen by using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) for mutagenizing a reporter line expressing a chloroplast-targeted green fluorescent protein (sGFP) under the control of a bundle sheath-specific promoter. Based on the GFP fluorescence phenotype, numerous mutants were produced, and by pursuing a mapping-by-sequencing approach, the genomic segments containing mutated candidate genes were identified. One of the lines with an enhanced GFP fluorescence phenotype (named ELEVATED BUNDLE SHEATH CELLS SIGNAL 1 [ebss1]) was selected for further study, and the responsible gene was verified by CRISPR/Cas9-based mutagenesis of candidate genes located in the mapped genomic segment. The verified gene, At2g25970, encodes a K homology (KH) domain-containing protein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zahida Bano
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyHeinrich‐Heine‐UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyHeinrich‐Heine‐UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ermakova M, Lopez-Calcagno PE, Furbank RT, Raines CA, von Caemmerer S. Increased sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase content in Setaria viridis does not affect C4 photosynthesis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 191:885-893. [PMID: 36282540 PMCID: PMC9922425 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) is one of the rate-limiting enzymes of the Calvin cycle, and increasing the abundance of SBPase in C3 plants provides higher photosynthetic rates and stimulates biomass and yield. C4 plants usually have higher photosynthetic rates because they operate a biochemical CO2-concentrating mechanism between mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. In the C4 system, SBPase and other enzymes of the Calvin cycle are localized to the bundle sheath cells. Here we tested what effect increasing abundance of SBPase would have on C4 photosynthesis. Using green foxtail millet (Setaria viridis), a model C4 plant of NADP-ME subtype, we created transgenic plants with 1.5 to 3.2 times higher SBPase content compared to wild-type plants. Transcripts of the transgene were found predominantly in the bundle sheaths suggesting the correct cellular localization of the protein. The abundance of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit was not affected in transgenic plants overexpressing SBPase, and neither was leaf chlorophyll content or photosynthetic electron transport parameters. We found no association between SBPase content in S. viridis and saturating rates of CO2 assimilation. Moreover, a detailed analysis of CO2 assimilation rates at different CO2 partial pressures, irradiances, and leaf temperatures showed no improvement of photosynthesis in plants overexpressing SBPase. We discuss the potential implications of these results for understanding the role of SBPase in regulation of C4 photosynthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ermakova
- Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra 2600, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Patricia E Lopez-Calcagno
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Robert T Furbank
- Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra 2600, Australia
| | - Christine A Raines
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Susanne von Caemmerer
- Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra 2600, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Billakurthi K, Schulze S, Schulz ELM, Sage TL, Schreier TB, Hibberd JM, Ludwig M, Westhoff P. Shedding light on AT1G29480 of Arabidopsis thaliana-An enigmatic locus restricted to Brassicacean genomes. PLANT DIRECT 2022; 6:e455. [PMID: 36263108 PMCID: PMC9576117 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A key feature of C4 Kranz anatomy is the presence of an enlarged, photosynthetically highly active bundle sheath whose cells contain large numbers of chloroplasts. With the aim to identify novel candidate regulators of C4 bundle sheath development, we performed an activation tagging screen with Arabidopsis thaliana. The reporter gene used encoded a chloroplast-targeted GFP protein preferentially expressed in the bundle sheath, and the promoter of the C4 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene from Flaveria trinervia served as activation tag because of its activity in all chlorenchymatous tissues of A. thaliana. Primary mutants were selected based on their GFP signal intensity, and one stable mutant named kb-1 with a significant increase in GFP fluorescence intensity was obtained. Despite the increased GFP signal, kb-1 showed no alterations to bundle sheath anatomy. The causal locus, AT1G29480, is specific to the Brassicaceae with its second exon being conserved. Overexpression and reconstitution studies confirmed that AT1G29480, and specifically its second exon, were sufficient for the enhanced GFP phenotype, which was not dependent on translation of the locus or its parts into protein. We conclude, therefore, that the AT1G29480 locus enhances the GFP reporter gene activity via an RNA-based mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kumari Billakurthi
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyUniversitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich‐Heine‐UniversityDuesseldorfGermany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences ‘From Complex Traits Towards Synthetic Modules’Düsseldorf‐CologneGermany
- Department of Plant Sciences, Downing StreetUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Stefanie Schulze
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyUniversitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich‐Heine‐UniversityDuesseldorfGermany
| | - Eva Lena Marie Schulz
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyUniversitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich‐Heine‐UniversityDuesseldorfGermany
| | - Tammy L. Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyThe University of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Tina B. Schreier
- Department of Plant Sciences, Downing StreetUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Julian M. Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, Downing StreetUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyUniversitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich‐Heine‐UniversityDuesseldorfGermany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences ‘From Complex Traits Towards Synthetic Modules’Düsseldorf‐CologneGermany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Mercado MA, Studer AJ. Meeting in the Middle: Lessons and Opportunities from Studying C 3-C 4 Intermediates. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 73:43-65. [PMID: 35231181 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-102720-114201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of C3-C4 intermediate species nearly 50 years ago opened up a new avenue for studying the evolution of photosynthetic pathways. Intermediate species exhibit anatomical, biochemical, and physiological traits that range from C3 to C4. A key feature of C3-C4 intermediates that utilize C2 photosynthesis is the improvement in photosynthetic efficiency compared with C3 species. Although the recruitment of some core enzymes is shared across lineages, there is significant variability in gene expression patterns, consistent with models that suggest numerous evolutionary paths from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. Despite the many evolutionary trajectories, the recruitment of glycine decarboxylase for C2 photosynthesis is likely required. As technologies enable high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping, the discovery of new C3-C4 intermediates species will enrich comparisons between evolutionary lineages. The investigation of C3-C4 intermediate species will enhance our understanding of photosynthetic mechanisms and evolutionary processes and will potentially aid in crop improvement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anthony J Studer
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA; ,
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lee D, Hua L, Khoshravesh R, Giuliani R, Kumar I, Cousins A, Sage TL, Hibberd JM, Brutnell TP. Engineering chloroplast development in rice through cell-specific control of endogenous genetic circuits. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2021; 19:2291-2303. [PMID: 34328250 PMCID: PMC8541780 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The engineering of C4 photosynthetic activity into the C3 plant rice has the potential to nearly double rice yields. To engineer a two-cell photosynthetic system in rice, the rice bundle sheath (BS) must be rewired to enhance photosynthetic capacity. Here, we show that BS chloroplast biogenesis is enhanced when the transcriptional activator, Oryza sativa Cytokinin GATA transcription factor 1 (OsCGA1), is driven by a vascular specific promoter. Ectopic expression of OsCGA1 resulted in increased BS chloroplast planar area and increased expression of photosynthesis-associated nuclear genes (PhANG), required for the biogenesis of photosynthetically active chloroplasts in BS cells of rice. A further refinement using a DNAse dead Cas9 (dCas9) activation module driven by the same cell-type specific promoter, directed enhanced chloroplast development of the BS cells when gRNA sequences were delivered by the dCas9 module to the promoter of the endogenous OsCGA1 gene. Single gRNA expression was sufficient to mediate the transactivation of both the endogenous gene and a transgenic GUS reporter fused with OsCGA1 promoter. Our results illustrate the potential for tissue-specific dCas9-activation and the co-regulation of genes needed for multistep engineering of C4 rice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lei Hua
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Roxana Khoshravesh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biologythe University of TorontoTorontoONCanada
- Department of Biologythe University of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNMUSA
| | - Rita Giuliani
- School of Biological SciencesWashington State UniversityPullmanWAUSA
| | | | - Asaph Cousins
- School of Biological SciencesWashington State UniversityPullmanWAUSA
| | - Tammy L. Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biologythe University of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | | | - Thomas P. Brutnell
- Donald Danforth Plant Science CenterSt. LouisMOUSA
- Biotechnology Research InstituteChinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesBeijingChina
- Joint Laboratory for Photosynthesis Enhancement and C4 Rice DevelopmentBiotechnology Research InstituteChinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesBeijingChina
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cui H. Challenges and Approaches to Crop Improvement Through C3-to-C4 Engineering. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:715391. [PMID: 34594351 PMCID: PMC8476962 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.715391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
With a rapidly growing world population and dwindling natural resources, we are now facing the enormous challenge of increasing crop yields while simultaneously improving the efficiency of resource utilization. Introduction of C4 photosynthesis into C3 crops is widely accepted as a key strategy to meet this challenge because C4 plants are more efficient than C3 plants in photosynthesis and resource usage, particularly in hot climates, where the potential for productivity is high. Lending support to the feasibility of this C3-to-C4 engineering, evidence indicates that C4 photosynthesis has evolved from C3 photosynthesis in multiple lineages. Nevertheless, C3-to-C4 engineering is not an easy task, as several features essential to C4 photosynthesis must be introduced into C3 plants. One such feature is the spatial separation of the two phases of photosynthesis (CO2 fixation and carbohydrate synthesis) into the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, respectively. Another feature is the Kranz anatomy, characterized by a close association between the mesophyll and bundle sheath (BS) cells (1:1 ratio). These anatomical features, along with a C4-specific carbon fixation enzyme (PEPC), form a CO2-concentration mechanism that ensures a high photosynthetic efficiency. Much effort has been taken in the past to introduce the C4 mechanism into C3 plants, but none of these attempts has met with success, which is in my opinion due to a lack of system-level understanding and manipulation of the C3 and C4 pathways. As a prerequisite for the C3-to-C4 engineering, I propose that not only the mechanisms that control the Kranz anatomy and cell-type-specific expression in C3 and C4 plants must be elucidated, but also a good understanding of the gene regulatory network underlying C3 and C4 photosynthesis must be achieved. In this review, I first describe the past and current efforts to increase photosynthetic efficiency in C3 plants and their limitations; I then discuss a systems approach to tackling down this challenge, some practical issues, and recent technical innovations that would help us to solve these problems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongchang Cui
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
- College of Life Science, Northwest Science University of Agriculture and Forestry, Yangling, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lyu MJA, Gowik U, Kelly S, Covshoff S, Hibberd JM, Sage RF, Ludwig M, Wong GKS, Westhoff P, Zhu XG. The coordination of major events in C 4 photosynthesis evolution in the genus Flaveria. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15618. [PMID: 34341365 PMCID: PMC8329263 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93381-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a remarkable complex trait, elucidations of the evolutionary trajectory of C4 photosynthesis from its ancestral C3 pathway can help us better understand the generic principles of the evolution of complex traits and guide the engineering of C3 crops for higher yields. Here, we used the genus Flaveria that contains C3, C3-C4, C4-like and C4 species as a system to study the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. We first mapped transcript abundance, protein sequence and morphological features onto the phylogenetic tree of the genus Flaveria, and calculated the evolutionary correlation of different features; we then predicted the relative changes of ancestral nodes of those features to illustrate the major events during the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. We found that gene expression and protein sequence showed consistent modification patterns in the phylogenetic tree. High correlation coefficients ranging from 0.46 to 0.9 among gene expression, protein sequence and morphology were observed. The greatest modification of those different features consistently occurred at the transition between C3-C4 species and C4-like species. Our results show highly coordinated changes in gene expression, protein sequence and morphological features, which support evolutionary major events during the evolution of C4 metabolism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Ju Amy Lyu
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Udo Gowik
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Steve Kelly
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Covshoff
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Gane Ka-Shu Wong
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ermakova M, Arrivault S, Giuliani R, Danila F, Alonso‐Cantabrana H, Vlad D, Ishihara H, Feil R, Guenther M, Borghi GL, Covshoff S, Ludwig M, Cousins AB, Langdale JA, Kelly S, Lunn JE, Stitt M, von Caemmerer S, Furbank RT. Installation of C 4 photosynthetic pathway enzymes in rice using a single construct. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2021; 19:575-588. [PMID: 33016576 PMCID: PMC7955876 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Introduction of a C4 photosynthetic mechanism into C3 crops offers an opportunity to improve photosynthetic efficiency, biomass and yield in addition to potentially improving nitrogen and water use efficiency. To create a two-cell metabolic prototype for an NADP-malic enzyme type C4 rice, we transformed Oryza sativa spp. japonica cultivar Kitaake with a single construct containing the coding regions of carbonic anhydrase, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase, NADP-malate dehydrogenase, pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase and NADP-malic enzyme from Zea mays, driven by cell-preferential promoters. Gene expression, protein accumulation and enzyme activity were confirmed for all five transgenes, and intercellular localization of proteins was analysed. 13 CO2 labelling demonstrated a 10-fold increase in flux though PEP carboxylase, exceeding the increase in measured in vitro enzyme activity, and estimated to be about 2% of the maize photosynthetic flux. Flux from malate via pyruvate to PEP remained low, commensurate with the low NADP-malic enzyme activity observed in the transgenic lines. Physiological perturbations were minor and RNA sequencing revealed no substantive effects of transgene expression on other endogenous rice transcripts associated with photosynthesis. These results provide promise that, with enhanced levels of the C4 proteins introduced thus far, a functional C4 pathway is achievable in rice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ermakova
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| | | | - Rita Giuliani
- School of Biological SciencesMolecular Plant SciencesWashington State UniversityPullmanWAUSA
| | - Florence Danila
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| | - Hugo Alonso‐Cantabrana
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
- Grains Research and Development CorporationBartonACTAustralia
| | - Daniela Vlad
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Hirofumi Ishihara
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - Regina Feil
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - Manuela Guenther
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - Gian Luca Borghi
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - Sarah Covshoff
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Asaph B. Cousins
- School of Biological SciencesMolecular Plant SciencesWashington State UniversityPullmanWAUSA
| | | | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - John E. Lunn
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - Mark Stitt
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - Susanne von Caemmerer
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| | - Robert T. Furbank
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Fichtner F, Barbier FF, Annunziata MG, Feil R, Olas JJ, Mueller-Roeber B, Stitt M, Beveridge CA, Lunn JE. Regulation of shoot branching in arabidopsis by trehalose 6-phosphate. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:2135-2151. [PMID: 33068448 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Trehalose 6-phosphate (Tre6P) is a sucrose signalling metabolite that has been implicated in regulation of shoot branching, but its precise role is not understood. We expressed tagged forms of TREHALOSE-6-PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE1 (TPS1) to determine where Tre6P is synthesized in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and investigated the impact of localized changes in Tre6P levels, in axillary buds or vascular tissues, on shoot branching in wild-type and branching mutant backgrounds. TPS1 is expressed in axillary buds and the subtending vasculature, as well as in the leaf and stem vasculature. Expression of a heterologous Tre6P phosphatase (TPP) to lower Tre6P in axillary buds strongly delayed bud outgrowth in long days and inhibited branching in short days. TPP expression in the vasculature also delayed lateral bud outgrowth and decreased branching. Increased Tre6P in the vasculature enhanced branching and was accompanied by higher expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and upregulation of sucrose transporters. Increased vascular Tre6P levels enhanced branching in branched1 but not in ft mutant backgrounds. These results provide direct genetic evidence of a local role for Tre6P in regulation of axillary bud outgrowth within the buds themselves, and also connect Tre6P with systemic regulation of shoot branching via FT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Fichtner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Francois F Barbier
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Maria G Annunziata
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
| | - Regina Feil
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
| | - Justyna J Olas
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, Haus 20, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
| | - Bernd Mueller-Roeber
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, Haus 20, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
| | - Mark Stitt
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
| | - Christine A Beveridge
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - John E Lunn
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Dickinson PJ, Kneřová J, Szecówka M, Stevenson SR, Burgess SJ, Mulvey H, Bågman AM, Gaudinier A, Brady SM, Hibberd JM. A bipartite transcription factor module controlling expression in the bundle sheath of Arabidopsis thaliana. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:1468-1479. [PMID: 33230313 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-00805-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis evolved repeatedly from the ancestral C3 state, improving photosynthetic efficiency by ~50%. In most C4 lineages, photosynthesis is compartmented between mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, but how gene expression is restricted to these cell types is poorly understood. Using the C3 model Arabidopsis thaliana, we identified cis-elements and transcription factors driving expression in bundle sheath strands. Upstream of the bundle sheath preferentially expressed MYB76 gene, we identified a region necessary and sufficient for expression containing two cis-elements associated with the MYC and MYB families of transcription factors. MYB76 expression is reduced in mutant alleles for these transcription factors. Moreover, downregulated genes shared by both mutants are preferentially expressed in the bundle sheath. Our findings are broadly relevant for understanding the spatial patterning of gene expression, provide specific insights into mechanisms associated with the evolution of C4 photosynthesis and identify a short tuneable sequence for manipulating gene expression in the bundle sheath.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jana Kneřová
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marek Szecówka
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sean R Stevenson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Steven J Burgess
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hugh Mulvey
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anne-Maarit Bågman
- Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Allison Gaudinier
- Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Siobhan M Brady
- Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
van Rooijen R, Schulze S, Petzsch P, Westhoff P. Targeted misexpression of NAC052, acting in H3K4 demethylation, alters leaf morphological and anatomical traits in Arabidopsis thaliana. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:1434-1448. [PMID: 31740936 PMCID: PMC7031063 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In an effort to identify genetic regulators for the cell ontogeny around the veins in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, an activation-tagged mutant line with altered leaf morphology and altered bundle sheath anatomy was characterized. This mutant had a small rosette area with wrinkled leaves and chlorotic leaf edges, as well as enhanced chloroplast numbers in the (pre-)bundle sheath tissue. It had a bundle-specific promoter from the gene GLYCINE DECARBOXYLASE SUBUNIT-T from the C4 species Flaveria trinervia (GLDTFt promoter) inserted in the coding region of the transcriptional repressor NAC052, functioning in H3K4 demethylation, in front of an alternative start codon in-frame with the natural start codon. Reconstruction of the mutation event of our activation-tagged line by creating a line expressing an N-terminally truncated sequence of NAC052 under control of the GLDTFt promoter confirmed the involvement of NAC052 in leaf development. Our study not only reveals leaf anatomic and transcriptomic effects of an N-terminally truncated NAC052 under control of the GLDTFt promoter, but also identifies NAC052 as a novel genetic regulator of leaf development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne van Rooijen
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences ‘From Complex Traits towards Synthetic Modules’, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schulze
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Patrick Petzsch
- Biologisch-Medizinisches Forschungszentrum (BMFZ), Genomics & Transcriptomics Labor (GTL), Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences ‘From Complex Traits towards Synthetic Modules’, Duesseldorf, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Ermakova M, Danila FR, Furbank RT, von Caemmerer S. On the road to C 4 rice: advances and perspectives. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 101:940-950. [PMID: 31596523 PMCID: PMC7065233 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The international C4 rice consortium aims to introduce into rice a high capacity photosynthetic mechanism, the C4 pathway, to increase yield. The C4 pathway is characterised by a complex combination of biochemical and anatomical specialisation that ensures high CO2 partial pressure at RuBisCO sites in bundle sheath (BS) cells. Here we report an update of the progress of the C4 rice project. Since its inception in 2008 there has been an exponential growth in synthetic biology and molecular tools. Golden Gate cloning and synthetic promoter systems have facilitated gene building block approaches allowing multiple enzymes and metabolite transporters to be assembled and expressed from single gene constructs. Photosynthetic functionalisation of the BS in rice remains an important step and there has been some success overexpressing transcription factors in the cytokinin signalling network which influence chloroplast volume. The C4 rice project has rejuvenated the research interest in C4 photosynthesis. Comparative anatomical studies now point to critical features essential for the design. So far little attention has been paid to the energetics. C4 photosynthesis has a greater ATP requirement, which is met by increased cyclic electron transport in BS cells. We hypothesise that changes in energy statues may drive this increased capacity for cyclic electron flow without the need for further modification. Although increasing vein density will ultimately be necessary for high efficiency C4 rice, our modelling shows that small amounts of C4 photosynthesis introduced around existing veins could already provide benefits of increased photosynthesis on the road to C4 rice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ermakova
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACT2601Australia
| | - Florence R. Danila
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACT2601Australia
| | - Robert T. Furbank
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACT2601Australia
| | - Susanne von Caemmerer
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational PhotosynthesisDivision of Plant ScienceResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityActonACT2601Australia
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Gupta SD, Levey M, Schulze S, Karki S, Emmerling J, Streubel M, Gowik U, Paul Quick W, Westhoff P. The C 4 Ppc promoters of many C 4 grass species share a common regulatory mechanism for gene expression in the mesophyll cell. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 101:204-216. [PMID: 31529521 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthetic plants have evolved from C3 ancestors and are characterized by differential expression of several hundred genes. Strict compartmentalization of key C4 enzymes either to mesophyll (M) or bundle sheath cells is considered a crucial step towards the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. In this study, we demonstrate that the 5'-flanking sequences of the C4 type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (Ppc) gene from three C4 grass species could drive M-cell-specific expression of a reporter gene in rice. In addition to that, we identified about 450 bp (upstream of their transcription start site) of the analyzed C4 Ppc promoters contain all the essential regulatory elements for driving M-cell-specific expression in rice leaves. Importantly, four motifs of conserved nucleotide sequences (CNSs) were also determined, which are essential for the activity of the promoter. A putative interaction between the CNSs and an unknown upstream element(s) is required for driving M-cell-specific expression. This work identifies the evolutionary conservation of C4 Ppc regulatory mechanisms of multiple closely related C4 grass species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shipan Das Gupta
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Universitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakahli, 3814, Bangladesh
| | - Myles Levey
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Universitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schulze
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Universitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Shanta Karki
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Laguna, 4031, Philippines
- National Citrus Development Program, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Jan Emmerling
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Universitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Monika Streubel
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Universitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Udo Gowik
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Universitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl Von Ossietzky University, D-26129, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - W Paul Quick
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Laguna, 4031, Philippines
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Universitätsstrasse 1, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences from Complex Traits towards Synthetic Modules, 40225 Duesseldorf and, 50923, Cologne, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Adwy W, Schlüter U, Papenbrock J, Peterhansel C, Offermann S. Loss of the M-box from the glycine decarboxylase P-subunit promoter in C2 Moricandia species. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2019.100176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
15
|
Döring F, Billakurthi K, Gowik U, Sultmanis S, Khoshravesh R, Das Gupta S, Sage TL, Westhoff P. Reporter-based forward genetic screen to identify bundle sheath anatomy mutants in A. thaliana. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 97:984-995. [PMID: 30447112 PMCID: PMC6850095 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of C4 photosynthesis proceeded stepwise with each small step increasing the fitness of the plant. An important pre-condition for the introduction of a functional C4 cycle is the photosynthetic activation of the C3 bundle sheath by increasing its volume and organelle number. Therefore, to engineer C4 photosynthesis into existing C3 crops, information about genes that control the bundle sheath cell size and organelle content is needed. However, very little information is known about the genes that could be manipulated to create a more C4 -like bundle sheath. To this end, an ethylmethanesulfonate (EMS)-based forward genetic screen was established in the Brassicaceae C3 species Arabidopsis thaliana. To ensure a high-throughput primary screen, the bundle sheath cells of A. thaliana were labeled using a luciferase (LUC68) or by a chloroplast-targeted green fluorescent protein (sGFP) reporter using a bundle sheath specific promoter. The signal strengths of the reporter genes were used as a proxy to search for mutants with altered bundle sheath anatomy. Here, we show that our genetic screen predominantly identified mutants that were primarily affected in the architecture of the vascular bundle, and led to an increase in bundle sheath volume. By using a mapping-by-sequencing approach the genomic segments that contained mutated candidate genes were identified.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florian Döring
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyHeinrich‐Heine UniversityUniversitätsstrasse 140225DuesseldorfGermany
| | - Kumari Billakurthi
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyHeinrich‐Heine UniversityUniversitätsstrasse 140225DuesseldorfGermany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences ‘From Complex Traits towards Synthetic Modules’40225 Duesseldorf and50923CologneGermany
| | - Udo Gowik
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyHeinrich‐Heine UniversityUniversitätsstrasse 140225DuesseldorfGermany
- Department of Biology and Environmental SciencesCarl Von Ossietzky UniversityAmmerlaender Heerstrasse 11426129OldenburgGermany
| | - Stefanie Sultmanis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyThe University of TorontoTorontoONM5S 3B2Canada
| | - Roxana Khoshravesh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyThe University of TorontoTorontoONM5S 3B2Canada
| | - Shipan Das Gupta
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyHeinrich‐Heine UniversityUniversitätsstrasse 140225DuesseldorfGermany
| | - Tammy L. Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyThe University of TorontoTorontoONM5S 3B2Canada
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental BiologyHeinrich‐Heine UniversityUniversitätsstrasse 140225DuesseldorfGermany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences ‘From Complex Traits towards Synthetic Modules’40225 Duesseldorf and50923CologneGermany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Kirschner S, Woodfield H, Prusko K, Koczor M, Gowik U, Hibberd JM, Westhoff P. Expression of SULTR2;2, encoding a low-affinity sulphur transporter, in the Arabidopsis bundle sheath and vein cells is mediated by a positive regulator. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2018; 69:4897-4906. [PMID: 30032291 PMCID: PMC6137973 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The bundle sheath provides a conduit linking veins and mesophyll cells. In the C3 plant Arabidopsis thaliana, it also plays important roles in oxidative stress and sulphur metabolism. However, the mechanisms responsible for the patterns of gene expression that underpin these metabolic specializations are poorly understood. Here, we used the Arabidopsis SULTR2;2 gene as a model to better understand mechanisms that restrict expression to the bundle sheath. Deletion analysis indicated that the SULTR2;2 promoter contains a short region necessary for expression in the bundle sheath and veins. This sequence acts as a positive regulator and is tolerant to multiple consecutive deletions indicating considerable redundancy in the cis-elements involved. It is highly conserved in SULTR2;2 genes of the Brassicaceae and is functional in the distantly related C4 species Flaveria bidentis that belongs to the Asteraceae. We conclude that expression of SULTR2;2 in the bundle sheath and veins is underpinned by a highly redundant sequence that likely represents an ancient and conserved mechanism found in families as diverse as the Asteraceae and Brassicaceae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Kirschner
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Helen Woodfield
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Katharina Prusko
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Maria Koczor
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Udo Gowik
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße, Düsseldorf, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Li Y, Heckmann D, Lercher MJ, Maurino VG. Combining genetic and evolutionary engineering to establish C4 metabolism in C3 plants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:117-125. [PMID: 27660481 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
To feed a world population projected to reach 9 billion people by 2050, the productivity of major crops must be increased by at least 50%. One potential route to boost the productivity of cereals is to equip them genetically with the 'supercharged' C4 type of photosynthesis; however, the necessary genetic modifications are not sufficiently understood for the corresponding genetic engineering programme. In this opinion paper, we discuss a strategy to solve this problem by developing a new paradigm for plant breeding. We propose combining the bioengineering of well-understood traits with subsequent evolutionary engineering, i.e. mutagenesis and artificial selection. An existing mathematical model of C3-C4 evolution is used to choose the most promising path towards this goal. Based on biomathematical simulations, we engineer Arabidopsis thaliana plants that express the central carbon-fixing enzyme Rubisco only in bundle sheath cells (Ru-BSC plants), the localization characteristic for C4 plants. This modification will initially be deleterious, forcing the Ru-BSC plants into a fitness valley from where previously inaccessible adaptive steps towards C4 photosynthesis become accessible through fitness-enhancing mutations. Mutagenized Ru-BSC plants are then screened for improved photosynthesis, and are expected to respond to imposed artificial selection pressures by evolving towards C4 anatomy and biochemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Li
- Institute of Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Plant Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology Group, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Computer Science, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - David Heckmann
- Institute for Computer Science, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin J Lercher
- Institute for Computer Science, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Veronica G Maurino
- Institute of Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Plant Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology Group, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Reeves G, Grangé-Guermente MJ, Hibberd JM. Regulatory gateways for cell-specific gene expression in C4 leaves with Kranz anatomy. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:107-116. [PMID: 27940469 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a carbon-concentrating mechanism that increases delivery of carbon dioxide to RuBisCO and as a consequence reduces photorespiration. The C4 pathway is therefore beneficial in environments that promote high photorespiration. This pathway has evolved many times, and involves restricting gene expression to either mesophyll or bundle sheath cells. Here we review the regulatory mechanisms that control cell-preferential expression of genes in the C4 cycle. From this analysis, it is clear that the C4 pathway has a complex regulatory framework, with control operating at epigenetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels. Some genes of the C4 pathway are regulated at multiple levels, and we propose that this ensures robust expression in each cell type. Accumulating evidence suggests that multiple genes of the C4 pathway may share the same regulatory mechanism. The control systems for C4 photosynthesis gene expression appear to operate in C3 plants, and so it appears that pre-existing mechanisms form the basis of C4 photosynthesis gene expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Reeves
- Department of Plant Sciences, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | | | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Gowik U, Schulze S, Saladié M, Rolland V, Tanz SK, Westhoff P, Ludwig M. A MEM1-like motif directs mesophyll cell-specific expression of the gene encoding the C4 carbonic anhydrase in Flaveria. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:311-320. [PMID: 28040798 PMCID: PMC5853542 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The first two reactions of C4 photosynthesis are catalysed by carbonic anhydrase (CA) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in the leaf mesophyll (M) cell cytosol. Translatome experiments using a tagged ribosomal protein expressed under the control of M and bundle-sheath (BS) cell-specific promoters showed transcripts encoding CA3 from the C4 species Flaveria bidentis were highly enriched in polysomes from M cells relative to those of the BS. Localisation experiments employing a CA3-green fluorescent protein fusion protein showed F. bidentis CA3 is a cytosolic enzyme. A motif showing high sequence homology to that of the Flaveria M expression module 1 (MEM1) element was identified approximately 2 kb upstream of the F. bidentis and F. trinervia ca3 translation start sites. MEM1 is located in the promoter of C4 Flaveria ppcA genes, which encode the C4-associated PEPC, and is necessary for M-specific expression. No MEM1-like sequence was found in the 4 kb upstream of the C3 species F. pringlei ca3 translation start site. Promoter-reporter fusion experiments demonstrated the region containing the ca3 MEM1-like element also directs M-specific expression. These results support the idea that a common regulatory switch drives the expression of the C4 Flaveria ca3 and ppcA1 genes specifically in M cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Udo Gowik
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schulze
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Montserrat Saladié
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Vivien Rolland
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Sandra K Tanz
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martha Ludwig
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Berry JO, Mure CM, Yerramsetty P. Regulation of Rubisco gene expression in C4 plants. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 31:23-28. [PMID: 27026038 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Revised: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) incorporates inorganic carbon into an organic form, making this chloroplastic enzyme one of the most essential factors for all life on earth. Despite its central role in photosynthesis, research into regulation of the chloroplast rbcL and nuclear RbcS genes that encode this enzyme has lagged behind other plant gene systems. A major characteristic of kranz-type C4 plants is the accumulation of Rubisco only within chloroplasts of internalized bundle sheath cells that surround the leaf vascular centers. In plants that utilize the less common single cell C4 system, Rubisco accumulates only within one type of dimorphic chloroplasts localized to a specific region of leaf chlorenchyma cells. Understanding regulatory processes that restrict Rubisco gene expression to only one cell type or chloroplast type is a major focus of C4 research. Regulatory steps may include transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James O Berry
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14120, United States.
| | - Christopher M Mure
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14120, United States
| | - Pradeep Yerramsetty
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14120, United States
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Bräutigam A, Gowik U. Photorespiration connects C 3and C 4photosynthesis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:2953-62. [PMID: 26912798 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
|
22
|
Williams BP, Burgess SJ, Reyna-Llorens I, Knerova J, Aubry S, Stanley S, Hibberd JM. An Untranslated cis-Element Regulates the Accumulation of Multiple C4 Enzymes in Gynandropsis gynandra Mesophyll Cells. THE PLANT CELL 2016; 28:454-65. [PMID: 26772995 PMCID: PMC4790868 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.15.00570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a complex phenotype that allows more efficient carbon capture than the ancestral C3 pathway. In leaves of C4 species, hundreds of transcripts increase in abundance compared with C3 relatives and become restricted to mesophyll (M) or bundle sheath (BS) cells. However, no mechanism has been reported that regulates the compartmentation of multiple enzymes in M or BS cells. We examined mechanisms regulating CARBONIC ANHYDRASE4 (CA4) in C4 Gynandropsis gynandra. Increased abundance is directed by both the promoter region and introns of the G. gynandra gene. A nine-nucleotide motif located in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) is required for preferential accumulation of GUS in M cells. This element is present and functional in three additional 5' UTRs and six 3' UTRs where it determines accumulation of two isoforms of CA and pyruvate,orthophosphate dikinase in M cells. Although the GgCA4 5' UTR is sufficient to direct GUS accumulation in M cells, transcripts encoding GUS are abundant in both M and BS. Mutating the GgCA4 5' UTR abolishes enrichment of protein in M cells without affecting transcript abundance. The work identifies a mechanism that directs cell-preferential accumulation of multiple enzymes required for C4 photosynthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ben P Williams
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Steven J Burgess
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Ivan Reyna-Llorens
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Jana Knerova
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Sylvain Aubry
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Stanley
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Aubry S, Smith-Unna RD, Boursnell CM, Kopriva S, Hibberd JM. Transcript residency on ribosomes reveals a key role for the Arabidopsis thaliana bundle sheath in sulfur and glucosinolate metabolism. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2014; 78:659-73. [PMID: 24617819 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 02/21/2014] [Accepted: 02/26/2014] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Leaves of angiosperms are made up of multiple distinct cell types. While the function of mesophyll cells, guard cells, phloem companion cells and sieve elements are clearly described, this is not the case for the bundle sheath (BS). To provide insight into the role of the BS in the C3 species Arabidopsis thaliana, we labelled ribosomes in this cell type with a FLAG tag. We then used immunocapture to isolate these ribosomes, followed by sequencing of resident mRNAs. This showed that 5% of genes showed specific splice forms in the BS, and that 15% of genes were preferentially expressed in these cells. The BS translatome strongly implies that the BS plays specific roles in sulfur transport and metabolism, glucosinolate biosynthesis and trehalose metabolism. Much of the C4 cycle is differentially expressed between the C3 BS and the rest of the leaf. Furthermore, the global patterns of transcript residency on BS ribosomes overlap to a greater extent with cells of the root pericycle than any other cell type. This analysis provides the first insight into the molecular function of this cell type in C3 species, and also identifies characteristics of BS cells that are probably ancestral to both C3 and C4 plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Aubry
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Ludwig M. Evolution of the C4 photosynthetic pathway: events at the cellular and molecular levels. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2013; 117:147-61. [PMID: 23708978 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-013-9853-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The biochemistry and leaf anatomy of plants using C4 photosynthesis promote the concentration of atmospheric CO2 in leaf tissue that leads to improvements in growth and yield of C4 plants over C3 species in hot, dry, high light, and/or saline environments. C4 plants like maize and sugarcane are significant food, fodder, and bioenergy crops. The C4 photosynthetic pathway is an excellent example of convergent evolution, having evolved in multiple independent lineages of land plants from ancestors employing C3 photosynthesis. In addition to C3 and C4 species, some plant lineages contain closely related C3-C4 intermediate species that demonstrate leaf anatomical, biochemical, and physiological characteristics between those of C3 plants and species using C4 photosynthesis. These groups of plants have been extremely useful in dissecting the modifications to leaf anatomy and molecular biology, which led to the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. It is now clear that great variation exists in C4 leaf anatomy, and diverse molecular mechanisms underlie C4 biochemistry and physiology. However, all these different paths have led to the same destination-the expression of a C4 CO2 concentrating mechanism. Further identification of C4 leaf anatomical traits and molecular biological components, and understanding how they are controlled and assembled will not only allow for additional insights into evolutionary convergence, but also contribute to sustainable food and bioenergy production strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martha Ludwig
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia,
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Schulze S, Mallmann J, Burscheidt J, Koczor M, Streubel M, Bauwe H, Gowik U, Westhoff P. Evolution of C4 photosynthesis in the genus flaveria: establishment of a photorespiratory CO2 pump. THE PLANT CELL 2013; 25:2522-35. [PMID: 23847152 PMCID: PMC3753380 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.113.114520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2013] [Revised: 06/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is nature's most efficient answer to the dual activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and the resulting loss of CO(2) by photorespiration. Gly decarboxylase (GDC) is the key component of photorespiratory CO(2) release in plants and is active in all photosynthetic tissues of C(3) plants, but only in the bundle sheath cells of C(4) plants. The restriction of GDC to the bundle sheath is assumed to be an essential and early step in the evolution of C(4) photosynthesis, leading to a photorespiratory CO(2) concentrating mechanism. In this study, we analyzed how the P-protein of GDC (GLDP) became restricted to the bundle sheath during the transition from C(3) to C(4) photosynthesis in the genus Flaveria. We found that C(3) Flaveria species already contain a bundle sheath-expressed GLDP gene in addition to a ubiquitously expressed second gene, which became a pseudogene in C(4) Flaveria species. Analyses of C(3)-C(4) intermediate Flaveria species revealed that the photorespiratory CO(2) pump was not established in one single step, but gradually. The knowledge gained by this study sheds light on the early steps in C(4) evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Schulze
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Department Biologie, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences “From Complex Traits towards Synthetic Modules,” 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Mallmann
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Department Biologie, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Janet Burscheidt
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Department Biologie, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Maria Koczor
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Department Biologie, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Monika Streubel
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Department Biologie, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Hermann Bauwe
- Universität Rostock, Abteilung Pflanzenphysiologie, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Udo Gowik
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Department Biologie, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences “From Complex Traits towards Synthetic Modules,” 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Department Biologie, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences “From Complex Traits towards Synthetic Modules,” 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Prado K, Boursiac Y, Tournaire-Roux C, Monneuse JM, Postaire O, Da Ines O, Schäffner AR, Hem S, Santoni V, Maurel C. Regulation of Arabidopsis leaf hydraulics involves light-dependent phosphorylation of aquaporins in veins. THE PLANT CELL 2013; 25:1029-39. [PMID: 23532070 PMCID: PMC3634675 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.112.108456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2012] [Revised: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2013] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The water status of plant leaves depends on the efficiency of the water supply, from the vasculature to inner tissues. This process is under hormonal and environmental regulation and involves aquaporin water channels. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the rosette hydraulic conductivity (Kros) is higher in darkness than it is during the day. Knockout plants showed that three plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) sharing expression in veins (PIP1;2, PIP2;1, and PIP2;6) contribute to rosette water transport, and PIP2;1 can fully account for Kros responsiveness to darkness. Directed expression of PIP2;1 in veins of a pip2;1 mutant was sufficient to restore Kros. In addition, a positive correlation, in both wild-type and PIP2;1-overexpressing plants, was found between Kros and the osmotic water permeability of protoplasts from the veins but not from the mesophyll. Thus, living cells in veins form a major hydraulic resistance in leaves. Quantitative proteomic analyses showed that light-dependent regulation of Kros is linked to diphosphorylation of PIP2;1 at Ser-280 and Ser-283. Expression in pip2;1 of phosphomimetic and phosphorylation-deficient forms of PIP2;1 demonstrated that phosphorylation at these two sites is necessary for Kros enhancement under darkness. These findings establish how regulation of a single aquaporin isoform in leaf veins critically determines leaf hydraulics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karine Prado
- Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Unité Mixte de Recherche 0386, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique/Montpellier SupAgro/Université Montpellier II, F-34060 Montpellier, cedex 2, France
| | - Yann Boursiac
- Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Unité Mixte de Recherche 0386, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique/Montpellier SupAgro/Université Montpellier II, F-34060 Montpellier, cedex 2, France
| | - Colette Tournaire-Roux
- Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Unité Mixte de Recherche 0386, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique/Montpellier SupAgro/Université Montpellier II, F-34060 Montpellier, cedex 2, France
| | - Jean-Marc Monneuse
- Laboratoire de Protéomique Fonctionnelle, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique Unité de Recherche 1199, F-34060 Montpellier cedex 2, France
| | - Olivier Postaire
- Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Unité Mixte de Recherche 0386, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique/Montpellier SupAgro/Université Montpellier II, F-34060 Montpellier, cedex 2, France
| | - Olivier Da Ines
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Anton R. Schäffner
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Sonia Hem
- Laboratoire de Protéomique Fonctionnelle, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique Unité de Recherche 1199, F-34060 Montpellier cedex 2, France
| | - Véronique Santoni
- Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Unité Mixte de Recherche 0386, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique/Montpellier SupAgro/Université Montpellier II, F-34060 Montpellier, cedex 2, France
| | - Christophe Maurel
- Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Unité Mixte de Recherche 0386, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique/Montpellier SupAgro/Université Montpellier II, F-34060 Montpellier, cedex 2, France
- Address correspondence to
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Weissmann S, Brutnell TP. Engineering C4 photosynthetic regulatory networks. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2012; 23:298-304. [PMID: 22261559 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2011.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2011] [Revised: 12/13/2011] [Accepted: 12/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a complex metabolic pathway responsible for carbon fixation in major feed, food and bioenergy crops. Although many enzymes driving this pathway have been identified, regulatory mechanisms underlying this system remain elusive. C4 photosynthesis contributes to photosynthetic efficiency in major bioenergy crops such as sugarcane, Miscanthus, switchgrass, maize and sorghum, and international efforts are underway to engineer C4 photosynthesis into C3 crops. A fundamental understanding of the C4 network is thus needed. New experimental and informatics methods can facilitate the accumulation and analysis of high-throughput data to define components of the C4 system. The use of new model plants, closely related to C4 crops, will also contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate this complex and important pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarit Weissmann
- Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Cornell University, Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Sage RF, Sage TL, Kocacinar F. Photorespiration and the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2012; 63:19-47. [PMID: 22404472 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042811-105511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 396] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
C(4) photosynthesis is one of the most convergent evolutionary phenomena in the biological world, with at least 66 independent origins. Evidence from these lineages consistently indicates that the C(4) pathway is the end result of a series of evolutionary modifications to recover photorespired CO(2) in environments where RuBisCO oxygenation is high. Phylogenetically informed research indicates that the repositioning of mitochondria in the bundle sheath is one of the earliest steps in C(4) evolution, as it may establish a single-celled mechanism to scavenge photorespired CO(2) produced in the bundle sheath cells. Elaboration of this mechanism leads to the two-celled photorespiratory concentration mechanism known as C(2) photosynthesis (commonly observed in C(3)-C(4) intermediate species) and then to C(4) photosynthesis following the upregulation of a C(4) metabolic cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Wiludda C, Schulze S, Gowik U, Engelmann S, Koczor M, Streubel M, Bauwe H, Westhoff P. Regulation of the photorespiratory GLDPA gene in C(4) flaveria: an intricate interplay of transcriptional and posttranscriptional processes. THE PLANT CELL 2012; 24:137-51. [PMID: 22294620 PMCID: PMC3289567 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.111.093872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2011] [Revised: 12/23/2011] [Accepted: 01/12/2012] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The mitochondrial Gly decarboxylase complex (GDC) is a key component of the photorespiratory pathway that occurs in all photosynthetically active tissues of C(3) plants but is restricted to bundle sheath cells in C(4) species. GDC is also required for general cellular C(1) metabolism. In the Asteracean C(4) species Flaveria trinervia, a single functional GLDP gene, GLDPA, encodes the P-subunit of GDC, a decarboxylating Gly dehydrogenase. GLDPA promoter reporter gene fusion studies revealed that this promoter is active in bundle sheath cells and the vasculature of transgenic Flaveria bidentis (C(4)) and the Brassicacean C(3) species Arabidopsis thaliana, suggesting the existence of an evolutionarily conserved gene regulatory system in the bundle sheath. Here, we demonstrate that GLDPA gene regulation is achieved by an intricate interplay of transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. The GLDPA promoter is composed of two tandem promoters, P(R2) and P(R7), that together ensure a strong bundle sheath expression. While the proximal promoter (P(R7)) is active in the bundle sheath and vasculature, the distal promoter (P(R2)) drives uniform expression in all leaf chlorenchyma cells and the vasculature. An intron in the 5' untranslated leader of P(R2)-derived transcripts is inefficiently spliced and apparently suppresses the output of P(R2) by eliciting RNA decay.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian Wiludda
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Entwicklungs- und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schulze
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Entwicklungs- und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Udo Gowik
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Entwicklungs- und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Sascha Engelmann
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Entwicklungs- und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Maria Koczor
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Entwicklungs- und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Monika Streubel
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Entwicklungs- und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Hermann Bauwe
- Universität Rostock, Abteilung Pflanzenphysiologie, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Entwicklungs- und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Muhaidat R, Sage TL, Frohlich MW, Dengler NG, Sage RF. Characterization of C₃--C₄ intermediate species in the genus Heliotropium L. (Boraginaceae): anatomy, ultrastructure and enzyme activity. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2011; 34:1723-36. [PMID: 21631534 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2011.02367.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic pathway characteristics were studied in nine species of Heliotropium (sensu lato, including Euploca), using assessments of leaf anatomy and ultrastructure, activities of PEP carboxylase and C₄ acid decarboxylases, and immunolocalization of ribulose 1·5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and the P-subunit of glycine decarboxylase (GDC). Heliotropium europaeum, Heliotropium calcicola and Heliotropium tenellum are C₃ plants, while Heliotropium texanum and Heliotropium polyphyllum are C₄ species. Heliotropium procumbens and Heliotropium karwinskyi are functionally C₃, but exhibit 'proto-Kranz' anatomy where bundle sheath (BS) cells are enlarged and mitochondria primarily occur along the centripetal (inner) wall of the BS cells; GDC is present throughout the leaf. Heliotropium convolvulaceum and Heliotropium greggii are C₃--C₄ intermediates, with Kranz-like enlargement of the BS cells, localization of mitochondria along the inner BS wall and a loss of GDC in the mesophyll (M) tissue. These C₃--C₄ species of Heliotropium probably shuttle photorespiratory glycine from the M to the BS tissue for decarboxylation. Heliotropium represents an important new model for studying C₄ evolution. Where existing models such as Flaveria emphasize diversification of C₃--C₄ intermediates, Heliotropium has numerous C₃ species expressing proto-Kranz traits that could represent a critical initial phase in the evolutionary origin of C₄ photosynthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Riyadh Muhaidat
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S3B2, Canada
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Miyao M, Masumoto C, Miyazawa SI, Fukayama H. Lessons from engineering a single-cell C(4) photosynthetic pathway into rice. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2011; 62:3021-9. [PMID: 21459764 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/err023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The transfer of C(4) plant traits into C(3) plants has long been a strategy for improving the photosynthetic performance of C(3) plants. The introduction of a pathway mimicking the C(4) photosynthetic pathway into the mesophyll cells of C(3) plants was only a realistic approach when transgenic technology was sufficiently well developed and widely adopted. Here an attempt to introduce a single-cell C(4)-like pathway in which CO(2) capture and release occur in the mesophyll cell, such as the one found in the aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle, into rice (Oryza sativa L.) is described. Four enzymes involved in this pathway were successfully overproduced in the transgenic rice leaves, and 12 different sets of transgenic rice that overproduce these enzymes independently or in combination were produced and analysed. Although none of these transformants has yet shown dramatic improvements in photosynthesis, these studies nonetheless have important implications for the evolution of C(4) photosynthetic genes and their metabolic regulation, and have shed light on the unique aspects of rice physiology and metabolism. This article summarizes the lessons learned during these attempts to engineer single-cell C(4) rice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mitsue Miyao
- Photobiology and Photosynthesis Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Kannondai, Tsukuba 305-8602, Japan.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Peterhansel C. Best practice procedures for the establishment of a C(4) cycle in transgenic C(3) plants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2011; 62:3011-3019. [PMID: 21335437 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/err027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
C(4) plants established a mechanism for the concentration of CO(2) in the vicinity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase in order to saturate the enzyme with substrate and substantially to reduce the alternative fixation of O(2) that results in energy losses. Transfer of the C(4) mechanism to C(3) plants has been repeatedly tested, but none of the approaches so far resulted in transgenic plants with enhanced photosynthesis or growth. Instead, often deleterious effects were observed. A true C(4) cycle requires the co-ordinated activity of multiple enzymes in different cell types and in response to diverse environmental and metabolic stimuli. This review summarizes our current knowledge about the most appropriate regulatory elements and coding sequences for the establishment of C(4) protein activities in C(3) plants. In addition, technological breakthroughs for the efficient transfer of the numerous genes probably required to transform a C(3) plant into a C(4) plant will be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Peterhansel
- Institute of Botany, Leibniz University Hannover, Herrenhaeuser Straße 2, D-30419 Hannover, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Gowik U, Westhoff P. The path from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2011; 155:56-63. [PMID: 20940348 PMCID: PMC3075750 DOI: 10.1104/pp.110.165308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2010] [Accepted: 10/10/2010] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Udo Gowik
- Institut für Entwicklungs und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Westhoff P, Gowik U. Evolution of C4 photosynthesis--looking for the master switch. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2010; 154:598-601. [PMID: 20921192 PMCID: PMC2948986 DOI: 10.1104/pp.110.161729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2010] [Accepted: 07/03/2010] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Westhoff
- Institut für Entwicklungs und Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Duesseldorf, Germany.
| | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
|
36
|
Hibberd JM, Covshoff S. The regulation of gene expression required for C4 photosynthesis. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2010; 61:181-207. [PMID: 20192753 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042809-112238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
C(4) photosynthesis is normally associated with the compartmentation of photosynthesis between mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells. The mechanisms regulating the differential accumulation of photosynthesis proteins in these specialized cells are fundamental to our understanding of how C(4) photosynthesis operates. Cell-specific accumulation of proteins in M or BS can be mediated by posttranscriptional processes and translational efficiency as well as by differences in transcription. Individual genes are likely regulated at multiple levels. Although cis-elements have been associated with cell-specific expression in C(4) leaves, there has been little progress in identifying trans-factors. When C(4) photosynthesis genes from C(4) species are placed in closely related C(3) species, they are often expressed in a manner faithful to the C(4) cycle. Next-generation sequencing and comprehensive analysis of the extent to which genes from C(4) species are expressed in M or BS cells of C(3) plants should provide insight into how the C(4) pathway is regulated and evolved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Kangasjärvi S, Nurmi M, Tikkanen M, Aro EM. Cell-specific mechanisms and systemic signalling as emerging themes in light acclimation of C3 plants. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2009; 32:1230-1240. [PMID: 19344335 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2009.01982.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts perform essential signalling functions in light acclimation and various stress responses in plants. Research on chloroplast signalling has provided fundamental information concerning the diversity of cellular responses to changing environmental conditions. Evidence has also accumulated indicating that different cell types possess specialized roles in regulation of leaf development and stress acclimation when challenged by environmental cues. Leaf veins are flanked by a layer of elongated chloroplast-containing bundle sheath cells, which due to their central position hold the potential to control the flux of information inside the leaves. Indeed, a specific role for bundle sheath cells in plant acclimation to various light regimes is currently emerging. Moreover, perception of light stress initiates systemic signals that spread through the vasculature to confer stress resistance in non-exposed parts of the plant. Such long-distance signalling functions are related to unique characteristics of reactive oxygen species and their detoxification in bundle sheath cells. Novel techniques for analysis of distinct tissue types, together with Arabidopsis thaliana mutants with vasculature-specific phenotypes, have proven instrumental in dissection of structural hierarchy among regulatory processes in leaves. This review emphasizes the current knowledge concerning the role of vascular bundle sheath cells in light-dependent acclimation processes of C3 plants.
Collapse
|
38
|
Afroz A, Khan MR, Ahsan N, Komatsu S. Comparative proteomic analysis of bacterial wilt susceptible and resistant tomato cultivars. Peptides 2009; 30:1600-7. [PMID: 19524626 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2009.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2009] [Revised: 06/02/2009] [Accepted: 06/03/2009] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the molecular mechanisms of bacterial resistance in susceptible and resistant cultivars of tomato, a proteomic approach was adopted. Four cultivars of tomato were selected on the basis of their response to bacterial (Pseudomonas solanacearum) inoculation wherein cultivar Roma and Riogarande, and cultivar Pusa Ruby and Pant Bahr were considered as resistant and susceptible cultivars, respectively. Proteins were extracted from leaves of 3-week-old seedlings of the four cultivars and separated by 2-DE. A total of nine proteins were found to be differentially expressed between the susceptible and resistant cultivars. Amino acid sequences of these proteins were determined with a protein sequencer. The identified proteins belongs to the categories of energy, protein destination and storage, and defense. Of these proteins, a 60kDa chaperonin and an apical membrane antigen were significantly upregulated in resistant cultivars compared with susceptible cultivars. Application of jasmonic acid and salicylic acid resulted in significant changes in levels of apical membrane antigen and protein disulfide-isomerase. Taken together, these results suggest that apical membrane antigen might be involved in bacterial resistance process through salicylic acid induced defense mechanism signaling in tomato plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amber Afroz
- National Institute of Crop Science, 2-1-18 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Japan
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|