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van Veen H, Müller JT, Bartylla MM, Akman M, Sasidharan R, Mustroph A. Phylotranscriptomics provides a treasure trove of flood-tolerance mechanisms in the Cardamineae tribe. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024. [PMID: 39012097 DOI: 10.1111/pce.15033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
Flooding events are highly detrimental to most terrestrial plant species. However, there is an impressive diversity of plant species that thrive in flood-prone regions and represent a treasure trove of unexplored flood-resilience mechanisms. Here we surveyed a panel of four species from the Cardamineae tribe representing a broad tolerance range. This included the flood-tolerant Cardamine pratensis, Rorippa sylvestris and Rorippa palustris and the flood-sensitive species Cardamine hirsuta. All four species displayed a quiescent strategy, evidenced by the repression of shoot growth underwater. Comparative transcriptomics analyses between the four species and the sensitive model species Arabidopsis thaliana were facilitated via de novo transcriptome assembly and identification of 16 902 universal orthogroups at a high resolution. Our results suggest that tolerance likely evolved separately in the Cardamine and Rorippa species. While the Rorippa response was marked by a strong downregulation of cell-cycle genes, Cardamine minimized overall transcriptional regulation. However, a weak starvation response was a universal trait of tolerant species, potentially achieved in multiple ways. It could result from a strong decline in cell-cycle activity, but is also intertwined with autophagy, senescence, day-time photosynthesis and night-time fermentation capacity. Our data set provides a rich source to study adaptational mechanisms of flooding tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans van Veen
- Plant Stress Resilience, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Evolutionary Plant Ecophysiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jana T Müller
- Department of Plant Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Malte M Bartylla
- Department of Plant Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Melis Akman
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Rashmi Sasidharan
- Plant Stress Resilience, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Angelika Mustroph
- Department of Plant Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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2
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Mabry ME, Abrahams RS, Al-Shehbaz IA, Baker WJ, Barak S, Barker MS, Barrett RL, Beric A, Bhattacharya S, Carey SB, Conant GC, Conran JG, Dassanayake M, Edger PP, Hall JC, Hao Y, Hendriks KP, Hibberd JM, King GJ, Kliebenstein DJ, Koch MA, Leitch IJ, Lens F, Lysak MA, McAlvay AC, McKibben MTW, Mercati F, Moore RC, Mummenhoff K, Murphy DJ, Nikolov LA, Pisias M, Roalson EH, Schranz ME, Thomas SK, Yu Q, Yocca A, Pires JC, Harkess AE. Complementing model species with model clades. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:1205-1226. [PMID: 37824826 PMCID: PMC11062466 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Model species continue to underpin groundbreaking plant science research. At the same time, the phylogenetic resolution of the land plant tree of life continues to improve. The intersection of these 2 research paths creates a unique opportunity to further extend the usefulness of model species across larger taxonomic groups. Here we promote the utility of the Arabidopsis thaliana model species, especially the ability to connect its genetic and functional resources, to species across the entire Brassicales order. We focus on the utility of using genomics and phylogenomics to bridge the evolution and diversification of several traits across the Brassicales to the resources in Arabidopsis, thereby extending scope from a model species by establishing a "model clade." These Brassicales-wide traits are discussed in the context of both the model species Arabidopsis and the family Brassicaceae. We promote the utility of such a "model clade" and make suggestions for building global networks to support future studies in the model order Brassicales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makenzie E Mabry
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - R Shawn Abrahams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA
| | | | | | - Simon Barak
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Michael S Barker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Russell L Barrett
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Botanic Garden, Locked Bag 6002, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Beric
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Samik Bhattacharya
- Department of Biology, Botany, University of Osnabrück, D-49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Sarah B Carey
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Gavin C Conant
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bioinformatics Research Center, Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - John G Conran
- ACEBB and SGC, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Maheshi Dassanayake
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Patrick P Edger
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48864, USA
| | - Jocelyn C Hall
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Yue Hao
- Cancer and Cell Biology Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - Kasper P Hendriks
- Department of Biology, Botany, University of Osnabrück, D-49076 Osnabrück, Germany
- Functional Traits, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, Leiden 2300 RA, the Netherlands
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1TN, UK
| | - Graham J King
- Southern Cross Plant Science, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
| | | | - Marcus A Koch
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ilia J Leitch
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, UK
| | - Frederic Lens
- Functional Traits, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, Leiden 2300 RA, the Netherlands
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Plant Sciences, Leiden University, 2333 BE Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Martin A Lysak
- CEITEC, and NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alex C McAlvay
- Institute of Economic Botany, New York Botanical Garden, The Bronx, NY 10458, USA
| | - Michael T W McKibben
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Francesco Mercati
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Biosciences and Bioresource (IBBR), Palermo 90129, Italy
| | | | - Klaus Mummenhoff
- Department of Biology, Botany, University of Osnabrück, D-49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Daniel J Murphy
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | | | - Michael Pisias
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Eric H Roalson
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - M Eric Schranz
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Shawn K Thomas
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Bioinformatics and Analytics Core, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Qingyi Yu
- Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
| | - Alan Yocca
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - J Chris Pires
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1170, USA
| | - Alex E Harkess
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
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3
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Ludwig M, Hartwell J, Raines CA, Simkin AJ. The Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle in C 4 and Crassulacean acid metabolism species. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 155:10-22. [PMID: 37544777 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle is the ancestral CO2 assimilation pathway and is found in all photosynthetic organisms. Biochemical extensions to the CBB cycle have evolved that allow the resulting pathways to act as CO2 concentrating mechanisms, either spatially in the case of C4 photosynthesis or temporally in the case of Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). While the biochemical steps in the C4 and CAM pathways are known, questions remain on their integration and regulation with CBB cycle activity. The application of omic and transgenic technologies is providing a more complete understanding of the biochemistry of C4 and CAM species and will also provide insight into the CBB cycle in these plants. As the global population increases, new solutions are required to increase crop yields and meet demands for food and other bioproducts. Previous work in C3 species has shown that increasing carbon assimilation through genetic manipulation of the CBB cycle can increase biomass and yield. There may also be options to improve photosynthesis in species using C4 photosynthesis and CAM through manipulation of the CBB cycle in these plants. This is an underexplored strategy and requires more basic knowledge of CBB cycle operation in these species to enable approaches for increased productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
| | - James Hartwell
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | | | - Andrew J Simkin
- University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK; School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK
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4
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Liu Z, Cheng J. C 4 rice engineering, beyond installing a C 4 cycle. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 206:108256. [PMID: 38091938 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.108256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis in higher plants is carried out by two distinct cell types: mesophyll cells and bundle sheath cells, as a result highly concentrated carbon dioxide is released surrounding RuBisCo in chloroplasts of bundle sheath cells and the photosynthetic efficiency is significantly higher than that of C3 plants. The evolution of the dual-cell C4 cycle involved complex modifications to leaf anatomy and cell ultra-structures. These include an increase in leaf venation, the formation of Kranz anatomy, changes in chloroplast morphology in bundle sheath cells, and increases in the density of plasmodesmata at interfaces between the bundle sheath and mesophyll cells. It is predicted that cereals will be in severe worldwide shortage at the mid-term of this century. Rice is a staple food that feeds more than half of the world's population. If rice can be engineered to perform C4 photosynthesis, it is estimated that rice yield will be increased by at least 50% due to enhanced photosynthesis. Thus, the Second Green Revolution has been launched on this principle by genetically installing C4 photosynthesis into C3 crops. The studies on molecular mechanisms underlying the changes in leaf morphoanatomy involved in C4 photosynthesis have made great progress in recent years. As there are plenty of reviews discussing the installment of the C4 cycle, we focus on the current progress and challenges posed to the research regarding leaf anatomy and cell ultra-structure modifications made towards the development of C4 rice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Agronomy, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071001, China.
| | - Jinjin Cheng
- College of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, 030801, China
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5
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Schreier TB, Müller KH, Eicke S, Faulkner C, Zeeman SC, Hibberd JM. Plasmodesmal connectivity in C 4 Gynandropsis gynandra is induced by light and dependent on photosynthesis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:298-313. [PMID: 37882365 PMCID: PMC10952754 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
In leaves of C4 plants, the reactions of photosynthesis become restricted between two compartments. Typically, this allows accumulation of C4 acids in mesophyll (M) cells and subsequent decarboxylation in the bundle sheath (BS). In C4 grasses, proliferation of plasmodesmata between these cell types is thought to increase cell-to-cell connectivity to allow efficient metabolite movement. However, it is not known whether C4 dicotyledons also show this enhanced plasmodesmal connectivity and so whether this is a general requirement for C4 photosynthesis is not clear. How M and BS cells in C4 leaves become highly connected is also not known. We investigated these questions using 3D- and 2D-electron microscopy on the C4 dicotyledon Gynandropsis gynandra as well as phylogenetically close C3 relatives. The M-BS interface of C4 G. gynandra showed higher plasmodesmal frequency compared with closely related C3 species. Formation of these plasmodesmata was induced by light. Pharmacological agents that perturbed photosynthesis reduced the number of plasmodesmata, but this inhibitory effect could be reversed by the provision of exogenous sucrose. We conclude that enhanced formation of plasmodesmata between M and BS cells is wired to the induction of photosynthesis in C4 G. gynandra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina B. Schreier
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB1 3EAUK
- Present address:
Department of BiologyUniversity of OxfordSouth Parks RoadOxfordOX1 3RBUK
| | - Karin H. Müller
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre (CAIC)University of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3DYUK
| | - Simona Eicke
- Institute of Molecular Plant BiologyETH ZurichZurichCH‐8092Switzerland
| | - Christine Faulkner
- Cell and Developmental BiologyJohn Innes CentreNorwich Research ParkNorwichNR4 7UHUK
| | - Samuel C. Zeeman
- Institute of Molecular Plant BiologyETH ZurichZurichCH‐8092Switzerland
| | - Julian M. Hibberd
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB1 3EAUK
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6
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Zhang Q, Tian S, Chen G, Tang Q, Zhang Y, Fleming AJ, Zhu XG, Wang P. Regulatory NADH dehydrogenase-like complex optimizes C 4 photosynthetic carbon flow and cellular redox in maize. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:82-101. [PMID: 37872738 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
C4 plants typically operate a CO2 concentration mechanism from mesophyll (M) cells into bundle sheath (BS) cells. NADH dehydrogenase-like (NDH) complex is enriched in the BS cells of many NADP-malic enzyme (ME) type C4 plants and is more abundant in C4 than in C3 plants, but to what extent it is involved in the CO2 concentration mechanism remains to be experimentally investigated. We created maize and rice mutants deficient in NDH function and then used a combination of transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches for comparative analysis. Considerable decreases in growth, photosynthetic activities, and levels of key photosynthetic proteins were observed in maize but not rice mutants. However, transcript abundance for many cyclic electron transport (CET) and Calvin-Benson cycle components, as well as BS-specific C4 enzymes, was increased in maize mutants. Metabolite analysis of the maize ndh mutants revealed an increased NADPH : NADP ratio, as well as malate, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP), fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP), and photorespiration intermediates. We suggest that by optimizing NADPH and malate levels and adjusting NADP-ME activity, NDH functions to balance metabolic and redox states in the BS cells of maize (in addition to ATP supply), coordinating photosynthetic transcript abundance and protein content, thus directly regulating the carbon flow in the two-celled C4 system of maize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiqi Zhang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shilong Tian
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Genyun Chen
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiming Tang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yijing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Andrew J Fleming
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Wang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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7
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DiMario RJ, Kophs AN, Apalla AJA, Schnable JN, Cousins AB. Multiple highly expressed phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase genes have divergent enzyme kinetic properties in two C4 grasses. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:413-428. [PMID: 37675505 PMCID: PMC10667006 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad116] [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: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase (PEPC) catalyses the irreversible carboxylation of PEP with bicarbonate to produce oxaloacetate. This reaction powers the carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) in plants that perform C4 photosynthesis. This CCM is generally driven by a single PEPC gene product that is highly expressed in the cytosol of mesophyll cells. We found two C4 grasses, Panicum miliaceum and Echinochloa colona, that each have two highly expressed PEPC genes. We characterized the kinetic properties of the two most abundant PEPCs in E. colona and P. miliaceum to better understand how the enzyme's amino acid structure influences its function. METHODS Coding sequences of the two most abundant PEPC proteins in E. colona and P. miliaceum were synthesized by GenScript and were inserted into bacteria expression plasmids. Point mutations resulting in substitutions at conserved amino acid residues (e.g. N-terminal serine and residue 890) were created via site-directed PCR mutagenesis. The kinetic properties of semi-purified plant PEPCs from Escherichia coli were analysed using membrane-inlet mass spectrometry and a spectrophotometric enzyme-coupled reaction. KEY RESULTS The two most abundant P. miliaceum PEPCs (PmPPC1 and PmPPC2) have similar sequence identities (>95 %), and as a result had similar kinetic properties. The two most abundant E. colona PEPCs (EcPPC1 and EcPPC2) had identities of ~78 % and had significantly different kinetic properties. The PmPPCs and EcPPCs had different responses to allosteric inhibitors and activators, and substitutions at the conserved N-terminal serine and residue 890 resulted in significantly altered responses to allosteric regulators. CONCLUSIONS The two, significantly expressed C4Ppc genes in P. miliaceum were probably the result of genomes combining from two closely related C4Panicum species. We found natural variation in PEPC's sensitivity to allosteric inhibition that seems to bypass the conserved 890 residue, suggesting alternative evolutionary pathways for increased malate tolerance and other kinetic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J DiMario
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Ashley N Kophs
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Anthony J A Apalla
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - James N Schnable
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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8
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Pereira L, Bianconi ME, Osborne CP, Christin PA, Dunning LT. Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:365-382. [PMID: 37422712 PMCID: PMC10667010 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous groups of plants have adapted to CO2 limitations by independently evolving C4 photosynthesis. This trait relies on concerted changes in anatomy and biochemistry to concentrate CO2 within the leaf and thereby boost productivity in tropical conditions. The ecological and economic importance of C4 photosynthesis has motivated intense research, often relying on comparisons between distantly related C4 and non-C4 plants. The photosynthetic type is fixed in most species, with the notable exception of the grass Alloteropsis semialata. This species includes populations exhibiting the ancestral C3 state in southern Africa, intermediate populations in the Zambezian region and C4 populations spread around the palaeotropics. SCOPE We compile here the knowledge on the distribution and evolutionary history of the Alloteropsis genus as a whole and discuss how this has furthered our understanding of C4 evolution. We then present a chromosome-level reference genome for a C3 individual and compare the genomic architecture with that of a C4 accession of A. semialata. CONCLUSIONS Alloteropsis semialata is one of the best systems in which to investigate the evolution of C4 photosynthesis because the genetic and phenotypic variation provides a fertile ground for comparative and population-level studies. Preliminary comparative genomic investigations show that the C3 and C4 genomes are highly syntenic and have undergone a modest amount of gene duplication and translocation since the different photosynthetic groups diverged. The background knowledge and publicly available genomic resources make A. semialata a great model for further comparative analyses of photosynthetic diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Pereira
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Matheus E Bianconi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
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9
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Schlüter U, Bouvier JW, Guerreiro R, Malisic M, Kontny C, Westhoff P, Stich B, Weber APM. Brassicaceae display variation in efficiency of photorespiratory carbon-recapturing mechanisms. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:6631-6649. [PMID: 37392176 PMCID: PMC10662225 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Carbon-concentrating mechanisms enhance the carboxylase efficiency of Rubisco by providing supra-atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in its surroundings. Beside the C4 photosynthesis pathway, carbon concentration can also be achieved by the photorespiratory glycine shuttle which requires fewer and less complex modifications. Plants displaying CO2 compensation points between 10 ppm and 40 ppm are often considered to utilize such a photorespiratory shuttle and are termed 'C3-C4 intermediates'. In the present study, we perform a physiological, biochemical, and anatomical survey of a large number of Brassicaceae species to better understand the C3-C4 intermediate phenotype, including its basic components and its plasticity. Our phylogenetic analysis suggested that C3-C4 metabolism evolved up to five times independently in the Brassicaceae. The efficiency of the pathway showed considerable variation. Centripetal accumulation of organelles in the bundle sheath was consistently observed in all C3-C4-classified taxa, indicating a crucial role for anatomical features in CO2-concentrating pathways. Leaf metabolite patterns were strongly influenced by the individual species, but accumulation of photorespiratory shuttle metabolites glycine and serine was generally observed. Analysis of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activities suggested that C4-like shuttles have not evolved in the investigated Brassicaceae. Convergent evolution of the photorespiratory shuttle indicates that it represents a distinct photosynthesis type that is beneficial in some environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urte Schlüter
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jacques W Bouvier
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ricardo Guerreiro
- Institute for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Milena Malisic
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Carina Kontny
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Philipp Westhoff
- Metabolomics and Metabolism Laboratory, Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stich
- Institute for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Andreas P M Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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10
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Guerreiro R, Bonthala VS, Schlüter U, Hoang NV, Triesch S, Schranz ME, Weber APM, Stich B. A genomic panel for studying C3-C4 intermediate photosynthesis in the Brassiceae tribe. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 46:3611-3627. [PMID: 37431820 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Research on C4 and C3-C4 photosynthesis has attracted significant attention because the understanding of the genetic underpinnings of these traits will support the introduction of its characteristics into commercially relevant crop species. We used a panel of 19 taxa of 18 Brassiceae species with different photosynthesis characteristics (C3 and C3-C4) with the following objectives: (i) create draft genome assemblies and annotations, (ii) quantify orthology levels using synteny maps between all pairs of taxa, (iii) describe the phylogenetic relatedness across all the species, and (iv) track the evolution of C3-C4 intermediate photosynthesis in the Brassiceae tribe. Our results indicate that the draft de novo genome assemblies are of high quality and cover at least 90% of the gene space. Therewith we more than doubled the sampling depth of genomes of the Brassiceae tribe that comprises commercially important as well as biologically interesting species. The gene annotation generated high-quality gene models, and for most genes extensive upstream sequences are available for all taxa, yielding potential to explore variants in regulatory sequences. The genome-based phylogenetic tree of the Brassiceae contained two main clades and indicated that the C3-C4 intermediate photosynthesis has evolved five times independently. Furthermore, our study provides the first genomic support of the hypothesis that Diplotaxis muralis is a natural hybrid of D. tenuifolia and D. viminea. Altogether, the de novo genome assemblies and the annotations reported in this study are a valuable resource for research on the evolution of C3-C4 intermediate photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Guerreiro
- Institute of Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Venkata Suresh Bonthala
- Institute of Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Urte Schlüter
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nam V Hoang
- Biosystematics Group, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastian Triesch
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - M Eric Schranz
- Biosystematics Group, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas P M Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stich
- Institute of Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Düsseldorf, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany
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11
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Zhao W, Li J, Sun X, Zheng Q, Liu J, Hua W, Liu J. Integrated global analysis in spider flowers illuminates features underlying the evolution and maintenance of C 4 photosynthesis. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2023; 10:uhad129. [PMID: 37560018 PMCID: PMC10407600 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
The carbon concentrating mechanism-C4 photosynthesis-represents a classic example of convergent evolution, but how this important trait originated and evolved remains largely enigmatic. The spider flower Gynandropsis gynandra is a valuable leafy vegetable crop and medicinal plant that has also been recognized as a C4 model species. Here we present a high-quality chromosome-scale annotated genome assembly of G. gynandra through a combination of Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT), HiFi and Hi-C technology. The 17 super-scaffolds cover 98.66% of the estimated genome (997.61 Mb), with a contig N50 of 11.43 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 51.02 Mb. Repetitive elements occupy up to 71.91% of its genome, and over half are long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) derived from recent bursts, contributing to genome size expansion. Strikingly, LTR-RT explosion also played a critical role in C4 evolution by altering expression features of photosynthesis-associated genes via preferential insertion in promoters. Integrated multiomics analyses of G. gynandra and the ornamental horticulture C3 relative Tarenaya hassleriana reveal that species-specific whole-genome duplication, gene family expansion, recent LTR-RT amplification, and more recent tandem duplication events have all facilitated the evolution of C4 photosynthesis, revealing uniqueness of C4 evolution in the Cleome genus. Moreover, high leaf vein density and heat stress resilience are associated with shifted gene expression patterns. The mode of C3-to-C4 transition found here yields new insights into evolutionary convergence of a complex plant trait. The availability of this reference-grade genomic resource makes G. gynandra an ideal model system facilitating efforts toward C4-aimed crop engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Jun Li
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Xingchao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Qiwei Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wei Hua
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
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12
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Prajapati MR, Singh J, Kumar P, Dixit R. De novo transcriptome analysis and identification of defensive genes in garlic (Allium sativum L.) using high-throughput sequencing. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2023; 21:56. [PMID: 37162611 PMCID: PMC10172436 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-023-00499-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is the second most widely cultivated Allium which is mainly grown in temperate regions and used as a flavoring agent in a wide variety of foods. Garlic contains various bioactive compounds whose metabolic pathways, plant-pathogen interactions, defensive genes, identify interaction networks, and functional genomics were not previously predicted in the garlic at the genomic level. To address this issue, we constructed two garlic Illumina 2000 libraries from tissues of garlic clove and leaf. RESULTS Approximately 43 million 125 bp paired-end reads were obtained in the two libraries. A total of 239,973 contigs were generated by de novo assembly of both samples and were compared with the sequences in the NCBI non-redundant protein database (Nr). In total, 42% of contigs were matched to known proteins in public databases including Nr, Gene Ontology (GO), and Cluster Orthologous Gene Database (COG), and then, contigs were mapped to 138 via functional annotation against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database (KEGG). In addition, a number of regulatory genes including the CCHC (Zn) family, followed by WD40, bromodomain, bZIP, AP2-EREBP, BED-type (Zn) proteins, and defense response proteins related to different conserved domains, such as RGA3, NBS-LRR, TIR-NBS-LRR, LRR, NBS-ARC, and CC-NBS-LRR were discovered based on the transcriptome dataset. We compared the ortholog gene family of the A. sativum transcriptome to A. thaliana, O. sativa, and Z. mays and found that 12,077 orthologous gene families are specific to A. sativum L. Furthermore, we identified genes involved in plant defense mechanisms, their protein-protein interaction network, and plant-pathogen interaction pathways. CONCLUSIONS Our study contains an extensive sequencing and functional gene-annotation analysis of A. sativum L. The findings provide insights into the molecular basis of TFs, defensive genes, and a reference for future studies on the genetics and breeding of A. sativum L.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malyaj R Prajapati
- Division of Microbial and Environmental Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, 250110, India
| | - Jitender Singh
- Department of Microbiology, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, 250004, India.
| | - Pankaj Kumar
- Division of Microbial and Environmental Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, 250110, India.
| | - Rekha Dixit
- Division of Microbial and Environmental Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, 250110, India
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13
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Hoang NV, Sogbohossou EOD, Xiong W, Simpson CJC, Singh P, Walden N, van den Bergh E, Becker FFM, Li Z, Zhu XG, Brautigam A, Weber APM, van Haarst JC, Schijlen EGWM, Hendre PS, Van Deynze A, Achigan-Dako EG, Hibberd JM, Schranz ME. The Gynandropsis gynandra genome provides insights into whole-genome duplications and the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in Cleomaceae. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:1334-1359. [PMID: 36691724 PMCID: PMC10118270 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Gynandropsis gynandra (Cleomaceae) is a cosmopolitan leafy vegetable and medicinal plant, which has also been used as a model to study C4 photosynthesis due to its evolutionary proximity to C3 Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we present the genome sequence of G. gynandra, anchored onto 17 main pseudomolecules with a total length of 740 Mb, an N50 of 42 Mb and 30,933 well-supported gene models. The G. gynandra genome and previously released genomes of C3 relatives in the Cleomaceae and Brassicaceae make an excellent model for studying the role of genome evolution in the transition from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. Our analyses revealed that G. gynandra and its C3 relative Tarenaya hassleriana shared a whole-genome duplication event (Gg-α), then an addition of a third genome (Th-α, +1×) took place in T. hassleriana but not in G. gynandra. Analysis of syntenic copy number of C4 photosynthesis-related gene families indicates that G. gynandra generally retained more duplicated copies of these genes than C3T. hassleriana, and also that the G. gynandra C4 genes might have been under positive selection pressure. Both whole-genome and single-gene duplication were found to contribute to the expansion of the aforementioned gene families in G. gynandra. Collectively, this study enhances our understanding of the polyploidy history, gene duplication and retention, as well as their impact on the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in Cleomaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wei Xiong
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Conor J C Simpson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Pallavi Singh
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Nora Walden
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Erik van den Bergh
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Frank F M Becker
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Zheng Li
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Andrea Brautigam
- Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Andreas P M Weber
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jan C van Haarst
- Business Unit Bioscience, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Elio G W M Schijlen
- Business Unit Bioscience, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Prasad S Hendre
- African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), World Agroforestry (ICRAF), Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Allen Van Deynze
- African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), World Agroforestry (ICRAF), Nairobi 00100, Kenya
- Seed Biotechnology Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Enoch G Achigan-Dako
- Laboratory of Genetics, Biotechnology and Seed Science (GbioS), Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, BP 2549 Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
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14
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Singh P, Stevenson SR, Dickinson PJ, Reyna-Llorens I, Tripathi A, Reeves G, Schreier TB, Hibberd JM. C 4 gene induction during de-etiolation evolved through changes in cis to allow integration with ancestral C 3 gene regulatory networks. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade9756. [PMID: 36989352 PMCID: PMC10058240 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade9756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis has evolved by repurposing enzymes found in C3 plants. Compared with the ancestral C3 state, accumulation of C4 cycle proteins is enhanced. We used de-etiolation of C4 Gynandropsis gynandra and C3 Arabidopsis thaliana to understand this process. C4 gene expression and chloroplast biogenesis in G. gynandra were tightly coordinated. Although C3 and C4 photosynthesis genes showed similar induction patterns, in G. gynandra, C4 genes were more strongly induced than orthologs from A. thaliana. In vivo binding of TGA and homeodomain as well as light-responsive elements such as G- and I-box motifs were associated with the rapid increase in transcripts of C4 genes. Deletion analysis confirmed that regions containing G- and I-boxes were necessary for high expression. The data support a model in which accumulation of transcripts derived from C4 photosynthesis genes in C4 leaves is enhanced because modifications in cis allowed integration into ancestral transcriptional networks.
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15
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Cheng L, Li M, Wang Y, Han Q, Hao Y, Qiao Z, Zhang W, Qiu L, Gong A, Zhang Z, Li T, Luo S, Tang L, Liu D, Yin H, Lu S, Balbuena TS, Zhao Y. Transcriptome-based variations effectively untangling the intraspecific relationships and selection signals in Xinyang Maojian tea population. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1114284. [PMID: 36890899 PMCID: PMC9986275 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1114284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
As one of the world's top three popular non-alcoholic beverages, tea is economically and culturally valuable. Xinyang Maojian, this elegant green tea, is one of the top ten famous tea in China and has gained prominence for thousands of years. However, the cultivation history of Xinyang Maojian tea population and selection signals of differentiation from the other major variety Camellia sinensis var. assamica (CSA) remain unclear. We newly generated 94 Camellia sinensis (C. sinensis) transcriptomes including 59 samples in the Xinyang area and 35 samples collected from 13 other major tea planting provinces in China. Comparing the very low resolution of phylogeny inferred from 1785 low-copy nuclear genes with 94 C. sinensis samples, we successfully resolved the phylogeny of C. sinensis samples by 99,115 high-quality SNPs from the coding region. The sources of tea planted in the Xinyang area were extensive and complex. Specifically, Shihe District and Gushi County were the two earliest tea planting areas in Xinyang, reflecting a long history of tea planting. Furthermore, we identified numerous selection sweeps during the differentiation of CSA and CSS and these positive selection genes are involved in many aspects such as regulation of secondary metabolites synthesis, amino acid metabolism, photosynthesis, etc. Numerous specific selective sweeps of modern cultivars were annotated with functions in various different aspects, indicating the CSS and CSA populations possibly underwent independent specific domestication processes. Our study indicated that transcriptome-based SNP-calling is an efficient and cost-effective method in untangling intraspecific phylogenetic relationships. This study provides a significant understanding of the cultivation history of the famous Chinese tea Xinyang Maojian and unravels the genetic basis of physiological and ecological differences between the two major tea subspecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Cheng
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tea-oil tree Biology and High Value Utilization, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
- College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
| | - Mengge Li
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tea-oil tree Biology and High Value Utilization, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
- College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
| | - Yachao Wang
- Laboratory of Systematic Evolution and Biogeography of Woody Plants, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Qunwei Han
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tea-oil tree Biology and High Value Utilization, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
- College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
| | - Yanlin Hao
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tea-oil tree Biology and High Value Utilization, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
- College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
| | - Zhen Qiao
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tea-oil tree Biology and High Value Utilization, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
- College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
| | - Lin Qiu
- Institute of Forestry Science, Xinyang Forestry Bureau, Xinyang, Henan, China
| | - Andong Gong
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tea-oil tree Biology and High Value Utilization, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
- College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan, China
| | - Zhihan Zhang
- College of Engineering and Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Tao Li
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Shanshan Luo
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Linshuang Tang
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Daliang Liu
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Hao Yin
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Song Lu
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Tiago Santana Balbuena
- Department of Agricultural, Livestock and Environmental Biotechnology, Sao Paulo State University, Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Yiyong Zhao
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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16
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Feng X, Zheng J, Irisarri I, Yu H, Zheng B, Ali Z, de Vries S, Keller J, Fürst-Jansen JM, Dadras A, Zegers JM, Rieseberg TP, Ashok AD, Darienko T, Bierenbroodspot MJ, Gramzow L, Petroll R, Haas FB, Fernandez-Pozo N, Nousias O, Li T, Fitzek E, Grayburn WS, Rittmeier N, Permann C, Rümpler F, Archibald JM, Theißen G, Mower JP, Lorenz M, Buschmann H, von Schwartzenberg K, Boston L, Hayes RD, Daum C, Barry K, Grigoriev IV, Wang X, Li FW, Rensing SA, Ari JB, Keren N, Mosquna A, Holzinger A, Delaux PM, Zhang C, Huang J, Mutwil M, de Vries J, Yin Y. Chromosome-level genomes of multicellular algal sisters to land plants illuminate signaling network evolution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.31.526407. [PMID: 36778228 PMCID: PMC9915684 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.31.526407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The filamentous and unicellular algae of the class Zygnematophyceae are the closest algal relatives of land plants. Inferring the properties of the last common ancestor shared by these algae and land plants allows us to identify decisive traits that enabled the conquest of land by plants. We sequenced four genomes of filamentous Zygnematophyceae (three strains of Zygnema circumcarinatum and one strain of Z. cylindricum) and generated chromosome-scale assemblies for all strains of the emerging model system Z. circumcarinatum. Comparative genomic analyses reveal expanded genes for signaling cascades, environmental response, and intracellular trafficking that we associate with multicellularity. Gene family analyses suggest that Zygnematophyceae share all the major enzymes with land plants for cell wall polysaccharide synthesis, degradation, and modifications; most of the enzymes for cell wall innovations, especially for polysaccharide backbone synthesis, were gained more than 700 million years ago. In Zygnematophyceae, these enzyme families expanded, forming co-expressed modules. Transcriptomic profiling of over 19 growth conditions combined with co-expression network analyses uncover cohorts of genes that unite environmental signaling with multicellular developmental programs. Our data shed light on a molecular chassis that balances environmental response and growth modulation across more than 600 million years of streptophyte evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehuan Feng
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Food Science and Technology, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Jinfang Zheng
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Food Science and Technology, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Iker Irisarri
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- Section Phylogenomics, Centre for Molecular biodiversity Research, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Zoological Museum Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Huihui Yu
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center for Plant Science Innovation, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Bo Zheng
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Food Science and Technology, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Zahin Ali
- Nanyang Technological University, School of Biological Sciences, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Sophie de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jean Keller
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales (LRSV), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, INP Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, 31326, France
| | - Janine M.R. Fürst-Jansen
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Armin Dadras
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jaccoline M.S. Zegers
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tim P. Rieseberg
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Amra Dhabalia Ashok
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tatyana Darienko
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maaike J. Bierenbroodspot
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Lydia Gramzow
- University of Jena, Matthias Schleiden Institute / Genetics, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Romy Petroll
- Plant Cell Biology, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Fabian B. Haas
- Plant Cell Biology, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Noe Fernandez-Pozo
- Plant Cell Biology, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Institute for Mediterranean and Subtropical Horticulture “La Mayora” (UMA-CSIC)
| | - Orestis Nousias
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Food Science and Technology, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Tang Li
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Food Science and Technology, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Elisabeth Fitzek
- Computational Biology, Department of Biology, Center for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - W. Scott Grayburn
- Northern Illinois University, Molecular Core Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
| | - Nina Rittmeier
- University of Innsbruck, Department of Botany, Research Group Plant Cell Biology, Sternwartestraße 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Charlotte Permann
- University of Innsbruck, Department of Botany, Research Group Plant Cell Biology, Sternwartestraße 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Florian Rümpler
- University of Jena, Matthias Schleiden Institute / Genetics, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - John M. Archibald
- Dalhousie University, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 5850 College Street, Halifax NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Günter Theißen
- University of Jena, Matthias Schleiden Institute / Genetics, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Jeffrey P. Mower
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center for Plant Science Innovation, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Maike Lorenz
- University of Goettingen, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Experimental Phycology and Culture Collection of Algae at Goettingen University (EPSAG), Nikolausberger Weg 18, 37073 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Henrik Buschmann
- University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, Faculty of Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, Section Biotechnology and Chemistry, Molecular Biotechnology, Technikumplatz 17, 09648 Mittweida, Germany
| | - Klaus von Schwartzenberg
- Universität Hamburg, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Microalgae and Zygnematophyceae Collection Hamburg (MZCH) and Aquatic Ecophysiology and Phycology, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lori Boston
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Richard D. Hayes
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Chris Daum
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Kerrie Barry
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Igor V. Grigoriev
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Xiyin Wang
- North China University of Science and Technology
| | - Fay-Wei Li
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Cornell University, Plant Biology Section, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Stefan A. Rensing
- Plant Cell Biology, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- University of Freiburg, Centre for Biological Signalling Studies (BIOSS), Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julius Ben Ari
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Rehovot 7610000, Israel
| | - Noa Keren
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Rehovot 7610000, Israel
| | - Assaf Mosquna
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Rehovot 7610000, Israel
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- University of Innsbruck, Department of Botany, Research Group Plant Cell Biology, Sternwartestraße 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Pierre-Marc Delaux
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales (LRSV), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, INP Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, 31326, France
| | - Chi Zhang
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center for Plant Science Innovation, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, School of Biological Sciences, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Jinling Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Marek Mutwil
- Nanyang Technological University, School of Biological Sciences, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Jan de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- University of Goettingen, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Yanbin Yin
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Food Science and Technology, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
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17
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Arce Cubas L, Vath RL, Bernardo EL, Sales CRG, Burnett AC, Kromdijk J. Activation of CO 2 assimilation during photosynthetic induction is slower in C 4 than in C 3 photosynthesis in three phylogenetically controlled experiments. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1091115. [PMID: 36684779 PMCID: PMC9848656 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1091115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Despite their importance for the global carbon cycle and crop production, species with C4 photosynthesis are still somewhat understudied relative to C3 species. Although the benefits of the C4 carbon concentrating mechanism are readily observable under optimal steady state conditions, it is less clear how the presence of C4 affects activation of CO2 assimilation during photosynthetic induction. METHODS In this study we aimed to characterise differences between C4 and C3 photosynthetic induction responses by analysing steady state photosynthesis and photosynthetic induction in three phylogenetically linked pairs of C3 and C4 species from Alloteropsis, Flaveria, and Cleome genera. Experiments were conducted both at 21% and 2% O2 to evaluate the role of photorespiration during photosynthetic induction. RESULTS Our results confirm C4 species have slower activation of CO2 assimilation during photosynthetic induction than C3 species, but the apparent mechanism behind these differences varied between genera. Incomplete suppression of photorespiration was found to impact photosynthetic induction significantly in C4 Flaveria bidentis, whereas in the Cleome and Alloteropsis C4 species, delayed activation of the C3 cycle appeared to limit induction and a potentially supporting role for photorespiration was also identified. DISCUSSION The sheer variation in photosynthetic induction responses observed in our limited sample of species highlights the importance of controlling for evolutionary distance when comparing C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Arce Cubas
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Richard L. Vath
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emmanuel L. Bernardo
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- University of the Philippines Los Baños, Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, College, Laguna, Philippines
| | | | - Angela C. Burnett
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Johannes Kromdijk
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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18
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Singh J, Garai S, Das S, Thakur JK, Tripathy BC. Role of C4 photosynthetic enzyme isoforms in C3 plants and their potential applications in improving agronomic traits in crops. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2022; 154:233-258. [PMID: 36309625 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-022-00978-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
As compared to C3, C4 plants have higher photosynthetic rates and better tolerance to high temperature and drought. These traits are highly beneficial in the current scenario of global warming. Interestingly, all the genes of the C4 photosynthetic pathway are present in C3 plants, although they are involved in diverse non-photosynthetic functions. Non-photosynthetic isoforms of carbonic anhydrase (CA), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), the decarboxylating enzymes NAD/NADP-malic enzyme (NAD/NADP-ME), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and finally pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) catalyze reactions that are essential for major plant metabolism pathways, such as the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, maintenance of cellular pH, uptake of nutrients and their assimilation. Consistent with this view differential expression pattern of these non-photosynthetic C3 isoforms has been observed in different tissues across the plant developmental stages, such as germination, grain filling, and leaf senescence. Also abundance of these C3 isoforms is increased considerably in response to environmental fluctuations particularly during abiotic stress. Here we review the vital roles played by C3 isoforms of C4 enzymes and the probable mechanisms by which they help plants in acclimation to adverse growth conditions. Further, their potential applications to increase the agronomic trait value of C3 crops is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitender Singh
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Sampurna Garai
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Shubhashis Das
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Jitendra Kumar Thakur
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, 110067, India.
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India.
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19
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Riaz A, Deng F, Chen G, Jiang W, Zheng Q, Riaz B, Mak M, Zeng F, Chen ZH. Molecular Regulation and Evolution of Redox Homeostasis in Photosynthetic Machinery. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11112085. [PMID: 36358456 PMCID: PMC9686623 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11112085] [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: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The recent advances in plant biology have significantly improved our understanding of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as signaling molecules in the redox regulation of complex cellular processes. In plants, free radicals and non-radicals are prevalent intra- and inter-cellular ROS, catalyzing complex metabolic processes such as photosynthesis. Photosynthesis homeostasis is maintained by thiol-based systems and antioxidative enzymes, which belong to some of the evolutionarily conserved protein families. The molecular and biological functions of redox regulation in photosynthesis are usually to balance the electron transport chain, photosystem II, photosystem I, mesophyll and bundle sheath signaling, and photo-protection regulating plant growth and productivity. Here, we review the recent progress of ROS signaling in photosynthesis. We present a comprehensive comparative bioinformatic analysis of redox regulation in evolutionary distinct photosynthetic cells. Gene expression, phylogenies, sequence alignments, and 3D protein structures in representative algal and plant species revealed conserved key features including functional domains catalyzing oxidation and reduction reactions. We then discuss the antioxidant-related ROS signaling and important pathways for achieving homeostasis of photosynthesis. Finally, we highlight the importance of plant responses to stress cues and genetic manipulation of disturbed redox status for balanced and enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and plant productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeel Riaz
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 414000, China
| | - Fenglin Deng
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 414000, China
| | - Guang Chen
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Wei Jiang
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 414000, China
| | - Qingfeng Zheng
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 414000, China
| | - Bisma Riaz
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Okara, Okara, Punjab 56300, Pakistan
| | - Michelle Mak
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
| | - Fanrong Zeng
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 414000, China
- Correspondence: (F.Z.); (Z.-H.C.)
| | - Zhong-Hua Chen
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
- Correspondence: (F.Z.); (Z.-H.C.)
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20
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Pradhan B, Panda D, Bishi SK, Chakraborty K, Muthusamy SK, Lenka SK. Progress and prospects of C 4 trait engineering in plants. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2022; 24:920-931. [PMID: 35727191 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Incorporating C4 photosynthetic traits into C3 crops is a rational approach for sustaining future demands for crop productivity. Using classical plant breeding, engineering this complex trait is unlikely to achieve its target. Therefore, it is critical and timely to implement novel biotechnological crop improvement strategies to accomplish this goal. However, a fundamental understanding of C3 , C4 , and C3 -C4 intermediate metabolism is crucial for the targeted use of biotechnological tools. This review assesses recent progress towards engineering C4 photosynthetic traits in C3 crops. We also discuss lessons learned from successes and failures of recent genetic engineering attempts in C3 crops, highlighting the pros and cons of using rice as a model plant for short-, medium- and long-term goals of genetic engineering. This review provides an integrated approach towards engineering improved photosynthetic efficiency in C3 crops for sustaining food, fibre and fuel production around the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Pradhan
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty Centre for Integrated Rural Development and Management, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Kolkata, India
| | - D Panda
- Department of Biodiversity & Conservation of Natural Resources, Central University of Odisha, Koraput, India
| | - S K Bishi
- School of Genomics and Molecular Breeding, ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi, India
| | - K Chakraborty
- Department of Plant Physiology, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, India
| | - S K Muthusamy
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - S K Lenka
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Gujarat Biotechnology University, Gujarat, India
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21
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Caferri R, Bassi R. Plants and water in a changing world: a physiological and ecological perspective. RENDICONTI LINCEI. SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI 2022; 33:479-487. [PMID: 35991676 PMCID: PMC9374581 DOI: 10.1007/s12210-022-01084-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission by replacing fossil energy stocks with carbon–neutral fuels is a major topic of the political and scientific debate on environmental sustainability. Such shift in energy sources is expected to curtail the accumulation rate of atmospheric CO2, which is a strong infrared absorber and thus contributes to the global warming effect. Although such change would produce desirable outputs, the consequences of a drastic decrease in atmospheric CO2 (the substrate of photosynthesis) should be carefully considered in the light of its potential impact on ecosystems stability and agricultural productivity. Indeed, plants regulate CO2 uptake and water loss through the same anatomical structure: the leaf stomata. A reduced CO2 availability is thus expected to enhance transpiration rate in plants decreasing their water use efficiency and imposing an increased water demand for both agricultural and wild ecosystems. We suggest that this largely underestimated issue should be duly considered when implementing policies that aim at the mitigation of global environmental changes and, at the same time, promote sustainable agricultural practices, include the preservation of biodiversity. Also, we underlie the important role(s) that modern biotechnology could play to tackle these global challenges by introducing new traits aimed at creating crop varieties with enhanced CO2 capture and water- and light-use efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Caferri
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Bassi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy
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22
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Sonmez MC, Ozgur R, Uzilday B, Turkan I, Ganie SA. Redox regulation in
C
3
and
C
4
plants during climate change and its implications on food security. Food Energy Secur 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/fes3.387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Rengin Ozgur
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ege University Izmir Turkey
- Graduate School of Life Sciences Tohoku University Sendai Japan
| | - Baris Uzilday
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ege University Izmir Turkey
- Graduate School of Life Sciences Tohoku University Sendai Japan
| | - Ismail Turkan
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ege University Izmir Turkey
| | - Showkat Ahmad Ganie
- Plant Molecular Science and Centre of Systems and Synthetic Biology Department of Biological Sciences Royal Holloway University of London Egham UK
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23
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Hüdig M, Tronconi MA, Zubimendi JP, Sage TL, Poschmann G, Bickel D, Gohlke H, Maurino VG. Respiratory and C4-photosynthetic NAD-malic enzyme coexist in bundle sheath cell mitochondria and evolved via association of differentially adapted subunits. THE PLANT CELL 2022; 34:597-615. [PMID: 34734993 PMCID: PMC8773993 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koab265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
In plant mitochondria, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-malic enzyme (NAD-ME) has a housekeeping function in malate respiration. In different plant lineages, NAD-ME was independently co-opted in C4 photosynthesis. In the C4 Cleome species, Gynandropsis gynandra and Cleome angustifolia, all NAD-ME genes (NAD-MEα, NAD-MEβ1, and NAD-MEβ2) were affected by C4 evolution and are expressed at higher levels than their orthologs in the C3 species Tarenaya hassleriana. In T. hassleriana, the NAD-ME housekeeping function is performed by two heteromers, NAD-MEα/β1 and NAD-MEα/β2, with similar biochemical properties. In both C4 species, this role is restricted to NAD-MEα/β2. In the C4 species, NAD-MEα/β1 is exclusively present in the leaves, where it accounts for most of the enzymatic activity. Gynandropsis gynandra NAD-MEα/β1 (GgNAD-MEα/β1) exhibits high catalytic efficiency and is differentially activated by the C4 intermediate aspartate, confirming its role as the C4-decarboxylase. During C4 evolution, NAD-MEβ1 lost its catalytic activity; its contribution to the enzymatic activity results from a stabilizing effect on the associated α-subunit and the acquisition of regulatory properties. We conclude that in bundle sheath cell mitochondria of C4 species, the functions of NAD-ME as C4 photosynthetic decarboxylase and as a housekeeping enzyme coexist and are performed by isoforms that combine the same α-subunit with differentially adapted β-subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike Hüdig
- Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Kirschallee, Bonn 53115, Germany
| | - Marcos A Tronconi
- Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Suipacha 531, Rosario 2000, Argentina
| | - Juan P Zubimendi
- Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Suipacha 531, Rosario 2000, Argentina
| | - Tammy L Sage
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gereon Poschmann
- Molecular Proteomics Laboratory, Biomedical Research Centre (BMFZ) & Institute of Molecular Medicine, Proteome Research, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - David Bickel
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
- John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry) & Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
| | - Veronica G Maurino
- Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Kirschallee, Bonn 53115, Germany
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24
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Adolfo LM, Rao X, Dixon RA. Identification of Pueraria spp. through DNA barcoding and comparative transcriptomics. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 22:10. [PMID: 34979934 PMCID: PMC8722073 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-03383-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Kudzu is a term used generically to describe members of the genus Pueraria. Kudzu roots have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine in view of their high levels of beneficial isoflavones including the unique 8-C-glycoside of daidzein, puerarin. In the US, kudzu is seen as a noxious weed causing ecological and economic damage. However, not all kudzu species make puerarin or are equally invasive. Kudzu remains difficult to identify due to its diverse morphology and inconsistent nomenclature. RESULTS We have generated sequences for the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and maturase K (matK) regions of Pueraria montana lobata, P. montana montana, and P. phaseoloides, and identified two accessions previously used for differential analysis of puerarin biosynthesis as P. lobata and P. phaseoloides. Additionally, we have generated root transcriptomes for the puerarin-producing P. m. lobata and the non-puerarin producing P. phaseoloides. Within the transcriptomes, microsatellites were identified to aid in species identification as well as population diversity. CONCLUSIONS The barcode sequences generated will aid in fast and efficient identification of the three kudzu species. Additionally, the microsatellites identified from the transcriptomes will aid in genetic analysis. The root transcriptomes also provide a molecular toolkit for comparative gene expression analysis towards elucidation of the biosynthesis of kudzu phytochemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laci M Adolfo
- BioDiscovery Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305220, Denton, TX, 76203-5017, USA
| | - Xiaolan Rao
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei Province, China
| | - Richard A Dixon
- BioDiscovery Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305220, Denton, TX, 76203-5017, USA.
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25
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Siadjeu C, Lauterbach M, Kadereit G. Insights into Regulation of C 2 and C 4 Photosynthesis in Amaranthaceae/ Chenopodiaceae Using RNA-Seq. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12120. [PMID: 34830004 PMCID: PMC8624041 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Amaranthaceae (incl. Chenopodiaceae) shows an immense diversity of C4 syndromes. More than 15 independent origins of C4 photosynthesis, and the largest number of C4 species in eudicots signify the importance of this angiosperm lineage in C4 evolution. Here, we conduct RNA-Seq followed by comparative transcriptome analysis of three species from Camphorosmeae representing related clades with different photosynthetic types: Threlkeldia diffusa (C3), Sedobassia sedoides (C2), and Bassia prostrata (C4). Results show that B. prostrata belongs to the NADP-ME type and core genes encoding for C4 cycle are significantly upregulated when compared with Sed. sedoides and T. diffusa. Sedobassia sedoides and B. prostrata share a number of upregulated C4-related genes; however, two C4 transporters (DIT and TPT) are found significantly upregulated only in Sed. sedoides. Combined analysis of transcription factors (TFs) of the closely related lineages (Camphorosmeae and Salsoleae) revealed that no C3-specific TFs are higher in C2 species compared with C4 species; instead, the C2 species show their own set of upregulated TFs. Taken together, our study indicates that the hypothesis of the C2 photosynthesis as a proxy towards C4 photosynthesis is questionable in Sed. sedoides and more in favour of an independent evolutionary stable state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Siadjeu
- Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, 80638 Munich, Germany;
| | | | - Gudrun Kadereit
- Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, 80638 Munich, Germany;
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26
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Artur MAS, Kajala K. Convergent evolution of gene regulatory networks underlying plant adaptations to dry environments. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2021; 44:3211-3222. [PMID: 34196969 PMCID: PMC8518057 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plants transitioned from an aquatic to a terrestrial lifestyle during their evolution. On land, fluctuations on water availability in the environment became one of the major problems they encountered. The appearance of morpho-physiological adaptations to cope with and tolerate water loss from the cells was undeniably useful to survive on dry land. Some of these adaptations, such as carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), desiccation tolerance (DT) and root impermeabilization, appeared in multiple plant lineages. Despite being crucial for evolution on land, it has been unclear how these adaptations convergently evolved in the various plant lineages. Recent advances on whole genome and transcriptome sequencing are revealing that co-option of genes and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a common feature underlying the convergent evolution of these adaptations. In this review, we address how the study of CCMs and DT has provided insight into convergent evolution of GRNs underlying plant adaptation to dry environments, and how these insights could be applied to currently emerging understanding of evolution of root impermeabilization through different barrier cell types. We discuss examples of co-option, conservation and innovation of genes and GRNs at the cell, tissue and organ levels revealed by recent phylogenomic (comparative genomic) and comparative transcriptomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana A. S. Artur
- Laboratory of Plant PhysiologyWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Kaisa Kajala
- Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
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27
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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.
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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
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28
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Chotewutmontri P, Barkan A. Ribosome profiling elucidates differential gene expression in bundle sheath and mesophyll cells in maize. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 187:59-72. [PMID: 34618144 PMCID: PMC8418429 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The efficiencies offered by C4 photosynthesis have motivated efforts to understand its biochemical, genetic, and developmental basis. Reactions underlying C4 traits in most C4 plants are partitioned between two cell types, bundle sheath (BS), and mesophyll (M) cells. RNA-seq has been used to catalog differential gene expression in BS and M cells in maize (Zea mays) and several other C4 species. However, the contribution of translational control to maintaining the distinct proteomes of BS and M cells has not been addressed. In this study, we used ribosome profiling and RNA-seq to describe translatomes, translational efficiencies, and microRNA abundance in BS- and M-enriched fractions of maize seedling leaves. A conservative interpretation of our data revealed 182 genes exhibiting cell type-dependent differences in translational efficiency, 31 of which encode proteins with core roles in C4 photosynthesis. Our results suggest that non-AUG start codons are used preferentially in upstream open reading frames of BS cells, revealed mRNA sequence motifs that correlate with cell type-dependent translation, and identified potential translational regulators that are differentially expressed. In addition, our data expand the set of genes known to be differentially expressed in BS and M cells, including genes encoding transcription factors and microRNAs. These data add to the resources for understanding the evolutionary and developmental basis of C4 photosynthesis and for its engineering into C3 crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakitchai Chotewutmontri
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403 USA
- Author for communication:
| | - Alice Barkan
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403 USA
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Carey S, Higuera‐Díaz M, Mankowski P, Rocca A, Hall JC. Virus-induced gene silencing as a tool for functional studies in Cleome violacea. APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES 2021; 9:APS311435. [PMID: 34141499 PMCID: PMC8202831 DOI: 10.1002/aps3.11435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Cleomaceae is emerging as a promising family to investigate a wide range of phenomena, such as C4 photosynthesis and floral diversity. However, functional techniques are lacking for elucidating this diversity. Herein, we establish virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) as a method of generating functional data for Cleome violacea, bolstering Cleomaceae as a model system. METHODS We leveraged the sister relationship of Cleomaceae and Brassicaceae by using constructs readily available for Arabidopsis thaliana to provide initial information about the feasibility of VIGS in C. violacea. We then developed endogenous constructs to optimize VIGS efficiency and viability for fruit development. RESULTS PHYTOENE DESATURASE was successfully downregulated in C. violacea using both heterologous and endogenous constructs. The endogenous construct had the highest degree of downregulation, with many plants displaying strong photobleaching. FRUITFULL-treated plants were also successfully downregulated, with a high rate of survival but less effective silencing; only a small percentage of survivors showed a strong phenotype. DISCUSSION Our optimized VIGS protocol in C. violacea enables functional gene analyses at different developmental stages. Additionally, C. violacea is amenable to heterologous knockdown, which suggests that a first pass using non-endogenous constructs is a possible route to test additional species of Cleomaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane Carey
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
| | | | - Peter Mankowski
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
- Present address:
Department of SurgeryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Alexandra Rocca
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
- Present address:
Administration BuildingUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
| | - Jocelyn C. Hall
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
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Kuhnert F, Schlüter U, Linka N, Eisenhut M. Transport Proteins Enabling Plant Photorespiratory Metabolism. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10050880. [PMID: 33925393 PMCID: PMC8146403 DOI: 10.3390/plants10050880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Photorespiration (PR) is a metabolic repair pathway that acts in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms to degrade a toxic product of oxygen fixation generated by the enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Within the metabolic pathway, energy is consumed and carbon dioxide released. Consequently, PR is seen as a wasteful process making it a promising target for engineering to enhance plant productivity. Transport and channel proteins connect the organelles accomplishing the PR pathway-chloroplast, peroxisome, and mitochondrion-and thus enable efficient flux of PR metabolites. Although the pathway and the enzymes catalyzing the biochemical reactions have been the focus of research for the last several decades, the knowledge about transport proteins involved in PR is still limited. This review presents a timely state of knowledge with regard to metabolite channeling in PR and the participating proteins. The significance of transporters for implementation of synthetic bypasses to PR is highlighted. As an excursion, the physiological contribution of transport proteins that are involved in C4 metabolism is discussed.
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31
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Stander EA, Williams W, Mgwatyu Y, van Heusden P, Rautenbach F, Marnewick J, Le Roes-Hill M, Hesse U. Transcriptomics of the Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) Species Complex. BIOTECH 2020; 9:biotech9040019. [PMID: 35822822 PMCID: PMC9258316 DOI: 10.3390/biotech9040019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), widely known as a herbal tea, is endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa (SA). It produces a wide range of phenolic compounds that have been associated with diverse health promoting properties of the plant. The species comprises several growth forms that differ in their morphology and biochemical composition, only one of which is cultivated and used commercially. Here, we established methodologies for non-invasive transcriptome research of wild-growing South African plant species, including (1) harvesting and transport of plant material suitable for RNA sequencing; (2) inexpensive, high-throughput biochemical sample screening; (3) extraction of high-quality RNA from recalcitrant, polysaccharide- and polyphenol rich plant material; and (4) biocomputational analysis of Illumina sequencing data, together with the evaluation of programs for transcriptome assembly (Trinity, IDBA-Trans, SOAPdenovo-Trans, CLC), protein prediction, as well as functional and taxonomic transcript annotation. In the process, we established a biochemically characterized sample pool from 44 distinct rooibos ecotypes (1–5 harvests) and generated four in-depth annotated transcriptomes (each comprising on average ≈86,000 transcripts) from rooibos plants that represent distinct growth forms and differ in their biochemical profiles. These resources will serve future rooibos research and plant breeding endeavours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Amor Stander
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa; (E.A.S.); (W.W.); (Y.M.); (P.v.H.)
| | - Wesley Williams
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa; (E.A.S.); (W.W.); (Y.M.); (P.v.H.)
- Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Yamkela Mgwatyu
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa; (E.A.S.); (W.W.); (Y.M.); (P.v.H.)
| | - Peter van Heusden
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa; (E.A.S.); (W.W.); (Y.M.); (P.v.H.)
| | - Fanie Rautenbach
- Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville 7535, South Africa; (F.R.); (J.M.); (M.L.R.-H.)
| | - Jeanine Marnewick
- Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville 7535, South Africa; (F.R.); (J.M.); (M.L.R.-H.)
| | - Marilize Le Roes-Hill
- Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville 7535, South Africa; (F.R.); (J.M.); (M.L.R.-H.)
| | - Uljana Hesse
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa; (E.A.S.); (W.W.); (Y.M.); (P.v.H.)
- Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
- Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
- Correspondence:
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Abstract
C4 photosynthesis evolved multiple times independently from ancestral C3 photosynthesis in a broad range of flowering land plant families and in both monocots and dicots. The evolution of C4 photosynthesis entails the recruitment of enzyme activities that are not involved in photosynthetic carbon fixation in C3 plants to photosynthesis. This requires a different regulation of gene expression as well as a different regulation of enzyme activities in comparison to the C3 context. Further, C4 photosynthesis relies on a distinct leaf anatomy that differs from that of C3, requiring a differential regulation of leaf development in C4. We summarize recent progress in the understanding of C4-specific features in evolution and metabolic regulation in the context of C4 photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urte Schlüter
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; ,
| | - Andreas P M Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; ,
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Müller C, Bräutigam A, Eilers E, Junker R, Schnitzler JP, Steppuhn A, Unsicker S, van Dam N, Weisser W, Wittmann M. Ecology and Evolution of Intraspecific Chemodiversity of Plants. RESEARCH IDEAS AND OUTCOMES 2020. [DOI: 10.3897/rio.6.e49810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
An extraordinarily high intraspecific chemical diversity, i.e. chemodiversity, has been found in several plant species, of which some are of major ecological or economic relevance. Moreover, even within an individual plant there is substantial chemodiversity among tissues and across seasons. This chemodiversity likely has pronounced ecological effects on plant mutualists and antagonists, associated foodwebs and, ultimately, biodiversity. Surprisingly, studies on interactions between plants and their herbivores or pollinators often neglect plant chemistry as a level of diversity and phenotypic variation. The main aim of this Research Unit (RU) is to understand the emergence and maintenance of intraspecific chemodiversity in plants. We address the following central questions:
1) How does plant chemodiversity vary across levels, i.e., within individuals, among individuals within populations, and among populations?
2) What are the ecological consequences of intraspecific plant chemodiversity?
3) How is plant chemodiversity genetically determined and maintained?
By combining field and laboratory studies with metabolomics, transcriptomics, genetic tools, statistical data analysis and modelling, we aim to understand causes and consequences of plant chemodiversity and elucidate its impacts on the interactions of plants with their biotic environment. Furthermore, we want to identify general principles, which hold across different species, and develop meaningful measures to describe the fascinating diversity of defence chemicals in plants. These tasks require integrated scientific collaboration of experts in experimental and theoretical ecology, including chemical and molecular ecology, (bio)chemistry and evolution.
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Afamefule C, Raines CA. Insights Into the Regulation of the Expression Pattern of Calvin-Benson-Bassham Cycle Enzymes in C 3 and C 4 Grasses. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:570436. [PMID: 33178241 PMCID: PMC7595957 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.570436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is characterized by the compartmentalization of the processes of atmospheric uptake of CO2 and its conversion into carbohydrate between mesophyll and bundle-sheath cells. As a result, most of the enzymes participating in the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle, including RubisCO, are highly expressed in bundle-sheath cells. There is evidence that changes in the regulatory sequences of RubisCO contribute to its bundle-sheath-specific expression, however, little is known about how the spatial-expression pattern of other CBB cycle enzymes is regulated. In this study, we use a computational approach to scan for transcription factor binding sites in the regulatory regions of the genes encoding CBB cycle enzymes, SBPase, FBPase, PRK, and GAPDH-B, of C3 and C4 grasses. We identified potential cis-regulatory elements present in each of the genes studied here, regardless of the photosynthetic path used by the plant. The trans-acting factors that bind these elements have been validated in A. thaliana and might regulate the expression of the genes encoding CBB cycle enzymes. In addition, we also found C4-specific transcription factor binding sites in the genes encoding CBB cycle enzymes that could potentially contribute to the pathway-specific regulation of gene expression. These results provide a foundation for the functional analysis of the differences in regulation of genes encoding CBB cycle enzymes between C3 and C4 grasses.
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Dehigaspitiya P, Milham P, Ash GJ, Arun-Chinnappa K, Gamage D, Martin A, Nagasaka S, Seneweera S. Exploring natural variation of photosynthesis in a site-specific manner: evolution, progress, and prospects. PLANTA 2019; 250:1033-1050. [PMID: 31254100 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-019-03223-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Site-specific changes of photosynthesis, a relatively new concept, can be used to improve the productivity of critical food crops to mitigate the foreseen food crisis. Global food security is threatened by an increasing population and the effects of climate change. Large yield improvements were achieved in major cereal crops between the 1950s and 1980s through the Green Revolution. However, we are currently experiencing a significant decline in yield progress. Of the many approaches to improved cereal yields, exploitation of the mode of photosynthesis has been intensely studied. Even though the C4 pathway is considered the most efficient, mainly because of the carbon concentrating mechanisms around the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, which minimize photorespiration, much is still unknown about the specific gene regulation of this mode of photosynthesis. Most of the critical cereal crops, including wheat and rice, are categorized as C3 plants based on the photosynthesis of major photosynthetic organs. However, recent findings raise the possibility of different modes of photosynthesis occurring at different sites in the same plant and/or in plants grown in different habitats. That is, it seems possible that efficient photosynthetic traits may be expressed in specific organs, even though the major photosynthetic pathway is C3. Knowledge of site-specific differences in photosynthesis, coupled with site-specific regulation of gene expression, may therefore hold a potential to enhance the yields of economically important C3 crops.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul Milham
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, LB 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Gavin J Ash
- Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
| | - Kiruba Arun-Chinnappa
- Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
| | - Dananjali Gamage
- Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
| | - Anke Martin
- Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
| | - Seiji Nagasaka
- Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
| | - Saman Seneweera
- Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia.
- National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hanthana Road, Kandy, 20000, Central, Sri Lanka.
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Dunning LT, Moreno-Villena JJ, Lundgren MR, Dionora J, Salazar P, Adams C, Nyirenda F, Olofsson JK, Mapaura A, Grundy IM, Kayombo CJ, Dunning LA, Kentatchime F, Ariyarathne M, Yakandawala D, Besnard G, Quick WP, Bräutigam A, Osborne CP, Christin PA. Key changes in gene expression identified for different stages of C4 evolution in Alloteropsis semialata. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:3255-3268. [PMID: 30949663 PMCID: PMC6598098 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a complex trait that boosts productivity in tropical conditions. Compared with C3 species, the C4 state seems to require numerous novelties, but species comparisons can be confounded by long divergence times. Here, we exploit the photosynthetic diversity that exists within a single species, the grass Alloteropsis semialata, to detect changes in gene expression associated with different photosynthetic phenotypes. Phylogenetically informed comparative transcriptomics show that intermediates with a weak C4 cycle are separated from the C3 phenotype by increases in the expression of 58 genes (0.22% of genes expressed in the leaves), including those encoding just three core C4 enzymes: aspartate aminotransferase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. The subsequent transition to full C4 physiology was accompanied by increases in another 15 genes (0.06%), including only the core C4 enzyme pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase. These changes probably created a rudimentary C4 physiology, and isolated populations subsequently improved this emerging C4 physiology, resulting in a patchwork of expression for some C4 accessory genes. Our work shows how C4 assembly in A. semialata happened in incremental steps, each requiring few alterations over the previous step. These create short bridges across adaptive landscapes that probably facilitated the recurrent origins of C4 photosynthesis through a gradual process of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke T Dunning
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Marjorie R Lundgren
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Paolo Salazar
- International Rice Research Institute, DAPO, Metro Manila, Philippines
| | - Claire Adams
- Botany Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Florence Nyirenda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Jill K Olofsson
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Isla M Grundy
- Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | | | - Lucy A Dunning
- Department of Social Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Menaka Ariyarathne
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeiya, Sri Lanka
| | - Deepthi Yakandawala
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeiya, Sri Lanka
| | - Guillaume Besnard
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - W Paul Quick
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
- International Rice Research Institute, DAPO, Metro Manila, Philippines
| | | | - Colin P Osborne
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
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Moreno-Villena JJ, Dunning LT, Osborne CP, Christin PA. Highly Expressed Genes Are Preferentially Co-Opted for C4 Photosynthesis. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 35:94-106. [PMID: 29040657 PMCID: PMC5850498 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel adaptations are generally assembled by co-opting pre-existing genetic components, but the factors dictating the suitability of genes for new functions remain poorly known. In this work, we used comparative transcriptomics to determine the attributes that increased the likelihood of some genes being co-opted for C4 photosynthesis, a convergent complex trait that boosts productivity in tropical conditions. We show that independent lineages of grasses repeatedly co-opted the gene lineages that were the most highly expressed in non-C4 ancestors to produce their C4 pathway. Although ancestral abundance in leaves explains which genes were used for the emergence of a C4 pathway, the tissue specificity has surprisingly no effect. Our results suggest that levels of key genes were elevated during the early diversification of grasses and subsequently repeatedly used to trigger a weak C4 cycle via relatively few mutations. The abundance of C4-suitable transcripts therefore facilitated physiological innovation, but the transition to a strong C4 pathway still involved consequent changes in expression levels, leaf specificity, and coding sequences. The direction and amount of changes required for the strong C4 pathway depended on the identity of the genes co-opted, so that ancestral gene expression both facilitates adaptive transitions and constrains subsequent evolutionary trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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Niklaus M, Kelly S. The molecular evolution of C4 photosynthesis: opportunities for understanding and improving the world's most productive plants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:795-804. [PMID: 30462241 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a convergent evolutionary trait that enhances photosynthetic efficiency in a variety of environmental conditions. It has evolved repeatedly following a fall in atmospheric CO2 concentration such that there is up to a 30 million year difference in the amount of time that natural selection has had to improve C4 function between the oldest and youngest C4 lineages. This large difference in time, coupled with the phylogenetic distance between lineages, has resulted in a large disparity in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry between extant C4 species. This review summarizes the myriad of molecular sequence changes that have been linked to the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. These range from single nucleotide changes to duplication of entire genes, and provide a roadmap for how natural selection has adapted enzymes and pathways for enhanced C4 function. Finally, this review discusses how this molecular diversity can provide opportunities for understanding and improving photosynthesis for multiple important C4 food, feed, and bioenergy crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Niklaus
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Schlüter U, Bräutigam A, Droz JM, Schwender J, Weber APM. The role of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases in C 4 photosynthesis. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2019; 21 Suppl 1:64-76. [PMID: 30126035 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Alanine and aspartate are essential transfer metabolites for C4 species of the NAD-malic enzyme and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase subtype. To some degree both amino acids are also part of the metabolite shuttle in NADP-malic enzyme plants. In comparison with C3 species, the majority of C4 species are therefore characterised by enhanced expression and activity of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (AT) in the photosynthetically active tissue. Both enzymes exist in multiple copies and have been found in different subcellular compartments. We tested whether different C4 species show preferential recruitment of enzymes from specific lineages and subcellular compartments. Phylogenetic analysis of alanine and aspartate ATs from a variety of monocot and eudicot C4 species and their C3 relatives was combined with subcellular prediction tools and analysis of the subsequent transcript amounts in mature leaves. Recruitment of aspartate AT from a specific subcellular compartment was strongly connected to the biochemical subtype. Deviation from the main model was however observed in Gynandropsis gynandra. The configuration of alanine AT generally differed in monocot and eudicot species. C4 monocots recruited an alanine AT from a specific cytosolic branch, but eudicots use alanine AT copies from a mitochondrial branch. Generally, plants display high plasticity in the setup of the C4 pathway. Beside the common models for the different C4 subtypes, individual solutions were found for plant groups or lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Schlüter
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - A Bräutigam
- Computational Biology, Centre for Biotechnology, University Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - J Schwender
- Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - A P M Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Nowicka B, Ciura J, Szymańska R, Kruk J. Improving photosynthesis, plant productivity and abiotic stress tolerance - current trends and future perspectives. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 231:415-433. [PMID: 30412849 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2018.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
With unfavourable climate changes and an increasing global population, there is a great need for more productive and stress-tolerant crops. As traditional methods of crop improvement have probably reached their limits, a further increase in the productivity of crops is expected to be possible using genetic engineering. The number of potential genes and metabolic pathways, which when genetically modified could result in improved photosynthesis and biomass production, is multiple. Photosynthesis, as the only source of carbon required for the growth and development of plants, attracts much attention is this respect, especially the question concerning how to improve CO2 fixation and limit photorespiration. The most promising direction for increasing CO2 assimilation is implementating carbon concentrating mechanisms found in cyanobacteria and algae into crop plants, while hitherto performed experiments on improving the CO2 fixation versus oxygenation reaction catalyzed by Rubisco are less encouraging. On the other hand, introducing the C4 pathway into C3 plants is a very difficult challenge. Among other points of interest for increased biomass production is engineering of metabolic regulation, certain proteins, nucleic acids or phytohormones. In this respect, enhanced sucrose synthesis, assimilate translocation to sink organs and starch synthesis is crucial, as is genetic engineering of the phytohormone metabolism. As abiotic stress tolerance is one of the key factors determining crop productivity, extensive studies are being undertaken to develop transgenic plants characterized by elevated stress resistance. This can be accomplished due to elevated synthesis of antioxidants, osmoprotectants and protective proteins. Among other promising targets for the genetic engineering of plants with elevated stress resistance are transcription factors that play a key role in abiotic stress responses of plants. In this review, most of the approaches to improving the productivity of plants that are potentially promising and have already been undertaken are described. In addition to this, the limitations faced, potential challenges and possibilities regarding future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrycze Nowicka
- Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Joanna Ciura
- Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Renata Szymańska
- Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, Reymonta 19, 30-059 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Jerzy Kruk
- Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
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Watson-Lazowski A, Papanicolaou A, Sharwood R, Ghannoum O. Investigating the NAD-ME biochemical pathway within C 4 grasses using transcript and amino acid variation in C 4 photosynthetic genes. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2018; 138:233-248. [PMID: 30078073 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-018-0569-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/28/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Expanding knowledge of the C4 photosynthetic pathway can provide key information to aid biological improvements to crop photosynthesis and yield. While the C4 NADP-ME pathway is well characterised, there is increasing agricultural and bioengineering interest in the comparably understudied NAD-ME and PEPCK pathways. Within this study, a systematic identification of key differences across species has allowed us to investigate the evolution of C4-recruited genes in one C3 and eleven C4 grasses (Poaceae) spanning two independent origins of C4 photosynthesis. We present evidence for C4-specific paralogs of NAD-malic enzyme 2, MPC1 and MPC2 (mitochondrial pyruvate carriers) via increased transcript abundance and associated rates of evolution, implicating them as genes recruited to perform C4 photosynthesis within NAD-ME and PEPCK subtypes. We then investigate the localisation of AspAT across subtypes, using novel and published evidence to place AspAT3 in both the cytosol and peroxisome. Finally, these findings are integrated with transcript abundance of previously identified C4 genes to provide an updated model for C4 grass NAD-ME and PEPCK photosynthesis. This updated model allows us to develop on the current understanding of NAD-ME and PEPCK photosynthesis in grasses, bolstering our efforts to understand the evolutionary 'path to C4' and improve C4 photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Watson-Lazowski
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
| | - Alexie Papanicolaou
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Robert Sharwood
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Oula Ghannoum
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
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43
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Sedelnikova OV, Hughes TE, Langdale JA. Understanding the Genetic Basis of C 4 Kranz Anatomy with a View to Engineering C 3 Crops. Annu Rev Genet 2018; 52:249-270. [PMID: 30208293 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-120417-031217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
One of the most remarkable examples of convergent evolution is the transition from C3 to C4 photosynthesis, an event that occurred on over 60 independent occasions. The evolution of C4 is particularly noteworthy because of the complexity of the developmental and metabolic changes that took place. In most cases, compartmentalized metabolic reactions were facilitated by the development of a distinct leaf anatomy known as Kranz. C4 Kranz anatomy differs from ancestral C3 anatomy with respect to vein spacing patterns across the leaf, cell-type specification around veins, and cell-specific organelle function. Here we review our current understanding of how Kranz anatomy evolved and how it develops, with a focus on studies that are dissecting the underlying genetic mechanisms. This research field has gained prominence in recent years because understanding the genetic regulation of Kranz may enable the C3-to-C4 transition to be engineered, an endeavor that would significantly enhance crop productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga V Sedelnikova
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom; , ,
| | - Thomas E Hughes
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom; , ,
| | - Jane A Langdale
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom; , ,
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44
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Bayat S, Schranz ME, Roalson EH, Hall JC. Lessons from Cleomaceae, the Sister of Crucifers. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 23:808-821. [PMID: 30006074 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2018.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Cleomaceae is a diverse group well-suited to addressing fundamental genomic and evolutionary questions as the sister group to Brassicaceae, facilitating transfer of knowledge from the model Arabidopsis thaliana. Phylogenetic and taxonomic revisions provide a framework for examining the evolution of substantive morphological and physiology diversity in Cleomaceae, but not necessarily in Brassicaceae. The investigation of both nested and contrasting whole-genome duplications (WGDs) between Cleomaceae and Brassicaceae allows comparisons of independently duplicated genes and investigation of whether they may be drivers of the observed innovations. Further, a wealth of outstanding genetic research has provided insight into how the important alternative carbon fixation pathway, C4 photosynthesis, has evolved via differential expression of a suite of genes, of which the underlying mechanisms are being elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soheila Bayat
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada; RG Plant Cytogenomics, Central European Institute of Technology, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - M Eric Schranz
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Eric H Roalson
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - Jocelyn C Hall
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada.
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45
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Bianconi ME, Dunning LT, Moreno-Villena JJ, Osborne CP, Christin PA. Gene duplication and dosage effects during the early emergence of C4 photosynthesis in the grass genus Alloteropsis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2018; 69:1967-1980. [PMID: 29394370 PMCID: PMC6018922 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The importance of gene duplication for evolutionary diversification has been mainly discussed in terms of genetic redundancy allowing neofunctionalization. In the case of C4 photosynthesis, which evolved via the co-option of multiple enzymes to boost carbon fixation in tropical conditions, the importance of genetic redundancy has not been consistently supported by genomic studies. Here, we test for a different role for gene duplication in the early evolution of C4 photosynthesis, via dosage effects creating rapid step changes in expression levels. Using genome-wide data for accessions of the grass genus Alloteropsis that recently diversified into different photosynthetic types, we estimate gene copy numbers and demonstrate that recurrent duplications in two important families of C4 genes coincided with increases in transcript abundance along the phylogeny, in some cases via a pure dosage effect. While increased gene copy number during the initial emergence of C4 photosynthesis probably offered a rapid route to enhanced expression, we also find losses of duplicates following the acquisition of genes encoding better-suited isoforms. The dosage effect of gene duplication might therefore act as a transient process during the evolution of a C4 biochemistry, rendered obsolete by the fixation of regulatory mutations increasing expression levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus E Bianconi
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Colin P Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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46
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Reyna-Llorens I, Burgess SJ, Reeves G, Singh P, Stevenson SR, Williams BP, Stanley S, Hibberd JM. Ancient duons may underpin spatial patterning of gene expression in C 4 leaves. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:1931-1936. [PMID: 29432183 PMCID: PMC5828626 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1720576115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
If the highly efficient C4 photosynthesis pathway could be transferred to crops with the C3 pathway there could be yield gains of up to 50%. It has been proposed that the multiple metabolic and developmental modifications associated with C4 photosynthesis are underpinned by relatively few master regulators that have allowed the evolution of C4 photosynthesis more than 60 times in flowering plants. Here we identify a component of one such regulator that consists of a pair of cis-elements located in coding sequence of multiple genes that are preferentially expressed in bundle sheath cells of C4 leaves. These motifs represent duons as they play a dual role in coding for amino acids as well as controlling the spatial patterning of gene expression associated with the C4 leaf. They act to repress transcription of C4 photosynthesis genes in mesophyll cells. These duons are also present in the C3 model Arabidopsis thaliana, and, in fact, are conserved in all land plants and even some algae that use C3 photosynthesis. C4 photosynthesis therefore appears to have coopted an ancient regulatory code to generate the spatial patterning of gene expression that is a hallmark of C4 photosynthesis. This intragenic transcriptional regulatory sequence could be exploited in the engineering of efficient photosynthesis of crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Reyna-Llorens
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Steven J Burgess
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gregory Reeves
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Pallavi Singh
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sean R Stevenson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ben P Williams
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Stanley
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EA Cambridge, United Kingdom
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47
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Bassi D, Menossi M, Mattiello L. Nitrogen supply influences photosynthesis establishment along the sugarcane leaf. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2327. [PMID: 29396510 PMCID: PMC5797232 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20653-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is a major component of the photosynthetic apparatus and is widely used as a fertilizer in crops. However, to the best of our knowledge, the dynamic of photosynthesis establishment due to differential N supply in the bioenergy crop sugarcane has not been reported to date. To address this question, we evaluated physiological and metabolic alterations along the sugarcane leaf in two contrasting genotypes, responsive (R) and nonresponsive (NR), grown under high- and low-N conditions. We found that the N supply and the responsiveness of the genotype determined the degree of senescence, the carboxylation process mediated by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPcase) and differential accumulation of soluble sugars. The metabolite profiles indicated that the NR genotype had a higher respiration rate in the youngest tissues after exposure to high N. We observed elevated levels of metabolites related to photosynthesis in almost all leaf segments from the R genotype under high-N conditions, suggesting that N supply and the ability to respond to N influenced photosynthesis. Therefore, we observed that N influence on photosynthesis and other pathways is dependent on the genotype and the leaf region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Bassi
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-862, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Menossi
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-862, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Lucia Mattiello
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-862, Campinas, Brazil.
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48
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Moreno-Villena JJ, Dunning LT, Osborne CP, Christin PA. Highly Expressed Genes Are Preferentially Co-Opted for C4 Photosynthesis. Mol Biol Evol 2018. [PMID: 29040657 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx269/4457558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel adaptations are generally assembled by co-opting pre-existing genetic components, but the factors dictating the suitability of genes for new functions remain poorly known. In this work, we used comparative transcriptomics to determine the attributes that increased the likelihood of some genes being co-opted for C4 photosynthesis, a convergent complex trait that boosts productivity in tropical conditions. We show that independent lineages of grasses repeatedly co-opted the gene lineages that were the most highly expressed in non-C4 ancestors to produce their C4 pathway. Although ancestral abundance in leaves explains which genes were used for the emergence of a C4 pathway, the tissue specificity has surprisingly no effect. Our results suggest that levels of key genes were elevated during the early diversification of grasses and subsequently repeatedly used to trigger a weak C4 cycle via relatively few mutations. The abundance of C4-suitable transcripts therefore facilitated physiological innovation, but the transition to a strong C4 pathway still involved consequent changes in expression levels, leaf specificity, and coding sequences. The direction and amount of changes required for the strong C4 pathway depended on the identity of the genes co-opted, so that ancestral gene expression both facilitates adaptive transitions and constrains subsequent evolutionary trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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49
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Lauterbach M, Schmidt H, Billakurthi K, Hankeln T, Westhoff P, Gowik U, Kadereit G. De novo Transcriptome Assembly and Comparison of C 3, C 3-C 4, and C 4 Species of Tribe Salsoleae (Chenopodiaceae). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:1939. [PMID: 29184562 PMCID: PMC5694442 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a carbon-concentrating mechanism that evolved independently more than 60 times in a wide range of angiosperm lineages. Among other alterations, the evolution of C4 from ancestral C3 photosynthesis requires changes in the expression of a vast number of genes. Differential gene expression analyses between closely related C3 and C4 species have significantly increased our understanding of C4 functioning and evolution. In Chenopodiaceae, a family that is rich in C4 origins and photosynthetic types, the anatomy, physiology and phylogeny of C4, C2, and C3 species of Salsoleae has been studied in great detail, which facilitated the choice of six samples of five representative species with different photosynthetic types for transcriptome comparisons. mRNA from assimilating organs of each species was sequenced in triplicates, and sequence reads were de novo assembled. These novel genetic resources were then analyzed to provide a better understanding of differential gene expression between C3, C2 and C4 species. All three analyzed C4 species belong to the NADP-ME type as most genes encoding core enzymes of this C4 cycle are highly expressed. The abundance of photorespiratory transcripts is decreased compared to the C3 and C2 species. Like in other C4 lineages of Caryophyllales, our results suggest that PEPC1 is the C4-specific isoform in Salsoleae. Two recently identified transporters from the PHT4 protein family may not only be related to the C4 syndrome, but also active in C2 photosynthesis in Salsoleae. In the two populations of the C2 species S. divaricata transcript abundance of several C4 genes are slightly increased, however, a C4 cycle is not detectable in the carbon isotope values. Most of the core enzymes of photorespiration are highly increased in the C2 species compared to both C3 and C4 species, confirming a successful establishment of the C2 photosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, a function of PEP-CK in C2 photosynthesis appears likely, since PEP-CK gene expression is not only increased in S. divaricata but also in C2 species of other groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Lauterbach
- Institute for Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hanno Schmidt
- Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Kumari Billakurthi
- Institute for Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Thomas Hankeln
- Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute for Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Udo Gowik
- Institute for Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Science (IBU), Plant Evolutionary Genetics, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Gudrun Kadereit
- Institute for Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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50
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Wang P, Karki S, Biswal AK, Lin HC, Dionora MJ, Rizal G, Yin X, Schuler ML, Hughes T, Fouracre JP, Jamous BA, Sedelnikova O, Lo SF, Bandyopadhyay A, Yu SM, Kelly S, Quick WP, Langdale JA. Candidate regulators of Early Leaf Development in Maize Perturb Hormone Signalling and Secondary Cell Wall Formation When Constitutively Expressed in Rice. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4535. [PMID: 28674432 PMCID: PMC5495811 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04361-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
All grass leaves are strap-shaped with a series of parallel veins running from base to tip, but the distance between each pair of veins, and the cell-types that develop between them, differs depending on whether the plant performs C3 or C4 photosynthesis. As part of a multinational effort to introduce C4 traits into rice to boost crop yield, candidate regulators of C4 leaf anatomy were previously identified through an analysis of maize leaf transcriptomes. Here we tested the potential of 60 of those candidate genes to alter leaf anatomy in rice. In each case, transgenic rice lines were generated in which the maize gene was constitutively expressed. Lines grouped into three phenotypic classes: (1) indistinguishable from wild-type; (2) aberrant shoot and/or root growth indicating possible perturbations to hormone homeostasis; and (3) altered secondary cell wall formation. One of the genes in class 3 defines a novel monocot-specific family. None of the genes were individually sufficient to induce C4-like vein patterning or cell-type differentiation in rice. A better understanding of gene function in C4 plants is now needed to inform more sophisticated engineering attempts to alter leaf anatomy in C3 plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Wang
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Shanta Karki
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, 4030, Laguna, Philippines.,Ministry of Agricultural Development, Government of Nepal, Singhadurbar, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Akshaya K Biswal
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, 4030, Laguna, Philippines.,Department of Biology, University North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Hsiang-Chun Lin
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, 4030, Laguna, Philippines
| | | | - Govinda Rizal
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, 4030, Laguna, Philippines.,Baniyatar-220, Tokha-12, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Xiaojia Yin
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, 4030, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Mara L Schuler
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK.,Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tom Hughes
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Jim P Fouracre
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK.,Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Basel Abu Jamous
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Olga Sedelnikova
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Shuen-Fang Lo
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | | | - Su-May Yu
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - W Paul Quick
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, 4030, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Jane A Langdale
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK.
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