1
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Barrett J, Naduthodi MIS, Mao Y, Dégut C, Musiał S, Salter A, Leake MC, Plevin MJ, McCormick AJ, Blaza JN, Mackinder LCM. A promiscuous mechanism to phase separate eukaryotic carbon fixation in the green lineage. NATURE PLANTS 2024:10.1038/s41477-024-01812-x. [PMID: 39384944 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-024-01812-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 10/11/2024]
Abstract
CO2 fixation is commonly limited by inefficiency of the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco. Eukaryotic algae concentrate and fix CO2 in phase-separated condensates called pyrenoids, which complete up to one-third of global CO2 fixation. Condensation of Rubisco in pyrenoids is dependent on interaction with disordered linker proteins that show little conservation between species. We developed a sequence-independent bioinformatic pipeline to identify linker proteins in green algae. We report the linker from Chlorella and demonstrate that it binds a conserved site on the Rubisco large subunit. We show that the Chlorella linker phase separates Chlamydomonas Rubisco and that despite their separation by ~800 million years of evolution, the Chlorella linker can support the formation of a functional pyrenoid in Chlamydomonas. This cross-species reactivity extends to plants, with the Chlorella linker able to drive condensation of some native plant Rubiscos in vitro and in planta. Our results represent an exciting frontier for pyrenoid engineering in plants, which is modelled to increase crop yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Barrett
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Mihris I S Naduthodi
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Yuwei Mao
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Engineering Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Sabina Musiał
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Aidan Salter
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Mark C Leake
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Michael J Plevin
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, University of York, York, UK
| | - Alistair J McCormick
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Engineering Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - James N Blaza
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, University of York, York, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, UK
| | - Luke C M Mackinder
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.
- Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.
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2
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Karthick PV, Senthil A, Djanaguiraman M, Anitha K, Kuttimani R, Boominathan P, Karthikeyan R, Raveendran M. Improving Crop Yield through Increasing Carbon Gain and Reducing Carbon Loss. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1317. [PMID: 38794389 PMCID: PMC11124956 DOI: 10.3390/plants13101317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Photosynthesis is a process where solar energy is utilized to convert atmospheric CO2 into carbohydrates, which forms the basis for plant productivity. The increasing demand for food has created a global urge to enhance yield. Earlier, the plant breeding program was targeting the yield and yield-associated traits to enhance the crop yield. However, the yield cannot be further improved without improving the leaf photosynthetic rate. Hence, in this review, various strategies to enhance leaf photosynthesis were presented. The most promising strategies were the optimization of Rubisco carboxylation efficiency, the introduction of a CO2 concentrating mechanism in C3 plants, and the manipulation of photorespiratory bypasses in C3 plants, which are discussed in detail. Improving Rubisco's carboxylation efficiency is possible by engineering targets such as Rubisco subunits, chaperones, and Rubisco activase enzyme activity. Carbon-concentrating mechanisms can be introduced in C3 plants by the adoption of pyrenoid and carboxysomes, which can increase the CO2 concentration around the Rubisco enzyme. Photorespiration is the process by which the fixed carbon is lost through an oxidative process. Different approaches to reduce carbon and nitrogen loss were discussed. Overall, the potential approaches to improve the photosynthetic process and the way forward were discussed in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palanivelu Vikram Karthick
- Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India; (P.V.K.); (M.D.); (K.A.); (R.K.); (P.B.)
| | - Alagarswamy Senthil
- Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India; (P.V.K.); (M.D.); (K.A.); (R.K.); (P.B.)
| | - Maduraimuthu Djanaguiraman
- Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India; (P.V.K.); (M.D.); (K.A.); (R.K.); (P.B.)
| | - Kuppusamy Anitha
- Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India; (P.V.K.); (M.D.); (K.A.); (R.K.); (P.B.)
| | - Ramalingam Kuttimani
- Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India; (P.V.K.); (M.D.); (K.A.); (R.K.); (P.B.)
| | - Parasuraman Boominathan
- Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India; (P.V.K.); (M.D.); (K.A.); (R.K.); (P.B.)
| | - Ramasamy Karthikeyan
- Directorate of Crop Management, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India;
| | - Muthurajan Raveendran
- Directorate of Research, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India;
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3
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Cavanagh AP, Ort DR. Transgenic strategies to improve the thermotolerance of photosynthesis. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023; 158:109-120. [PMID: 37273092 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-023-01024-y] [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: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Warming driven by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is irreversible over at least the next century, unless practical technologies are rapidly developed and deployed at scale to remove and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Accepting this reality highlights the central importance for crop agriculture to develop adaptation strategies for a warmer future. While nearly all processes in plants are impacted by above optimum temperatures, the impact of heat stress on photosynthetic processes stand out for their centrality. Here, we review transgenic strategies that show promise in improving the high-temperature tolerance of specific subprocesses of photosynthesis and in some cases have already been shown in proof of concept in field experiments to protect yield from high temperature-induced losses. We also highlight other manipulations to photosynthetic processes for which full proof of concept is still lacking but we contend warrant further attention. Warming that has already occurred over the past several decades has had detrimental impacts on crop production in many parts of the world. Declining productivity presages a rapidly developing global crisis in food security particularly in low income countries. Transgenic manipulation of photosynthesis to engineer greater high-temperature resilience holds encouraging promise to help meet this challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda P Cavanagh
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Donald R Ort
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
- Departments of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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4
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Blonder BW, Aparecido LMT, Hultine KR, Lombardozzi D, Michaletz ST, Posch BC, Slot M, Winter K. Plant water use theory should incorporate hypotheses about extreme environments, population ecology, and community ecology. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:2271-2283. [PMID: 36751903 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant water use theory has largely been developed within a plant-performance paradigm that conceptualizes water use in terms of value for carbon gain and that sits within a neoclassical economic framework. This theory works very well in many contexts but does not consider other values of water to plants that could impact their fitness. Here, we survey a range of alternative hypotheses for drivers of water use and stomatal regulation. These hypotheses are organized around relevance to extreme environments, population ecology, and community ecology. Most of these hypotheses are not yet empirically tested and some are controversial (e.g. requiring more agency and behavior than is commonly believed possible for plants). Some hypotheses, especially those focused around using water to avoid thermal stress, using water to promote reproduction instead of growth, and using water to hoard it, may be useful to incorporate into theory or to implement in Earth System Models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Wong Blonder
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Luiza Maria Teophilo Aparecido
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ, 85008, USA
| | - Kevin R Hultine
- Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ, 85008, USA
| | - Danica Lombardozzi
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
| | - Sean T Michaletz
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Bradley C Posch
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ, 85008, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Martijn Slot
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Klaus Winter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, 0843-03092, Panama
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5
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Scafaro AP, Posch BC, Evans JR, Farquhar GD, Atkin OK. Rubisco deactivation and chloroplast electron transport rates co-limit photosynthesis above optimal leaf temperature in terrestrial plants. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2820. [PMID: 37198175 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38496-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Net photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate (An) decreases at leaf temperatures above a relatively mild optimum (Topt) in most higher plants. This decline is often attributed to reduced CO2 conductance, increased CO2 loss from photorespiration and respiration, reduced chloroplast electron transport rate (J), or deactivation of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase Oxygenase (Rubisco). However, it is unclear which of these factors can best predict species independent declines in An at high temperature. We show that independent of species, and on a global scale, the observed decline in An with rising temperatures can be effectively accounted for by Rubisco deactivation and declines in J. Our finding that An declines with Rubisco deactivation and J supports a coordinated down-regulation of Rubisco and chloroplast electron transport rates to heat stress. We provide a model that, in the absence of CO2 supply limitations, can predict the response of photosynthesis to short-term increases in leaf temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Scafaro
- Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
- Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology, Gould Building, Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, Australia.
| | - Bradley C Posch
- Department of Research, Collections and Conservation, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - John R Evans
- Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Graham D Farquhar
- Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Owen K Atkin
- Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology, Gould Building, Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, Australia
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6
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Recent developments in the engineering of Rubisco activase for enhanced crop yield. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:627-637. [PMID: 36929563 DOI: 10.1042/bst20221281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco activase (RCA) catalyzes the release of inhibitory sugar phosphates from ribulose-1,6-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and can play an important role in biochemical limitations of photosynthesis under dynamic light and elevated temperatures. There is interest in increasing RCA activity to improve crop productivity, but a lack of understanding about the regulation of photosynthesis complicates engineering strategies. In this review, we discuss work relevant to improving RCA with a focus on advances in understanding the structural cause of RCA instability under heat stress and the regulatory interactions between RCA and components of photosynthesis. This reveals substantial variation in RCA thermostability that can be influenced by single amino acid substitutions, and that engineered variants can perform better in vitro and in vivo under heat stress. In addition, there are indications RCA activity is controlled by transcriptional, post-transcriptional, post-translational, and spatial regulation, which may be important for balancing between carbon fixation and light capture. Finally, we provide an overview of findings from recent field experiments and consider the requirements for commercial validation as part of efforts to increase crop yields in the face of global climate change.
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7
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Qu Y, Mueller-Cajar O, Yamori W. Improving plant heat tolerance through modification of Rubisco activase in C3 plants to secure crop yield and food security in a future warming world. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:591-599. [PMID: 35981868 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The world's population may reach 10 billion by 2050, but 10% still suffer from food shortages. At the same time, global warming threatens food security by decreasing crop yields, so it is necessary to develop crops with enhanced resistance to high temperatures in order to secure the food supply. In this review, the role of Rubisco activase as an important factor in plant heat tolerance is summarized, based on the conclusions of recent findings. Rubisco activase is a molecular chaperone determining the activation of Rubisco, whose heat sensitivity causes reductions of photosynthesis at high temperatures. Thus, the thermostability of Rubisco activase is considered to be critical for improving plant heat tolerance. It has been shown that the introduction of thermostable Rubisco activase through gene editing into Arabidopsis thaliana and from heat-adapted wild Oryza species or C4Zea mays into Oryza sativa improves Rubisco activation, photosynthesis, and plant growth at high temperatures. We propose that developing a universal thermostable Rubisco activase could be a promising direction for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Qu
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Agri-ecosystem Services, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Wataru Yamori
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Agri-ecosystem Services, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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8
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Eckardt NA, Ainsworth EA, Bahuguna RN, Broadley MR, Busch W, Carpita NC, Castrillo G, Chory J, DeHaan LR, Duarte CM, Henry A, Jagadish SVK, Langdale JA, Leakey ADB, Liao JC, Lu KJ, McCann MC, McKay JK, Odeny DA, Jorge de Oliveira E, Platten JD, Rabbi I, Rim EY, Ronald PC, Salt DE, Shigenaga AM, Wang E, Wolfe M, Zhang X. Climate change challenges, plant science solutions. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:24-66. [PMID: 36222573 PMCID: PMC9806663 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koac303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is a defining challenge of the 21st century, and this decade is a critical time for action to mitigate the worst effects on human populations and ecosystems. Plant science can play an important role in developing crops with enhanced resilience to harsh conditions (e.g. heat, drought, salt stress, flooding, disease outbreaks) and engineering efficient carbon-capturing and carbon-sequestering plants. Here, we present examples of research being conducted in these areas and discuss challenges and open questions as a call to action for the plant science community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy A Eckardt
- Senior Features Editor, The Plant Cell, American Society of Plant Biologists, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Ainsworth
- USDA ARS Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Rajeev N Bahuguna
- Centre for Advanced Studies on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Samastipur 848125, Bihar, India
| | - Martin R Broadley
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Wolfgang Busch
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Nicholas C Carpita
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA
| | - Gabriel Castrillo
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Future Food Beacon of Excellence, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Joanne Chory
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | | | - Carlos M Duarte
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) and Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amelia Henry
- International Rice Research Institute, Rice Breeding Innovations Platform, Los Baños, Laguna 4031, Philippines
| | - S V Krishna Jagadish
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79410, USA
| | - Jane A Langdale
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Andrew D B Leakey
- Department of Plant Biology, Department of Crop Sciences, and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - James C Liao
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11528, Taiwan
| | - Kuan-Jen Lu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11528, Taiwan
| | - Maureen C McCann
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA
| | - John K McKay
- Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Damaris A Odeny
- The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics–Eastern and Southern Africa, Gigiri 39063-00623, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - J Damien Platten
- International Rice Research Institute, Rice Breeding Innovations Platform, Los Baños, Laguna 4031, Philippines
| | - Ismail Rabbi
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), PMB 5320 Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
| | - Ellen Youngsoo Rim
- Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Pamela C Ronald
- Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, California 94704, USA
| | - David E Salt
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Future Food Beacon of Excellence, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Alexandra M Shigenaga
- Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Ertao Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Marnin Wolfe
- Auburn University, Dept. of Crop Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
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9
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Harvey CM, Cavanagh AP, Kim SY, Wright DA, Edquilang RG, Shreeves KS, Perdomo JA, Spalding MH, Ort DR, Bernacchi CJ, Huber SC. Removal of redox-sensitive Rubisco Activase does not alter Rubisco regulation in soybean. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2022; 154:169-182. [PMID: 36163583 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-022-00962-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco activase (Rca) facilitates the catalytic repair of Rubisco, the CO2-fixing enzyme of photosynthesis, following periods of darkness, low to high light transitions or stress. Removal of the redox-regulated isoform of Rubisco activase, Rca-α, enhances photosynthetic induction in Arabidopsis and has been suggested as a strategy for the improvement of crops, which may experience frequent light transitions in the field; however, this has never been tested in a crop species. Therefore, we used RNAi to reduce the Rca-α content of soybean (Glycine max cv. Williams 82) below detectable levels and then characterized the growth, photosynthesis, and Rubisco activity of the resulting transgenics, in both growth chamber and field conditions. Under a 16 h sine wave photoperiod, the reduction of Rca-α contents had no impact on morphological characteristics, leaf expansion rate, or total biomass. Photosynthetic induction rates were unaltered in both chamber-grown and field-grown plants. Plants with reduced Rca-α content maintained the ability to regulate Rubisco activity in low light just as in control plants. This result suggests that in soybean, Rca-α is not as centrally involved in the regulation of Rca oligomer activity as it is in Arabidopsis. The isoform stoichiometry supports this conclusion, as Rca-α comprises only ~ 10% of the Rubisco activase content of soybean, compared to ~ 50% in Arabidopsis. This is likely to hold true in other species that contain a low ratio of Rca-α to Rca-ß isoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Harvey
- Agricultural Research Service, Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Urbana, IL, USA.
| | - Amanda P Cavanagh
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
| | | | - David A Wright
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Ron G Edquilang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Departments of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Kayla S Shreeves
- Departments of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Juan Alejandro Perdomo
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK
| | - Martin H Spalding
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Donald R Ort
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Departments of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Carl J Bernacchi
- Agricultural Research Service, Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Urbana, IL, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Departments of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Steven C Huber
- Agricultural Research Service, Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Urbana, IL, USA
- Departments of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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10
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Sharwood RE, Quick WP, Sargent D, Estavillo GM, Silva-Perez V, Furbank RT. Mining for allelic gold: finding genetic variation in photosynthetic traits in crops and wild relatives. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:3085-3108. [PMID: 35274686 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Improvement of photosynthetic traits in crops to increase yield potential and crop resilience has recently become a major breeding target. Synthetic biology and genetic technologies offer unparalleled opportunities to create new genetics for photosynthetic traits driven by existing fundamental knowledge. However, large 'gene bank' collections of germplasm comprising historical collections of crop species and their relatives offer a wealth of opportunities to find novel allelic variation in the key steps of photosynthesis, to identify new mechanisms and to accelerate genetic progress in crop breeding programmes. Here we explore the available genetic resources in food and fibre crops, strategies to selectively target allelic variation in genes underpinning key photosynthetic processes, and deployment of this variation via gene editing in modern elite material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Sharwood
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - W Paul Quick
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Demi Sargent
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia
| | | | | | - Robert T Furbank
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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11
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The CbbQO-type rubisco activases encoded in carboxysome gene clusters can activate carboxysomal form IA rubiscos. J Biol Chem 2021; 298:101476. [PMID: 34890642 PMCID: PMC8718961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The CO2-fixing enzyme rubisco is responsible for almost all carbon fixation. This process frequently requires rubisco activase (Rca) machinery, which couples ATP hydrolysis to the removal of inhibitory sugar phosphates, including the rubisco substrate ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP). Rubisco is sometimes compartmentalized in carboxysomes, bacterial microcompartments that enable a carbon dioxide concentrating mechanism (CCM). Characterized carboxysomal rubiscos, however, are not prone to inhibition, and often no activase machinery is associated with these enzymes. Here, we characterize two carboxysomal rubiscos of the form IAC clade that are associated with CbbQO-type Rcas. These enzymes release RuBP at a much lower rate than the canonical carboxysomal rubisco from Synechococcus PCC6301. We found that CbbQO-type Rcas encoded in carboxysome gene clusters can remove RuBP and the tight-binding transition state analog carboxy-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate from cognate rubiscos. The Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans genome encodes two form IA rubiscos associated with two sets of cbbQ and cbbO genes. We show that the two CbbQO activase systems display specificity for the rubisco enzyme encoded in the same gene cluster, and this property can be switched by substituting the C-terminal three residues of the large subunit. Our findings indicate that the kinetic and inhibitory properties of proteobacterial form IA rubiscos are diverse and predict that Rcas may be necessary for some α-carboxysomal CCMs. These findings will have implications for efforts aiming to introduce biophysical CCMs into plants and other hosts for improvement of carbon fixation of crops.
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12
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Iñiguez C, Aguiló-Nicolau P, Galmés J. Improving photosynthesis through the enhancement of Rubisco carboxylation capacity. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:2007-2019. [PMID: 34623388 DOI: 10.1042/bst20201056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Rising human population, along with the reduction in arable land and the impacts of global change, sets out the need for continuously improving agricultural resource use efficiency and crop yield (CY). Bioengineering approaches for photosynthesis optimization have largely demonstrated the potential for enhancing CY. This review is focused on the improvement of Rubisco functioning, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of CO2 fixation required for plant growth, but also catalyzes the ribulose-bisphosphate oxygenation initiating the carbon and energy wasteful photorespiration pathway. Rubisco carboxylation capacity can be enhanced by engineering the Rubisco large and/or small subunit genes to improve its catalytic traits, or by engineering the mechanisms that provide enhanced Rubisco expression, activation and/or elevated [CO2] around the active sites to favor carboxylation over oxygenation. Recent advances have been made in the expression, assembly and activation of foreign (either natural or mutant) faster and/or more CO2-specific Rubisco versions. Some components of CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) from bacteria, algae and C4 plants has been successfully expressed in tobacco and rice. Still, none of the transformed plant lines expressing foreign Rubisco versions and/or simplified CCM components were able to grow faster than wild type plants under present atmospheric [CO2] and optimum conditions. However, the results obtained up to date suggest that it might be achievable in the near future. In addition, photosynthetic and yield improvements have already been observed when manipulating Rubisco quantity and activation degree in crops. Therefore, engineering Rubisco carboxylation capacity continues being a promising target for the improvement in photosynthesis and yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concepción Iñiguez
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Pere Aguiló-Nicolau
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Jeroni Galmés
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
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13
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Anderson CM, Mattoon EM, Zhang N, Becker E, McHargue W, Yang J, Patel D, Dautermann O, McAdam SAM, Tarin T, Pathak S, Avenson TJ, Berry J, Braud M, Niyogi KK, Wilson M, Nusinow DA, Vargas R, Czymmek KJ, Eveland AL, Zhang R. High light and temperature reduce photosynthetic efficiency through different mechanisms in the C 4 model Setaria viridis. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1092. [PMID: 34531541 PMCID: PMC8446033 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02576-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
C4 plants frequently experience high light and high temperature conditions in the field, which reduce growth and yield. However, the mechanisms underlying these stress responses in C4 plants have been under-explored, especially the coordination between mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells. We investigated how the C4 model plant Setaria viridis responded to a four-hour high light or high temperature treatment at photosynthetic, transcriptomic, and ultrastructural levels. Although we observed a comparable reduction of photosynthetic efficiency in high light or high temperature treated leaves, detailed analysis of multi-level responses revealed important differences in key pathways and M/BS specificity responding to high light and high temperature. We provide a systematic analysis of high light and high temperature responses in S. viridis, reveal different acclimation strategies to these two stresses in C4 plants, discover unique light/temperature responses in C4 plants in comparison to C3 plants, and identify potential targets to improve abiotic stress tolerance in C4 crops.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin M Mattoon
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Plant and Microbial Biosciences Program, Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ningning Zhang
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Eric Becker
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Jiani Yang
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Dhruv Patel
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Oliver Dautermann
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Scott A M McAdam
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Tonantzin Tarin
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.,Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sunita Pathak
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tom J Avenson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jeffrey Berry
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Maxwell Braud
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Krishna K Niyogi
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Rodrigo Vargas
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Kirk J Czymmek
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Ru Zhang
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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14
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Wijewardene I, Shen G, Zhang H. Enhancing crop yield by using Rubisco activase to improve photosynthesis under elevated temperatures. STRESS BIOLOGY 2021; 1:2. [PMID: 37676541 PMCID: PMC10429496 DOI: 10.1007/s44154-021-00002-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
With the rapid growth of world population, it is essential to increase agricultural productivity to feed the growing population. Over the past decades, many methods have been used to increase crop yields. Despite the success in boosting the crop yield through these methods, global food production still needs to be increased to be on par with the increasing population and its dynamic consumption patterns. Additionally, given the prevailing environmental conditions pertaining to the global temperature increase, heat stress will likely be a critical factor that negatively affects plant biomass and crop yield. One of the key elements hindering photosynthesis and plant productivity under heat stress is the thermo-sensitivity of the Rubisco activase (RCA), a molecular chaperone that converts Rubisco back to active form after it becomes inactive. It would be an attractive and practical strategy to maintain photosynthetic activity under elevated temperatures by enhancing the thermo-stability of RCA. In this context, this review discusses the need to improve the thermo-tolerance of RCA under current climatic conditions and to further study RCA structure and regulation, and its limitations at elevated temperatures. This review summarizes successful results and provides a perspective on RCA research and its implication in improving crop yield under elevated temperature conditions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inosha Wijewardene
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
| | - Guoxin Shen
- Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
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15
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Qu Y, Sakoda K, Fukayama H, Kondo E, Suzuki Y, Makino A, Terashima I, Yamori W. Overexpression of both Rubisco and Rubisco activase rescues rice photosynthesis and biomass under heat stress. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2021; 44:2308-2320. [PMID: 33745135 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Global warming threatens food security by decreasing crop yields through damage to photosynthetic systems, especially Rubisco activation. We examined whether co-overexpression of Rubisco and Rubisco activase improves the photosynthetic and growth performance of rice under high temperatures. We grew three rice lines-the wild-type (WT), a Rubisco activase-overexpressing line (oxRCA) and a Rubisco- and Rubisco activase-co-overexpressing line (oxRCA-RBCS)-and analysed photosynthesis and biomass at 25 and 40°C. Compared with the WT, the Rubisco activase content was 153% higher in oxRCA and 138% higher in oxRCA-RBCS, and the Rubisco content was 27% lower in oxRCA and similar in oxRCA-RBCS. The CO2 assimilation rate (A) of WT was lower at 40°C than at 25°C, attributable to Rubisco deactivation by heat. On the other hand, that of oxRCA and oxRCA-RBCS was maintained at 40°C, resulting in higher A than WT. Notably, the dry weight of oxRCA-RBCS was 26% higher than that of WT at 40°C. These results show that increasing the Rubisco activase content without the reduction of Rubisco content could improve yield and sustainability in rice at high temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Qu
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science, Institute for Sustainable Agri-ecosystem, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuma Sakoda
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science, Institute for Sustainable Agri-ecosystem, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Fukayama
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Eri Kondo
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuji Suzuki
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
| | - Amane Makino
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ichiro Terashima
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Wataru Yamori
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science, Institute for Sustainable Agri-ecosystem, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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16
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Shao Y, Li S, Gao L, Sun C, Hu J, Ullah A, Gao J, Li X, Liu S, Jiang D, Cao W, Tian Z, Dai T. Magnesium Application Promotes Rubisco Activation and Contributes to High-Temperature Stress Alleviation in Wheat During the Grain Filling. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:675582. [PMID: 34177993 PMCID: PMC8231710 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.675582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Inhibited photosynthesis caused by post-anthesis high-temperature stress (HTS) leads to decreased wheat grain yield. Magnesium (Mg) plays critical roles in photosynthesis; however, its function under HTS during wheat grain filling remains poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of Mg on the impact of HTS on photosynthesis during wheat grain filling by conducting pot experiments in controlled-climate chambers. Plants were subjected to a day/night temperature cycle of 32°C/22°C for 5 days during post-anthesis; the control temperature was set at 26°C/16°C. Mg was applied at the booting stage, with untreated plants used as a control. HTS reduced the yield and net photosynthetic rate (P n ) of wheat plants. The maximum carboxylation rate (V Cmax ), which is limited by Rubisco activity, decreased earlier than the light-saturated potential electron transport rate. This decrease in V Cmax was caused by decreased Rubisco activation state under HTS. Mg application reduced yield loss by stabilizing P n . Rubisco activation was enhanced by increasing Rubisco activase activity following Mg application, thereby stabilizing P n . We conclude that Mg maintains Rubisco activation, thereby helping to stabilize P n under HTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhang Shao
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shiyu Li
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lijun Gao
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chuanjiao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jinling Hu
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Attiq Ullah
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jingwen Gao
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinxin Li
- Rural Energy and Environment Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, China
| | - Sixi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Chengdu Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Chengdu, China
| | - Dong Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weixing Cao
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhongwei Tian
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tingbo Dai
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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17
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Correia PMP, da Silva AB, Roitsch T, Carmo-Silva E, Marques da Silva J. Photoprotection and optimization of sucrose usage contribute to faster recovery of photosynthesis after water deficit at high temperatures in wheat. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2021; 172:615-628. [PMID: 33010044 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Plants are increasingly exposed to events of elevated temperature and water deficit, which threaten crop productivity. Understanding the ability to rapidly recover from abiotic stress, restoring carbon assimilation and biomass production, is important to unravel crop climate resilience. This study compared the photosynthetic performance of two Triticum aestivum L. cultivars, Sokoll and Paragon, adapted to the climate of Mexico and UK, respectively, exposed to 1-week water deficit and high temperatures, in isolation or combination. Measurements included photosynthetic assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, in vitro activities of Rubisco (EC 4.1.1.39) and invertase (INV, EC 3.2.1.26), antioxidant capacity and chlorophyll a fluorescence. In both genotypes, under elevated temperatures and water deficit (WD38°C), the photosynthetic limitations were mainly due to stomatal restrictions and to a decrease in the electron transport rate. Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters clearly indicate differences between the two genotypes in the photoprotection when subjected to WD38°C and showed faster recovery of Paragon after stress relief. The activity of the cytosolic invertase (CytINV) under these stress conditions was strongly related to the fast photosynthesis recovery of Paragon. Taken together, the results suggest that optimal sucrose export/utilization and increased photoprotection of the electron transport machinery are important components to limit yield fluctuations due to water shortage and elevated temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M P Correia
- BioISI-Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Anabela B da Silva
- BioISI-Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Thomas Roitsch
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section of Crop Science, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Adaptive Biotechnologies, Global Change Research Institute, CAS, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - Jorge Marques da Silva
- BioISI-Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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18
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Moore CE, Meacham-Hensold K, Lemonnier P, Slattery RA, Benjamin C, Bernacchi CJ, Lawson T, Cavanagh AP. The effect of increasing temperature on crop photosynthesis: from enzymes to ecosystems. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:2822-2844. [PMID: 33619527 PMCID: PMC8023210 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
As global land surface temperature continues to rise and heatwave events increase in frequency, duration, and/or intensity, our key food and fuel cropping systems will likely face increased heat-related stress. A large volume of literature exists on exploring measured and modelled impacts of rising temperature on crop photosynthesis, from enzymatic responses within the leaf up to larger ecosystem-scale responses that reflect seasonal and interannual crop responses to heat. This review discusses (i) how crop photosynthesis changes with temperature at the enzymatic scale within the leaf; (ii) how stomata and plant transport systems are affected by temperature; (iii) what features make a plant susceptible or tolerant to elevated temperature and heat stress; and (iv) how these temperature and heat effects compound at the ecosystem scale to affect crop yields. Throughout the review, we identify current advancements and future research trajectories that are needed to make our cropping systems more resilient to rising temperature and heat stress, which are both projected to occur due to current global fossil fuel emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin E Moore
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
- Institute for Sustainability, Energy & Environment, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
| | - Katherine Meacham-Hensold
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
| | | | - Rebecca A Slattery
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
| | - Claire Benjamin
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
| | - Carl J Bernacchi
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, Urbana, USA
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
| | - Tracy Lawson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Amanda P Cavanagh
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
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19
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Ceusters N, Borland AM, Ceusters J. How to resolve the enigma of diurnal malate remobilisation from the vacuole in plants with crassulacean acid metabolism? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:3116-3124. [PMID: 33159327 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Opening of stomata in plants with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is mainly shifted to the night period when atmospheric CO2 is fixed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and stored as malic acid in the vacuole. As such, CAM plants ameliorate transpirational water losses and display substantially higher water-use efficiency compared with C3 and C4 plants. In the past decade significant technical advances have allowed an unprecedented exploration of genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes and metabolomes of CAM plants and efforts are ongoing to engineer the CAM pathway in C3 plants. Whilst research efforts have traditionally focused on nocturnal carboxylation, less information is known regarding the drivers behind diurnal malate remobilisation from the vacuole that liberates CO2 to be fixed by RuBisCo behind closed stomata. To shed more light on this process, we provide a stoichiometric analysis to identify potentially rate-limiting steps underpinning diurnal malate mobilisation and help direct future research efforts. Within this remit we address three key questions: Q1 Does light-dependent assimilation of CO2 via RuBisCo dictate the rate of malate mobilisation? Q2: Do the enzymes responsible for malate decarboxylation limit daytime mobilisation from the vacuole? Q3: Does malate efflux from the vacuole set the pace of decarboxylation?
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Ceusters
- Faculty of Engineering Technology, Department of Biosystems, Division of Crop Biotechnics, Campus Geel, KU Leuven, Kleinhoefstraat 4, Geel, 2440, Belgium
| | - Anne M Borland
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne,, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Johan Ceusters
- Faculty of Engineering Technology, Department of Biosystems, Division of Crop Biotechnics, Campus Geel, KU Leuven, Kleinhoefstraat 4, Geel, 2440, Belgium
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Environmental Biology, UHasselt, Campus Diepenbeek, Agoralaan Building D, Diepenbeek, 3590, Belgium
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20
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Degen GE, Orr DJ, Carmo-Silva E. Heat-induced changes in the abundance of wheat Rubisco activase isoforms. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:1298-1311. [PMID: 32964463 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The Triticum aestivum (wheat) genome encodes three isoforms of Rubisco activase (Rca) differing in thermostability, which could be exploited to improve the resilience of this crop to global warming. We hypothesized that elevated temperatures would cause an increase in the relative abundance of heat-stable Rca1β. Wheat plants were grown at 25° C : 18°C (day : night) and exposed to heat stress (38° C : 22°C) for up to 5 d at pre-anthesis. Carbon (C) assimilation, Rubisco activity, CA1Pase activity, transcripts of Rca1β, Rca2β, and Rca2α, and the quantities of the corresponding protein products were measured during and after heat stress. The transcript of Rca1β increased 40-fold in 4 h at elevated temperatures and returned to the original level after 4 h upon return of plants to control temperatures. Rca1β comprised up to 2% of the total Rca protein in unstressed leaves but increased three-fold in leaves exposed to elevated temperatures for 5 d and remained high at 4 h after heat stress. These results show that elevated temperatures cause rapid changes in Rca gene expression and adaptive changes in Rca isoform abundance. The improved understanding of the regulation of C assimilation under heat stress will inform efforts to improve wheat productivity and climate resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustaf E Degen
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Douglas J Orr
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
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21
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Ng J, Guo Z, Mueller-Cajar O. Rubisco activase requires residues in the large subunit N terminus to remodel inhibited plant Rubisco. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:16427-16435. [PMID: 32948656 PMCID: PMC7705312 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.015759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The photosynthetic CO2 fixing enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) forms dead-end inhibited complexes while binding multiple sugar phosphates, including its substrate ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate. Rubisco can be rescued from this inhibited form by molecular chaperones belonging to the ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA+ proteins) termed Rubisco activases (Rcas). The mechanism of green-type Rca found in higher plants has proved elusive, in part because until recently higher-plant Rubiscos could not be expressed recombinantly. Identifying the interaction sites between Rubisco and Rca is critical to formulate mechanistic hypotheses. Toward that end here we purify and characterize a suite of 33 Arabidopsis Rubisco mutants for their ability to be activated by Rca. Mutation of 17 surface-exposed large subunit residues did not yield variants that were perturbed in their interaction with Rca. In contrast, we find that Rca activity is highly sensitive to truncations and mutations in the conserved N terminus of the Rubisco large subunit. Large subunits lacking residues 1-4 are functional Rubiscos but cannot be activated. Both T5A and T7A substitutions result in functional carboxylases that are poorly activated by Rca, indicating the side chains of these residues form a critical interaction with the chaperone. Many other AAA+ proteins function by threading macromolecules through a central pore of a disc-shaped hexamer. Our results are consistent with a model in which Rca transiently threads the Rubisco large subunit N terminus through the axial pore of the AAA+ hexamer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jediael Ng
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Zhijun Guo
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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22
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Emerging research in plant photosynthesis. Emerg Top Life Sci 2020; 4:137-150. [PMID: 32573736 DOI: 10.1042/etls20200035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Photosynthesis involves capturing light energy and, most often, converting it to chemical energy stored as reduced carbon. It is the source of food, fuel, and fiber and there is a resurgent interest in basic research on photosynthesis. Plants make excellent use of visible light energy; leaves are ideally suited to optimize light use by having a large area per amount of material invested and also having leaf angles to optimize light utilization. It is thought that plants do not use green light but in fact they use green light better than blue light under some conditions. Leaves also have mechanisms to protect against excess light and how these work in a stochastic light environment is currently a very active area of current research. The speed at which photosynthesis can begin when leaves are first exposed to light and the speed of induction of protective mechanisms, as well as the speed at which protective mechanisms dissipate when light levels decline, have recently been explored. Research is also focused on reducing wasteful processes such as photorespiration, when oxygen instead of carbon dioxide is used. Some success has been reported in altering the path of carbon in photorespiration but on closer inspection there appears to be unforeseen effects contributing to the good news. The stoichiometry of interaction of light reactions with carbon metabolism is rigid and the time constants vary tremendously presenting large challenges to regulatory mechanisms. Regulatory mechanisms will be the topic of photosynthesis research for some time to come.
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Flecken M, Wang H, Popilka L, Hartl FU, Bracher A, Hayer-Hartl M. Dual Functions of a Rubisco Activase in Metabolic Repair and Recruitment to Carboxysomes. Cell 2020; 183:457-473.e20. [PMID: 32979320 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco, the key enzyme of CO2 fixation in photosynthesis, is prone to inactivation by inhibitory sugar phosphates. Inhibited Rubisco undergoes conformational repair by the hexameric AAA+ chaperone Rubisco activase (Rca) in a process that is not well understood. Here, we performed a structural and mechanistic analysis of cyanobacterial Rca, a close homolog of plant Rca. In the Rca:Rubisco complex, Rca is positioned over the Rubisco catalytic site under repair and pulls the N-terminal tail of the large Rubisco subunit (RbcL) into the hexamer pore. Simultaneous displacement of the C terminus of the adjacent RbcL opens the catalytic site for inhibitor release. An alternative interaction of Rca with Rubisco is mediated by C-terminal domains that resemble the small Rubisco subunit. These domains, together with the N-terminal AAA+ hexamer, ensure that Rca is packaged with Rubisco into carboxysomes. The cyanobacterial Rca is a dual-purpose protein with functions in Rubisco repair and carboxysome organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirkko Flecken
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Huping Wang
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Leonhard Popilka
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - F Ulrich Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Andreas Bracher
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Manajit Hayer-Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
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24
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von Caemmerer S. Rubisco carboxylase/oxygenase: From the enzyme to the globe: A gas exchange perspective. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 252:153240. [PMID: 32707452 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2020.153240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco is the primary carboxylase of the photosynthetic process, the most abundant enzyme in the biosphere, and also one of the best-characterized enzymes. Rubisco also functions as an oxygenase, a discovery made 50 years ago by Bill Ogren. Carboxylation of ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) is the first step of the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle and leads to the assimilation of CO2, whereas the oxygenase activity necessitates the recycling of phosphoglycolate through the photorespiratory carbon oxidation cycle with concomitant loss of CO2. Since the discovery of Rubisco's dual function, the biochemical properties of Rubisco have underpinned the mechanistic mathematical models of photosynthetic CO2 fixation which link Rubisco kinetic properties to gas exchange of leaves. This has allowed assessments of global CO2 exchange and predictions of how Rubisco has and will shape the environmental responses of crop and global photosynthesis in future climates. Rubisco's biochemical properties, including its slow catalytic turnover and poor affinity for CO2, constrain crop growth and therefore improving its activity and regulation and minimising photorespiration are key targets for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne von Caemmerer
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia.
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25
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Probing the rice Rubisco-Rubisco activase interaction via subunit heterooligomerization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:24041-24048. [PMID: 31712424 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1914245116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
During photosynthesis the AAA+ protein and essential molecular chaperone Rubisco activase (Rca) constantly remodels inhibited active sites of the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco (ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) to release tightly bound sugar phosphates. Higher plant Rca is a crop improvement target, but its mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we used structure-guided mutagenesis to probe the Rubisco-interacting surface of rice Rca. Mutations in Ser-23, Lys-148, and Arg-321 uncoupled adenosine triphosphatase and Rca activity, implicating them in the Rubisco interaction. Mutant doping experiments were used to evaluate a suite of known Rubisco-interacting residues for relative importance in the context of the functional hexamer. Hexamers containing some subunits that lack the Rubisco-interacting N-terminal domain displayed a ∼2-fold increase in Rca function. Overall Rubisco-interacting residues located toward the rim of the hexamer were found to be less critical to Rca function than those positioned toward the axial pore. Rca is a key regulator of the rate-limiting CO2-fixing reactions of photosynthesis. A detailed functional understanding will assist the ongoing endeavors to enhance crop CO2 assimilation rate, growth, and yield.
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26
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Atkinson N, Velanis CN, Wunder T, Clarke DJ, Mueller-Cajar O, McCormick AJ. The pyrenoidal linker protein EPYC1 phase separates with hybrid Arabidopsis-Chlamydomonas Rubisco through interactions with the algal Rubisco small subunit. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:5271-5285. [PMID: 31504763 PMCID: PMC6793452 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic efficiencies in plants are restricted by the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco but could be enhanced by introducing a CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) from green algae, such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (hereafter Chlamydomonas). A key feature of the algal CCM is aggregation of Rubisco in the pyrenoid, a liquid-like organelle in the chloroplast. Here we have used a yeast two-hybrid system and higher plants to investigate the protein-protein interaction between Rubisco and essential pyrenoid component 1 (EPYC1), a linker protein required for Rubisco aggregation. We showed that EPYC1 interacts with the small subunit of Rubisco (SSU) from Chlamydomonas and that EPYC1 has at least five SSU interaction sites. Interaction is crucially dependent on the two surface-exposed α-helices of the Chlamydomonas SSU. EPYC1 could be localized to the chloroplast in higher plants and was not detrimental to growth when expressed stably in Arabidopsis with or without a Chlamydomonas SSU. Although EPYC1 interacted with Rubisco in planta, EPYC1 was a target for proteolytic degradation. Plants expressing EPYC1 did not show obvious evidence of Rubisco aggregation. Nevertheless, hybrid Arabidopsis Rubisco containing the Chlamydomonas SSU could phase separate into liquid droplets with purified EPYC1 in vitro, providing the first evidence of pyrenoid-like aggregation for Rubisco derived from a higher plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicky Atkinson
- SynthSys and Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Christos N Velanis
- SynthSys and Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Tobias Wunder
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - David J Clarke
- School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Oliver Mueller-Cajar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alistair J McCormick
- SynthSys and Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Correspondence:
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27
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Scafaro AP, Bautsoens N, den Boer B, Van Rie J, Gallé A. A Conserved Sequence from Heat-Adapted Species Improves Rubisco Activase Thermostability in Wheat. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 181:43-54. [PMID: 31189658 PMCID: PMC6716234 DOI: 10.1104/pp.19.00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The central enzyme of photosynthesis, Rubisco, is regulated by Rubisco activase (Rca). Photosynthesis is impaired during heat stress, and this limitation is often attributed to the heat-labile nature of Rca. We characterized gene expression and protein thermostability for the three Rca isoforms present in wheat (Triticum aestivum), namely TaRca1-β, TaRca2-α, and TaRca2-β. Furthermore, we compared wheat Rca with one of the two Rca isoforms from rice (Oryza sativa; OsRca-β) and Rca from other species adapted to warm environments. The TaRca1 gene was induced, whereas TaRca2 was suppressed by heat stress. The TaRca2 isoforms were sensitive to heat degradation, with thermal midpoints of 35°C ± 0.3°C, the temperature at which Rubisco activation velocity by Rca was halved. By contrast, TaRca1-β was more thermotolerant, with a thermal midpoint of 42°C, matching that of rice OsRca-β. Mutations of the TaRca2-β isoform based on sequence alignment of the thermostable TaRca1-β from wheat, OsRca-β from rice, and a consensus sequence representing Rca from warm-adapted species enabled the identification of 11 amino acid substitutions that improved its thermostability by greater than 7°C without a reduction in catalytic velocity at a standard 25°C. Protein structure modeling and mutational analysis suggested that the thermostability of these mutational variants arises from monomeric and not oligomeric thermal stabilization. These results provide a mechanism for improving the heat stress tolerance of photosynthesis in wheat and potentially other species, which is a desirable outcome considering the likelihood that crops will face more frequent heat stress conditions over the coming decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Scafaro
- BASF Agricultural Solutions, Ghent 9052, Belgium
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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28
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Wunder T, Oh ZG, Mueller‐Cajar O. CO
2
‐fixing liquid droplets: Towards a dissection of the microalgal pyrenoid. Traffic 2019; 20:380-389. [DOI: 10.1111/tra.12650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Wunder
- School of Biological SciencesNanyang Technological University Singapore
| | - Zhen Guo Oh
- School of Biological SciencesNanyang Technological University Singapore
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29
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Serban AJ, Breen IL, Bui HQ, Levitus M, Wachter RM. Assembly-disassembly is coupled to the ATPase cycle of tobacco Rubisco activase. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:19451-19465. [PMID: 30352875 PMCID: PMC6302163 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The carbon-fixing activity of enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is regulated by Rubisco activase (Rca), a ring-forming ATPase that catalyzes inhibitor release. For higher plant Rca, the catalytic roles played by different oligomeric species have remained obscure. Here, we utilized fluorescence-correlation spectroscopy to estimate dissociation constants for the dimer-tetramer, tetramer-hexamer, hexamer-12-mer, and higher-order assembly equilibria of tobacco Rca. A comparison of oligomer composition with ATPase activity provided evidence that assemblies larger than hexamers are hydrolytically inactive. Therefore, supramolecular aggregates may serve as storage forms at low-energy charge. We observed that the tetramer accumulates only when both substrate and product nucleotides are bound. During rapid ATP turnover, about one in six active sites was occupied by ADP, and ∼36% of Rca was tetrameric. The steady-state catalytic rate reached a maximum between 0.5 and 2.5 μm Rca. In this range, significant amounts of dimers, tetramers, and hexamers coexisted, although none could fully account for the observed activity profile. Therefore, we propose that dynamic assembly-disassembly partakes in the ATPase cycle. According to this model, the association of dimers with tetramers generates a hexamer that forms a closed ring at high ATP and magnesium levels. Upon hydrolysis and product release, the toroid breaks open and dissociates into a dimer and tetramer, which may be coupled to Rubisco remodeling. Although a variant bearing the R294V substitution assembled in much the same way, highly stabilized states could be generated by binding of a transition-state analog. A tight-binding pre-hydrolysis state appears to become more accessible in thermally labile Rcas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Serban
- From the School of Molecular Sciences
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, and
| | - Isabella L Breen
- From the School of Molecular Sciences
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, and
| | - Hoang Q Bui
- From the School of Molecular Sciences
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, and
| | - Marcia Levitus
- From the School of Molecular Sciences,
- the Biodesign Center for Single Molecule Biophysics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287
| | - Rebekka M Wachter
- From the School of Molecular Sciences,
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, and
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30
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Wunder T, Cheng SLH, Lai SK, Li HY, Mueller-Cajar O. The phase separation underlying the pyrenoid-based microalgal Rubisco supercharger. Nat Commun 2018; 9:5076. [PMID: 30498228 PMCID: PMC6265248 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07624-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The slow and promiscuous properties of the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco constrain photosynthetic efficiency and have prompted the evolution of powerful CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). In eukaryotic microalgae a key strategy involves sequestration of the enzyme in the pyrenoid, a liquid non-membranous compartment of the chloroplast stroma. Here we show using pure components that two proteins, Rubisco and the linker protein Essential Pyrenoid Component 1 (EPYC1), are both necessary and sufficient to phase separate and form liquid droplets. The phase-separated Rubisco is functional. Droplet composition is dynamic and components rapidly exchange with the bulk solution. Heterologous and chimeric Rubiscos exhibit variability in their tendency to demix with EPYC1. The ability to dissect aspects of pyrenoid biochemistry in vitro will permit us to inform and guide synthetic biology ambitions aiming to engineer microalgal CCMs into crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Wunder
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Steven Le Hung Cheng
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Soak-Kuan Lai
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Hoi-Yeung Li
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Oliver Mueller-Cajar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore.
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31
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Abstract
Increases in ambient temperatures have been a severe threat to crop production in many countries around the world under climate change. Chloroplasts serve as metabolic centers and play a key role in physiological adaptive processes to heat stress. In addition to expressing heat shock proteins that protect proteins from heat-induced damage, metabolic reprogramming occurs during adaptive physiological processes in chloroplasts. Heat stress leads to inhibition of plant photosynthetic activity by damaging key components functioning in a variety of metabolic processes, with concomitant reductions in biomass production and crop yield. In this review article, we will focus on events through extensive and transient metabolic reprogramming in response to heat stress, which included chlorophyll breakdown, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant defense, protein turnover, and metabolic alterations with carbon assimilation. Such diverse metabolic reprogramming in chloroplasts is required for systemic acquired acclimation to heat stress in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Long Wang
- The National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 300 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Juan-Hua Chen
- The National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 300 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Ning-Yu He
- The National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 300 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Fang-Qing Guo
- The National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 300 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 300 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
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32
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Scafaro AP, Atwell BJ, Muylaert S, Reusel BV, Ruiz GA, Rie JV, Gallé A. A Thermotolerant Variant of Rubisco Activase From a Wild Relative Improves Growth and Seed Yield in Rice Under Heat Stress. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1663. [PMID: 30524456 PMCID: PMC6256286 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Genes encoding thermostable variants of the photosynthesis heat-labile protein Rubisco activase (Rca) from a wild relative Oryza australiensis were overexpressed in domesticated rice (Oryza sativa). Proteomics was used to quantify the abundance of O. australiensis Rca (Rca-Oa) in the resulting plants. Plants were grown to maturity in growth rooms and from early tillering until immediately prior to anthesis, they were exposed to daytime maximum temperatures of 28, 40, and 45°C and constant night temperatures of 22°C. Non-destructive measurements of leaf elongation and photosynthesis were used to compare the null segregant with a transfected line in which 19% of its total Rca content was the recombinant O. australiensis Rca (T-Oa-19). Height, fresh mass, panicle number, seed set, and seed number were measured at final harvest. Traits at maturity after heat stress at 45°C correlated strongly with recombinant protein abundance. Seed number was far the most responsive trait to an increase in Rca-Oa abundance, improving by up to 150%. Leaf elongation rates (LER) and tiller number were significantly greater in the transformed plants in the first two weeks of exposure to 45°C but tiller numbers later became equal in the two genotypes. Gas exchange measurements showed that T-Oa-19 had faster light induction of photosynthesis but not significantly higher CO2 assimilation rates, indicating that the carbon gain that resulted in large yield improvement after growth at 45°C was not strongly correlated with an instantaneous measurement of steady-state photosynthesis. When plants were grown at 40°C daytime maximum, there was no improvement in the final biomass, panicle or seed number when compared with 28°C, indicating that the threshold for heat damage and beneficial effects of the thermostable Rca recombinant protein was between 40 and 45°C, which corresponded to leaf temperatures in the range 38-42°C. The results suggest that the thermotolerant form of Rca from O. australiensis was sufficient to enhance carbohydrate accumulation and storage by rice over the life of the plant, dramatically improving yields after exposure to heat throughout the vegetative phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Scafaro
- Bayer CropScience SA-NV, Innovation Center Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Andrew P. Scafaro,
| | - Brian J. Atwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Steven Muylaert
- Bayer CropScience SA-NV, Innovation Center Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | - Jeroen Van Rie
- Bayer CropScience SA-NV, Innovation Center Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alexander Gallé
- Bayer CropScience SA-NV, Innovation Center Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
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33
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Orr DJ, Pereira AM, da Fonseca Pereira P, Pereira-Lima ÍA, Zsögön A, Araújo WL. Engineering photosynthesis: progress and perspectives. F1000Res 2017; 6:1891. [PMID: 29263782 PMCID: PMC5658708 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.12181.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthesis is the basis of primary productivity on the planet. Crop breeding has sustained steady improvements in yield to keep pace with population growth increases. Yet these advances have not resulted from improving the photosynthetic process
per se but rather of altering the way carbon is partitioned within the plant. Mounting evidence suggests that the rate at which crop yields can be boosted by traditional plant breeding approaches is wavering, and they may reach a “yield ceiling” in the foreseeable future. Further increases in yield will likely depend on the targeted manipulation of plant metabolism. Improving photosynthesis poses one such route, with simulations indicating it could have a significant transformative influence on enhancing crop productivity. Here, we summarize recent advances of alternative approaches for the manipulation and enhancement of photosynthesis and their possible application for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J Orr
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Auderlan M Pereira
- Max-Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Paula da Fonseca Pereira
- Max-Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ítalo A Pereira-Lima
- Max-Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Agustin Zsögön
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Wagner L Araújo
- Max-Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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34
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Hayer-Hartl M. From chaperonins to Rubisco assembly and metabolic repair. Protein Sci 2017; 26:2324-2333. [PMID: 28960553 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) mediates the fixation of atmospheric CO2 in photosynthesis by catalyzing the carboxylation of the 5-carbon sugar ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP). Despite its pivotal role, Rubisco is an inefficient enzyme and thus has been a key target for bioengineering. However, efforts to increase crop yields by Rubisco engineering remain unsuccessful, due in part to the complex machinery of molecular chaperones required for Rubisco biogenesis and metabolic repair. While the large subunit of Rubisco generally requires the chaperonin system for folding, the evolution of the hexadecameric Rubisco from its dimeric precursor resulted in the dependence on an array of additional factors required for assembly. Moreover, Rubisco function can be inhibited by a range of sugar-phosphate ligands. Metabolic repair of Rubisco depends on remodeling by the ATP-dependent Rubisco activase and hydrolysis of inhibitors by specific phosphatases. This review highlights our work toward understanding the structure and mechanism of these auxiliary machineries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manajit Hayer-Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
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