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Alenazi AS, Pereira L, Christin PA, Osborne CP, Dunning LT. Identifying genomic regions associated with C 4 photosynthetic activity and leaf anatomy in Alloteropsis semialata. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 243:1698-1710. [PMID: 38953386 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19933] [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: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a complex trait requiring multiple developmental and metabolic alterations. Despite this complexity, it has independently evolved over 60 times. However, our understanding of the transition to C4 is complicated by the fact that variation in photosynthetic type is usually segregated between species that diverged a long time ago. Here, we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the grass Alloteropsis semialata, the only known species to have C3, intermediate, and C4 accessions that recently diverged. We aimed to identify genomic regions associated with the strength of the C4 cycle (measured using δ13C), and the development of C4 leaf anatomy. Genomic regions correlated with δ13C include regulators of C4 decarboxylation enzymes (RIPK), nonphotochemical quenching (SOQ1), and the development of Kranz anatomy (SCARECROW-LIKE). Regions associated with the development of C4 leaf anatomy in the intermediate individuals contain additional leaf anatomy regulators, including those responsible for vein patterning (GSL8) and meristem determinacy (GIF1). The parallel recruitment of paralogous leaf anatomy regulators between A. semialata and other C4 lineages implies the co-option of these genes is context-dependent, which likely has implications for the engineering of the C4 trait into C3 species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed S Alenazi
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Northern Border University, Arar, 91431, Saudi Arabia
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Lara Pereira
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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Plackett ARG, Hibberd JM. Rice bundle sheath cell shape is regulated by the timing of light exposure during leaf development. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:2597-2613. [PMID: 38549236 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14902] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Plant leaves contain multiple cell types which achieve distinct characteristics whilst still coordinating development within the leaf. The bundle sheath possesses larger individual cells and lower chloroplast content than the adjacent mesophyll, but how this morphology is achieved remains unknown. To identify regulatory mechanisms determining bundle sheath cell morphology we tested the effects of perturbing environmental (light) and endogenous signals (hormones) during leaf development of Oryza sativa (rice). Total chloroplast area in bundle sheath cells was found to increase with cell size as in the mesophyll but did not maintain a 'set-point' relationship, with the longest bundle sheath cells demonstrating the lowest chloroplast content. Application of exogenous cytokinin and gibberellin significantly altered the relationship between cell size and chloroplast biosynthesis in the bundle sheath, increasing chloroplast content of the longest cells. Delayed exposure to light reduced the mean length of bundle sheath cells but increased corresponding leaf length, whereas premature light reduced final leaf length but did not affect bundle sheath cells. This suggests that the plant hormones cytokinin and gibberellin are regulators of the bundle sheath cell-chloroplast relationship and that final bundle sheath length may potentially be affected by light-mediated control of exit from the cell cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Carvalho P, Gomes C, Saibo NJ. C4 Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase: Evolution and transcriptional regulation. Genet Mol Biol 2024; 46:e20230190. [PMID: 38517370 PMCID: PMC10958771 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2023-0190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) catalyses the irreversible carboxylation of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), producing oxaloacetate (OAA). This enzyme catalyses the first step of carbon fixation in C4 photosynthesis, contributing to the high photosynthetic efficiency of C4 plants. PEPC is also involved in replenishing tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, such as OAA, being involved in the C/N balance. In plants, PEPCs are classified in two types: bacterial type (BTPC) and plant-type (PTPC), which includes photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic PEPCs. During C4 evolution, photosynthetic PEPCs evolved independently. C4 PEPCs evolved to be highly expressed and active in a spatial-specific manner. Their gene expression pattern is also regulated by developmental cues, light, circadian clock as well as adverse environmental conditions. However, the gene regulatory networks controlling C4 PEPC gene expression, namely its cell-specificity, are largely unknown. Therefore, after an introduction to the evolution of PEPCs, this review aims to discuss the current knowledge regarding the transcriptional regulation of C4 PEPCs, focusing on cell-specific and developmental expression dynamics, light and circadian regulation, as well as response to abiotic stress. In conclusion, this review aims to highlight the evolution, transcriptional regulation by different signals and importance of PEPC in C4 photosynthesis and its potential as tool for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Carvalho
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Célia Gomes
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Nelson J.M. Saibo
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Oeiras, Portugal
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Borba AR, Reyna-Llorens I, Dickinson PJ, Steed G, Gouveia P, Górska AM, Gomes C, Kromdijk J, Webb AAR, Saibo NJM, Hibberd JM. Compartmentation of photosynthesis gene expression in C4 maize depends on time of day. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 193:2306-2320. [PMID: 37555432 PMCID: PMC10663113 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Compared with the ancestral C3 state, C4 photosynthesis occurs at higher rates with improved water and nitrogen use efficiencies. In both C3 and C4 plants, rates of photosynthesis increase with light intensity and are maximal around midday. We determined that in the absence of light or temperature fluctuations, photosynthesis in maize (Zea mays) peaks in the middle of the subjective photoperiod. To investigate the molecular processes associated with these temporal changes, we performed RNA sequencing of maize mesophyll and bundle sheath strands over a 24-h time course. Preferential expression of C4 cycle genes in these cell types was strongest between 6 and 10 h after dawn when rates of photosynthesis were highest. For the bundle sheath, DNA motif enrichment and gene coexpression analyses suggested members of the DNA binding with one finger (DOF) and MADS (MINICHROMOSOME MAINTENANCE FACTOR 1/AGAMOUS/DEFICIENS/Serum Response Factor)-domain transcription factor families mediate diurnal fluctuations in C4 gene expression, while trans-activation assays in planta confirmed their ability to activate promoter fragments from bundle sheath expressed genes. The work thus identifies transcriptional regulators and peaks in cell-specific C4 gene expression coincident with maximum rates of photosynthesis in the maize leaf at midday.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Borba
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Ivan Reyna-Llorens
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Patrick J Dickinson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Gareth Steed
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Paulo Gouveia
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Alicja M Górska
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Celia Gomes
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Johannes Kromdijk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Alex A R Webb
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Nelson J M Saibo
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
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Cackett L, Luginbuehl LH, Schreier TB, Lopez-Juez E, Hibberd JM. Chloroplast development in green plant tissues: the interplay between light, hormone, and transcriptional regulation. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:2000-2016. [PMID: 34729790 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts are best known for their role in photosynthesis, but they also allow nitrogen and sulphur assimilation, amino acid, fatty acid, nucleotide and hormone synthesis. How chloroplasts develop is therefore relevant to these diverse and fundamental biological processes, but also to attempts at their rational redesign. Light is strictly required for chloroplast formation in all angiosperms and directly regulates the expression of hundreds of chloroplast-related genes. Light also modulates the levels of several hormones including brassinosteriods, cytokinins, auxins and gibberellins, which themselves control chloroplast development particularly during early stages of plant development. Transcription factors such as GOLDENLIKE1&2 (GLK1&2), GATA NITRATE-INDUCIBLE CARBON METABOLISM-INVOLVED (GNC) and CYTOKININ-RESPONSIVE GATA FACTOR 1 (CGA1) act downstream of both light and phytohormone signalling to regulate chloroplast development. Thus, in green tissues transcription factors, light signalling and hormone signalling form a complex network regulating the transcription of chloroplast- and photosynthesis-related genes to control the development and number of chloroplasts per cell. We use this conceptual framework to identify points of regulation that could be harnessed to modulate chloroplast abundance and increase photosynthetic efficiency of crops, and to highlight future avenues to overcome gaps in current knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Cackett
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Leonie H Luginbuehl
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Tina B Schreier
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Enrique Lopez-Juez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
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Cruz DF, De Meyer S, Ampe J, Sprenger H, Herman D, Van Hautegem T, De Block J, Inzé D, Nelissen H, Maere S. Using single-plant-omics in the field to link maize genes to functions and phenotypes. Mol Syst Biol 2020; 16:e9667. [PMID: 33346944 PMCID: PMC7751767 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of our current knowledge on plant molecular biology is based on experiments in controlled laboratory environments. However, translating this knowledge from the laboratory to the field is often not straightforward, in part because field growth conditions are very different from laboratory conditions. Here, we test a new experimental design to unravel the molecular wiring of plants and study gene-phenotype relationships directly in the field. We molecularly profiled a set of individual maize plants of the same inbred background grown in the same field and used the resulting data to predict the phenotypes of individual plants and the function of maize genes. We show that the field transcriptomes of individual plants contain as much information on maize gene function as traditional laboratory-generated transcriptomes of pooled plant samples subject to controlled perturbations. Moreover, we show that field-generated transcriptome and metabolome data can be used to quantitatively predict individual plant phenotypes. Our results show that profiling individual plants in the field is a promising experimental design that could help narrow the lab-field gap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Felipe Cruz
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Sam De Meyer
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Joke Ampe
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Heike Sprenger
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Dorota Herman
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Tom Van Hautegem
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Jolien De Block
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Dirk Inzé
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Hilde Nelissen
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
| | - Steven Maere
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyGhentBelgium
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