Salicylhydroxamic Acid (SHAM) Inhibition of the Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Concentrating Process in Unicellular Green Algae

PSI Mehler reaction is the main alternative photosynthetic electron pathway in Symbiodinium sp., symbiotic dinoflagellates of cnidarians

Photosynthetic organisms have developed various photoprotective mechanisms to cope with exposure to high light intensities. In photosynthetic dinoflagellates that live in symbiosis with cnidarians, the nature and relative amplitude of these regulatory mechanisms are a matter of debate. In our study, the amplitude of photosynthetic alternative electron flows (AEF) to oxygen (chlororespiration, Mehler reaction), the mitochondrial respiration and the Photosystem I (PSI) cyclic electron flow were investigated in strains belonging to three clades (A1, B1 and F1) of Symbiodinium. Cultured Symbiodinium strains were maintained under identical environmental conditions, and measurements of oxygen evolution, fluorescence emission and absorption changes at specific wavelengths were used to evaluate PSI and PSII electron transfer rates (ETR). A light- and O2 -dependent ETR was observed in all strains. This electron transfer chain involves PSII and PSI and is insensitive to inhibitors of mitochondrial activity and carbon fixation. We demonstrate that in all strains, the Mehler reaction responsible for photoreduction of oxygen by the PSI under high light, is the main AEF at the onset and at the steady state of photosynthesis. This sustained photosynthetic AEF under high light intensities acts as a photoprotective mechanism and leads to an increase of the ATP/NADPH ratio.

Salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) inhibits O(2) photoreduction which protects nitrogenase activity in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. RF-1

Synechococcus sp. RF-1, a unicellular N(2)-fixing cyanobacterium, can grow photosynthetically and diazotrophically in continuous light. How the organism protects its nitrogenase from damage by oxygen is unclear. In cyanobacerial cells, electron transport carriers associated with photosynthesis and respiration are all on the thylakoid membranes and share some common components, including plastoquinone pool and cytochrome b (6) f complex, and the pathways are interacting with each other. In this work, a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometer (PAM-101) and an O(2) electrode are used simultaneously to study the chlorophyll a fluorescence and to monitor O(2) exchanges in Synechococcus sp. RF-1 cells. At the CO(2) compensation point, the photochemical quenching activity remained high unless the O(2) was exhausted by the glucose oxidase system (GOS). It indicates that in addition to CO(2), O(2) can also act as electron acceptor to receive electrons derived from Q(A). Studies with various inhibitors of the electron transport chain demonstrated that 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU), 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone (DBMIB) and salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) inhibited the photoreduction of O(2), while glycolaldehyde, disalicylidenepropanediamine (DSPD), methyl viologen (MV) and KCN did not. These results imply that a KCN-resistant and SHAM-sensitive oxidase transfers electrons generated from Photosystem II to O(2) between cytochrome b (6) f complex and ferredoxin. When SHAM blocked this alternative electron transport pathway, the dinitrogen-fixing activity decreased significantly. The results indicate that a novel oxidase may function as an intracellular O(2)-scavenger in Synechococcus sp. RF-1 cells.

Glycolate metabolism in algal chloroplasts: inhibition by salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM)

Unicellular green algae such as Chlamydomonas and Dunaliella excrete small amounts of glycolate during active photosynthesis. This phenomenon has been explained by the fact that these algae do not have leaf-type peroxisomes and glycolate oxidase; instead, they have a limited capacity to metabolise glycolate in their mitochondria by a membrane-associated glycolate dehydrogenase. Salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM), an inhibitor of alternative oxidase in plant and algal mitochondria, stimulates glycolate excretion by the algae or their isolated chloroplasts 5-fold. In the presence of SHAM, cells of Chlamydomonas or Dunaliella grown with high-CO2 (5% CO2 in air, v/v) or adapted with air levels of CO2 excreted glycolate at a rate of about 14 micro mol glycolate mg-1 Chl h-1. Aminooxyacetate (AOA), an inhibitor of aminotransferases, also increases glycolate excretion by the algal cells or chloroplasts but at a lower rate (about 50%) than SHAM. The algal, light dependent, SHAM-sensitive glycolate oxidizing system in the chloroplasts appears to be the primary site for glycolate oxidation, and it is different and more active then the minor mitochondrial glycolate dehydrogenase.

CO2CONCENTRATING MECHANISMS IN PHOTOSYNTHETIC MICROORGANISMS

Many microorganisms possess inducible mechanisms that concentrate CO2 at the carboxylation site, compensating for the relatively low affinity of Rubisco for its substrate, and allowing acclimation to a wide range of CO2 concentrations. The organization of the carboxysomes in prokaryotes and of the pyrenoids in eukaryotes, and the presence of membrane mechanisms for inorganic carbon (Ci) transport, are central to the concentrating mechanism. The presence of multiple Ci transporting systems in cyanobacteria has been indicated. Certain genes involved in structural organization, Ci transport and the energization of the latter have been identified. Massive Ci fluxes associated with the CO2-concentrating mechanism have wide-reaching ecological and geochemical implications.

Molecular and Structural Changes in Chlamydomonas under Limiting CO2 (A Possible Mitochondrial Role in Adaptation)

When Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells are transferred to limiting CO2, one response is the induction of a CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) with components that remain to be identified. Characterization of membrane-associated proteins induced by this transfer revealed that synthesis of the 21-kD protein (LIP-21) was regulated at the level of translatable message abundance and correlated well with the induction of CCM activity. Phase partitioning of LIP-21 and the previously characterized LIP-36 showed that both appeared to be peripherally associated with membranes, which limits their potential to function as transporters of inorganic carbon. Ultrastructural changes that occur when cells are transferred to limiting CO2 were also examined to help form a model for the CCM or other aspects of adaptation to limiting CO2. Changes were observed in vacuolization, starch distribution, and mitochondrial location. The mitochondria relocated from within the cup of the chloroplast to between the chloroplast envelope and the plasma membrane. In addition, immunogold labeling demonstrated that LIP-21 was localized specifically to the peripheral mitochondria. These data suggest that mitochondria, although not previously incorporated into models for the CCM, may play an important role in the cell's adaptation to limiting CO2.

Factors Affecting Development of Peroxisomes and Glycolate Metabolism among Algae of Different Evolutionary Lines of the Prasinophyceae

Leaf-type peroxisomes are not present in the primitive unicellular Prasinophycean line of algae but are present in the multicellular algae Mougeotia, Chara, and Nitella, which are in the one evolutionary line, Charophyceae, that led to higher plants. Processes related to glycolate metabolism that may have been modified or induced with the appearance of peroxisomes have been examined. The algal dissolved inorganic carbon-concentrating mechanism and alkalization of the medium during photosynthesis were not lost when peroxisomes appeared in the members of the Charophycean line of algae. Therefore, it is unlikely that lowering of the CO2 concentration in the environment was a major factor in the evolutionary appearance of peroxisomes. Multicellular Mougeotia, early members of the Charophycean line of algae, have peroxisomes, but they excrete excess glycolate into the medium. The cytosolic pyruvate reductase for D-lactate synthesis and the glycolate dehydrogenase activity almost disappeared when peroxisomal glycolate oxidase, which also oxidizes L-lactate, appeared. These biochemical changes do not indicate what caused the induction of leaf-type peroxisomes in this evolutionary line of algae. The oxygenase activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and glycolate oxidase require about 200 to 400 [mu]M O2 for 0.5 Vmax. These high-O2-requiring steps in glycolate metabolism would have functioned faster with increasing atmospheric O2, which might have been the causative factor in the induction of peroxisomes.

Carbon Oxysulfide Inhibition of the CO(2)-Concentrating Process of Unicellular Green Algae

Carbonyl sulfide (COS), a substrate for carbonic anhydrase, inhibited alkalization of the medium, O(2) evolution, dissolved inorganic carbon accumulation, and photosynthetic CO(2) fixation at pH 7 or higher by five species of unicellular green algae that had been air-adapted for forming a CO(2)-concentrating process. This COS inhibition can be attributed to inhibition of external HCO(3) (-) conversion to CO(2) and OH(-) by the carbonic anhydrase component of an active CO(2) pump. At a low pH of 5 to 6, COS stimulated O(2) evolution during photosynthesis by algae with low CO(2) in the media without alkalization of the media. This is attributed to some COS hydrolysis by carbonic anhydrase to CO(2). Although COS had less effect on HCO(3) (-) accumulation at pH 9 by a HCO(3) (-) pump in Scenedesmus, COS reduced O(2) evolution probably by inhibiting internal carbonic anhydrases. Because COS is hydrolyzed to CO(2) and H(2)S, its inhibition of the CO(2) pump activity and photosynthesis is not accurate, when measured by O(2) evolution, by NaH(14)CO(3) accumulation, or by (14)CO(2) fixation.

Cytochrome and Alternative Pathway Respiration during Transient Ammonium Assimilation by N-Limited Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Mass spectrometric analysis of gas exchange in light and dark by N-limited cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii indicated that ammonium assimilation was accompanied by an increase in respiratory carbon flow to provide carbon skeletons for amino acid synthesis. Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle carbon flow was maintained by the oxidation of TCA cycle reductant via the mitochondrial electron transport chain. In wild-type cells, inhibitor studies and (18)O(2) discrimination experiments indicated that respiratory electron flow was mediated entirely via the cytochrome pathway in both the light and dark, despite a large capacity for the alternative pathway. In a cytochrome oxidase deficient mutant, or in wild-type cells in the presence of cyanide, the alternative pathway could support the increase in TCA cycle carbon flow. These different mechanisms of oxidation of TCA cycle reductant were reflected by the much greater SHAM sensitivity of ammonium assimilation by cytochrome oxidase-deficient cells as compared to wild type.

Two Systems for Concentrating CO(2) and Bicarbonate during Photosynthesis by Scenedesmus

Scenedesmus cells grown on high CO(2), when adapted to air levels of CO(2) for 4 to 6 hours in the light, formed two concentrating processes for dissolved inorganic carbon: one for utilizing CO(2) from medium of pH 5 to 8 and one for bicarbonate accumulation from medium of pH 7 to 11. Similar results were obtained with assays by photosynthetic O(2) evolution or by accumulation of dissolved inorganic carbon inside the cells. The CO(2) pump with K(0.5) for O(2) evolution of less than 5 micromolar CO(2) was similar to that previously studied with other green algae such as Chlamydomonas and was accompanied by plasmalemma carbonic anhydrase formation. The HCO(3) (-) concentrating process between pH 8 to 10 lowered the K(0.5) (DIC) from 7300 micromolar HCO(3) (-) in high CO(2) grown Scenedesmus to 10 micromolar in air-adapted cells. The HCO(3) (-) pump was inhibited by vanadate (K(i) of 150 micromolar), as if it involved an ATPase linked HCO(3) (-) transporter. The CO(2) pump was formed on low CO(2) by high-CO(2) grown cells in growth medium within 4 to 6 hours in the light. The alkaline HCO(3) (-) pump was partially activated on low CO(2) within 2 hours in the light or after 8 hours in the dark. Full activation of the HCO(3) (-) pump at pH 9 had requirements similar to the activation of the CO(2) pump. Air-grown or air-adapted cells at pH 7.2 or 9 accumulated in one minute 1 to 2 millimolar inorganic carbon in the light or 0.44 millimolar in the dark from 150 micromolar in the media, whereas CO(2)-grown cells did not accumulate inorganic carbon. A general scheme for concentrating dissolved inorganic carbon by unicellular green algae utilizes a vanadate-sensitive transporter at the chloroplast envelope for the CO(2) pump and in some algae an additional vanadate-sensitive plasmalemma HCO(3) (-) transporter for a HCO(3) (-) pump.