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Dai GZ, Song WY, Xu HF, Tu M, Yu C, Li ZK, Shang JL, Jin CL, Ding CS, Zuo LZ, Liu YR, Yan WW, Zang SS, Liu K, Zhang Z, Bock R, Qiu BS. Hypothetical chloroplast reading frame 51 encodes a photosystem I assembly factor in cyanobacteria. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:1844-1867. [PMID: 38146915 PMCID: PMC11062458 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Hypothetical chloroplast open reading frames (ycfs) are putative genes in the plastid genomes of photosynthetic eukaryotes. Many ycfs are also conserved in the genomes of cyanobacteria, the presumptive ancestors of present-day chloroplasts. The functions of many ycfs are still unknown. Here, we generated knock-out mutants for ycf51 (sll1702) in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The mutants showed reduced photoautotrophic growth due to impaired electron transport between photosystem II (PSII) and PSI. This phenotype results from greatly reduced PSI content in the ycf51 mutant. The ycf51 disruption had little effect on the transcription of genes encoding photosynthetic complex components and the stabilization of the PSI complex. In vitro and in vivo analyses demonstrated that Ycf51 cooperates with PSI assembly factor Ycf3 to mediate PSI assembly. Furthermore, Ycf51 interacts with the PSI subunit PsaC. Together with its specific localization in the thylakoid membrane and the stromal exposure of its hydrophilic region, our data suggest that Ycf51 is involved in PSI complex assembly. Ycf51 is conserved in all sequenced cyanobacteria, including the earliest branching cyanobacteria of the Gloeobacter genus, and is also present in the plastid genomes of glaucophytes. However, Ycf51 has been lost from other photosynthetic eukaryotic lineages. Thus, Ycf51 is a PSI assembly factor that has been functionally replaced during the evolution of oxygenic photosynthetic eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Zheng Dai
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Wei-Yu Song
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Hai-Feng Xu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Miao Tu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Chen Yu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Zheng-Ke Li
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Jin-Long Shang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Chun-Lei Jin
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Chao-Shun Ding
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Ling-Zi Zuo
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Yan-Ru Liu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Wei-Wei Yan
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Sha-Sha Zang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Ke Liu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Zheng Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
| | - Ralph Bock
- Department III, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Bao-Sheng Qiu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China
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Yang YW, Liu K, Huang D, Yu C, Chen SZ, Chen M, Qiu BS. Functional specialization of expanded orange carotenoid protein paralogs in subaerial Nostoc species. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023:kiad234. [PMID: 37070859 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Orange carotenoid protein (OCP) is a photoactive protein that participates in the photoprotection of cyanobacteria. There are two full-length OCP proteins, four N-terminal paralogs (helical carotenoid protein, HCP), and one C-terminal domain-like carotenoid protein (CCP) found in Nostoc flagelliforme, a desert cyanobacterium. All HCPs (HCP1-3 and HCP6) from N. flagelliforme demonstrated their excellent singlet oxygen quenching activities, in which HCP2 was the strongest singlet oxygen quencher compared with others. Two OCPs, OCPx1 and OCPx2, were not involved in singlet oxygen scavenging; instead, they functioned as phycobilisome fluorescence quenchers. The fast-acting OCPx1 showed more effective photoactivation and stronger phycobilisome fluorescence quenching compared to OCPx2, which behaved differently from all reported OCP paralogs. The resolved crystal structure and mutant analysis revealed that Trp111 and Met125 play essential roles in OCPx2, which is dominant and long-acting. The resolved crystal structure of OCPx2 is maintained in a monomer state and showed more flexible regulation in energy quenching activities compared with the packed oligomer of OCPx1. The recombinant apo-CCP obtained the carotenoid pigment from holo-HCPs and holo-OCPx1 of N. flagelliforme. No such carotenoid transferring processes were observed between apo-CCP and holo-OCPx2. The close phylogenetic relationship of OCP paralogs from subaerial Nostoc species indicates an adaptive evolution toward development of photoprotection: protecting cellular metabolism against singlet oxygen damage using HCPs and against excess energy captured by active phycobilisomes using two different working modes of OCPx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Wen Yang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
- College of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, Jiangxi 332000, China
| | - Ke Liu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
| | - Da Huang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
| | - Chen Yu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
| | - Si-Zhuo Chen
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
| | - Min Chen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Bao-Sheng Qiu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
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Banerji A, Benesh K. Incorporating Microbial Species Interaction in Management of Freshwater Toxic Cyanobacteria: A Systems Science Challenge. AQUATIC ECOLOGY 2022; 3:570-587. [PMID: 36643215 PMCID: PMC9836389 DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3040042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Water resources are critically important, but also pose risks of exposure to toxic and pathogenic microbes. Increasingly, a concern is toxic cyanobacteria, which have been linked to the death and disease of humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife in freshwater systems worldwide. Management approaches successful at reducing cyanobacterial abundance and toxin production have tended to be short-term solutions applied on small scales (e.g., algaecide application) or solutions that entail difficult multifaceted investments (e.g., modification of landscape and land use to reduce nutrient inputs). However, implementation of these approaches can be undermined by microbial species interactions that (a) provide toxic cyanobacteria with protection against the method of control or (b) permit toxic cyanobacteria to be replaced by other significant microbial threats. Understanding these interactions is necessary to avoid such scenarios and can provide a framework for novel strategies to enhance freshwater resource management via systems science (e.g., pairing existing physical and chemical approaches against cyanobacteria with ecological strategies such as manipulation of natural enemies, targeting of facilitators, and reduction of benthic occupancy and recruitment). Here, we review pertinent examples of the interactions and highlight potential applications of what is known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aabir Banerji
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research & Development, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
| | - Kasey Benesh
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science & Education, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
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Coevolution of tandemly repeated hlips and RpaB-like transcriptional factor confers desiccation tolerance to subaerial Nostoc species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2211244119. [PMID: 36215485 PMCID: PMC9586280 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211244119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Desert-inhabiting cyanobacteria can tolerate extreme desiccation and quickly revive after rehydration. The regulatory mechanisms that enable their vegetative cells to resurrect upon rehydration are poorly understood. In this study, we identified a single gene family of high light-inducible proteins (Hlips) with dramatic expansion in the Nostoc flagelliforme genome and found an intriguingly special convergence formed through four tandem gene duplication. The emerged four independent hlip genes form a gene cluster (hlips-cluster) and respond to dehydration positively. The gene mutants in N. flagelliforme were successfully generated by using gene-editing technology. Phenotypic analysis showed that the desiccation tolerance of hlips-cluster-deleted mutant decreased significantly due to impaired photosystem II repair, whereas heterologous expression of hlips-cluster from N. flagelliforme enhanced desiccation tolerance in Nostoc sp. PCC 7120. Furthermore, a transcription factor Hrf1 (hlips-cluster repressor factor 1) was identified and shown to coordinately regulate the expression of hlips-cluster and desiccation-induced psbAs. Hrf1 acts as a negative regulator for the adaptation of N. flagelliforme to the harsh desert environment. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most species in the Nostoc genus possess both tandemly repeated Hlips and Hrf1. Our results suggest convergent evolution of desiccation tolerance through the coevolution of tandem Hlips duplication and Hrf1 in subaerial Nostoc species, providing insights into the mechanism of desiccation tolerance in photosynthetic organisms.
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Xu HF, Dai GZ, Wang YJ, Cheng C, Shang JL, Li RH, Liu K, Duanmu D, Qiu BS. Expansion of bilin-based red light sensors in the subaerial desert cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:2047-2058. [PMID: 35172392 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Light is the crucial environmental signal for desiccation-tolerant cyanobacteria to activate photosynthesis and prepare for desiccation at dawn. However, the photobiological characteristics of desert cyanobacteria adaptation to one of the harshest habitats on Earth remain unresolved. In this study, we surveyed the genome of a subaerial desert cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme and identified two phytochromes and seven cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) with one or more bilin-binding GAF (cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenylyl cyclase/FhlA) domains. Biochemical and spectroscopic analyses of 69 purified GAF-containing proteins from recombinant phycocyanobilin (PCB), biliverdin or phycoerythrobilin-producing Escherichia coli indicated that nine of these proteins bind chromophores. Further investigation revealed that 11 GAFs form covalent adducts responsive to near-UV and visible light: eight GAFs contained PCB chromophores, three GAFs contained biliverdin chromophores and one contained the PCB isomer, phycoviolobilin. Interestingly, COO91_03972 is the first-ever reported GAF-only CBCR capable of sensing five wavelengths of light. Bioinformatics and biochemical analyses revealed that residue P132 of COO91_03972 is essential for chromophore binding to dual-cysteine CBCRs. Furthermore, the complement of N. flagelliforme CBCRs is enriched in red light sensors. We hypothesize that these sensors are critical for the acclimatization of N. flagelliforme to weak light environments at dawn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Feng Xu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Guo-Zheng Dai
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Yu-Jie Wang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Chao Cheng
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Jin-Long Shang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Ren-Han Li
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Ke Liu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Deqiang Duanmu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Bao-Sheng Qiu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
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Xu HF, Raanan H, Dai GZ, Oren N, Berkowicz S, Murik O, Kaplan A, Qiu BS. Reading and surviving the harsh conditions in desert biological soil crust: The cyanobacterial viewpoint. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:6308820. [PMID: 34165541 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are found in drylands, cover ∼12% of the Earth's surface in arid and semi-arid lands and their destruction is considered an important promoter of desertification. These crusts are formed by the adhesion of soil particles to polysaccharides excreted mostly by filamentous cyanobacteria, which are the pioneers and main primary producers in BSCs. Desert BSCs survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth, and are exposed to daily fluctuations of extreme conditions. The cyanobacteria inhabiting these habitats must precisely read the changing conditions and predict, for example, the forthcoming desiccation. Moreover, they evolved a comprehensive regulation of multiple adaptation strategies to enhance their stress tolerance. Here we focus on what distinguishes cyanobacteria able to revive after dehydration from those that cannot. While important progress has been made in our understanding of physiological, biochemical and omics aspects, clarification of the sensing, signal transduction and responses enabling desiccation tolerance are just emerging. We plot the trajectory of current research and open questions ranging from general strategies and regulatory adaptations in the hydration/desiccation cycle, to recent advances in our understanding of photosynthetic adaptation. The acquired knowledge provides new insights to mitigate desertification and improve plant productivity under drought conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Feng Xu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079 China
| | - Hagai Raanan
- Department of Plant Pathology and Weed Research, Gilat Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Mobile Post Negev 2, 8531100 Israel
| | - Guo-Zheng Dai
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079 China
| | - Nadav Oren
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401 Israel
| | - Simon Berkowicz
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401 Israel.,Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, P.O.B 469, Eilat, 8810302 Israel
| | - Omer Murik
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401 Israel
| | - Aaron Kaplan
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401 Israel
| | - Bao-Sheng Qiu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079 China
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Gao X, Zhu Z, Xu H, Liu L, An J, Ji B, Ye S. Cold adaptation in drylands: transcriptomic insights into cold-stressed Nostoc flagelliforme and characterization of a hypothetical gene with cold and nitrogen stress tolerance. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:713-727. [PMID: 32627309 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Environmental stressors, especially low temperature, are very common on the earth's dryland systems. Terrestrial cyanobacteria have evolved with cold adaptability in addition to extreme dryness and high irradiation resistance. The dryland soil surface-dwelling species, Nostoc flagelliforme, serves as a potential model organism to gain insights into cyanobacterial cold adaptation. In this study, we performed transcriptomic analysis of N. flagelliforme samples in response to low temperature. The results revealed that the biological processes, such as terpenoid biosynthetic process, oxidoreductase activity, carbohydrate metabolism, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, lipid and nitrogen metabolism, were significantly and dynamically changed during the cold stress. It was noteworthy that the transcription of the denitrification pathway for ammonia accumulation was enhanced, implying an importance for nitrogen utilization in stress resistance. In addition, characterization of a cold-responsive hypothetical gene csrnf1 found that it could greatly improve the cold-resistant performance of cells when it was heterologously expressed in transgenic Nostoc sp. PCC 7120. It was also found that csrnf1 transgenic strain exhibited resistance to nitrogen-deficient environmental stress. Considering that dryland cyanobacteria have to cope with low temperature on infertile soils, this study would enrich our understanding on the importance of multifunction of the genes for environmental cold adaptation in drylands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Gao
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China.,School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Zhaoxia Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Haiyan Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Litao Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Jing An
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Boyang Ji
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, 41296, Sweden
| | - Shuifeng Ye
- Shanghai Agrobiological Gene Center, Shanghai, 201106, China.,College of Life Sciences, Shangrao Normal University, Shangrao, 334001, China
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