The protochlorophyllide holochrome of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Phytochrome-induced decrease of translatable mRNA coding for the NADPH: protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase

Exploring the interplay between angiosperm chlorophyll metabolism and environmental factors

MAIN CONCLUSION

In this review, we summarize how chlorophyll metabolism in angiosperm is affected by the environmental factors: light, temperature, metal ions, water, oxygen, and altitude. The significance of chlorophyll (Chl) in plant leaf morphogenesis and photosynthesis cannot be overstated. Over time, researchers have made significant advancements in comprehending the biosynthetic pathway of Chl in angiosperms, along with the pivotal enzymes and genes involved in this process, particularly those related to heme synthesis and light-responsive mechanisms. Various environmental factors influence the stability of Chl content in angiosperms by modulating Chl metabolic pathways. Understanding the interplay between plants Chl metabolism and environmental factors has been a prominent research topic. This review mainly focuses on angiosperms, provides an overview of the regulatory mechanisms governing Chl metabolism, and the impact of environmental factors such as light, temperature, metal ions (iron and magnesium), water, oxygen, and altitude on Chl metabolism. Understanding these effects is crucial for comprehending and preserving the homeostasis of Chl metabolism.

Light dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase: a succinct look

Reducing protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) to chlorophyllide (Chlide) is a major regulatory step in the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway. This reaction is catalyzed by light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (LPOR) in oxygenic phototrophs, particularly angiosperms. LPOR-NADPH and Pchlide form a ternary complex to be efficiently photo-transformed to synthesize Chlide and, subsequently, chlorophyll during the transition from skotomorphogenesis to photomorphogenesis. Besides lipids, carotenoids and poly-cis xanthophylls influence the formation of the photoactive LPOR complexes and the PLBs. The crystal structure of LPOR reveals evolutionarily conserved cysteine residues implicated in the Pchlide binding and catalysis around the active site. Different isoforms of LPOR viz PORA, PORB, and PORC expressed at different stages of chloroplast development play a photoprotective role by quickly transforming the photosensitive Pchlide to Chlide. Non-photo-transformed Pchlide acts as a photosensitizer to generate singlet oxygen that causes oxidative stress and cell death. Therefore, different isoforms of LPOR have evolved and differentially expressed during plant development to protect plants from photodamage and thus play a pivotal role during photomorphogenesis. This review brings out the salient features of LPOR structure, structure-function relationships, and ultra-fast photo transformation of Pchlide to Chlide by oligomeric and polymeric forms of LPOR.

Two molecular species of phytochrome A with distinct modes of action

Adaptation of plants to environmental light conditions is achieved via operation of a highly complex photoreceptor apparatus. It includes the phytochrome system comprising phytochromes A and B (phyA and phyB) as the major components. phyA differs from phyB by several properties, including its ability to mediate all three photoresponse modes – the very low and low fluence responses (VLFR and LFR respectively) and the high irradiance responses (HIR), whereas phyB is responsible for LFR. This review discusses the uniqueness of phyA in terms of its structural and functional heterogeneity. The photoreceptor is presented in monocots and dicots by two native molecular species, phyAʹ and phyAʹʹ, differing by spectroscopic, photochemical and phenomenological properties. phyA differentiation into substates includes post-translational phosphorylation of a serine residue(s) at the N-terminal extension of the molecule with phyAʹ being the phosphorylated species and phyAʹʹ, dephosphorylated. They differ also by their mode of action, which depends on the cellular context. The current working hypothesis is that phyAʹ mediates VLFR and phyAʹʹ, HIR and LFR. The content and functional activity of the two pools are regulated by light and by phosphatase/kinase equilibrium and pH in darkness, what contributes to the fine-tuning of the phytochrome system. Detection of the native pools of the cryptogamic plant fern Adiantum capillus-veneris phy1 (phy1ʹ and phy1ʹʹ) similar to those of phyA suggests that the structural and functional heterogeneity of phyA is not a unique phenomenon and may have arisen earlier in the molecular evolution of the phytochrome system than the appearance of the angiosperm phytochromes.

Two molecular species of phytochrome A with distinct modes of action

Adaptation of plants to environmental light conditions is achieved via operation of a highly complex photoreceptor apparatus. It includes the phytochrome system comprising phytochromes A and B (phyA and phyB) as the major components. phyA differs from phyB by several properties, including its ability to mediate all three photoresponse modes - the very low and low fluence responses (VLFR and LFR respectively) and the high irradiance responses (HIR), whereas phyB is responsible for LFR. This review discusses the uniqueness of phyA in terms of its structural and functional heterogeneity. The photoreceptor is presented in monocots and dicots by two native molecular species, phyA' and phyA'', differing by spectroscopic, photochemical and phenomenological properties. phyA differentiation into substates includes post-translational phosphorylation of a serine residue(s) at the N-terminal extension of the molecule with phyA' being the phosphorylated species and phyA'', dephosphorylated. They differ also by their mode of action, which depends on the cellular context. The current working hypothesis is that phyA' mediates VLFR and phyA'', HIR and LFR. The content and functional activity of the two pools are regulated by light and by phosphatase/kinase equilibrium and pH in darkness, what contributes to the fine-tuning of the phytochrome system. Detection of the native pools of the cryptogamic plant fern Adiantum capillus-veneris phy1 (phy1' and phy1'') similar to those of phyA suggests that the structural and functional heterogeneity of phyA is not a unique phenomenon and may have arisen earlier in the molecular evolution of the phytochrome system than the appearance of the angiosperm phytochromes.

Early and late plastid development in response to chill stress and heat stress in wheat seedlings

Five-day-old etiolated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings were transferred to 7°C (chill stress), 25°C (control), and 42°C (heat stress) and were kept in the dark or light for different time periods. Plastids were isolated from the control and stressed seedlings, and their low-temperature (77 K) fluorescence emission spectra were monitored. Most of the Protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) present in heat-stressed etiolated seedlings were in nonphototransformable form. The phototransformable Pchlide (F657) rapidly decreased when 5-day-old etiolated seedlings were transferred to 42°C in the dark for 24 h. A flash illumination of 0.2 s given to etiolated heat-stressed seedlings resulted in substantial arrest of Shibata shift, while in chill-stress conditions, it was only partially affected. In high temperature, due to disaggregation of polymeric Pchlide-Pchlide oxidoreductase (POR)-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) molecules, the conversion of nonphototransformable Pchlide to its phototransformable form is substantially delayed resulting in impaired Shibata shift and belated development of the core antenna CP47 Photosystem II (PSII). Chill stress, however, did not disaggregate the polymeric Pchlide-POR-NADPH molecule-suppressed Pchlide and Chl synthesis and impaired of the assembly of PSII core antenna CP47 that emits F695 and PSI that emits F735. The decreased gene/protein expression and reduced posttranslational import of plastidic proteins, importantly POR in temperature-stressed plants, may be responsible for the delay in conversion of nonphototransformable to phototransformable form of Pchlide and plastid biogenesis.

Fluorescence and Photochemical Investigations of Phytochrome in Higher Plants

In higher plants, photoreceptor phytochrome (phy)—photoisomerizing biliprotein working as a light-driven molecular switch—is represented by a small family of phytochrome gene products with phyA and phyB as major species. phyA is unique among other phytochromes mediating photoresponse modes specific only for this pigment (far-red light induced) and also photoresponses characteristic of phyB and other minor phys (red light induced). In our group,in vivofluorescence investigations of phytochrome were initiated and two native phyA pools—posttranslationally modifiedPHYAgene products designated phyA′and phyA″—were detected in dicots and monocots. They differ by spectroscopic and photochemical parameters, by abundance and distribution in etiolated plant tissues, by light stability, and other phenomenological characteristics, and, most importantly, by their functional properties. This may explain, at least partially, the nature of the uniqueness of the phyA action. In this paper, the data on the phyA polymorphism are summarized with attention to the applied experimental approach.

Etioplast and etio-chloroplast formation under natural conditions: the dark side of chlorophyll biosynthesis in angiosperms

Chloroplast development is usually regarded as proceeding from proplastids. However, direct or indirect conversion pathways have been described in the literature, the latter involving the etioplast or the etio-chloroplast stages. Etioplasts are characterized by the absence of chlorophylls (Chl-s) and the presence of a unique inner membrane network, the prolamellar body (PLB), whereas etio-chloroplasts contain Chl-s and small PLBs interconnected with chloroplast thylakoids. As etioplast development requires growth in darkness for several days, this stage is generally regarded as a nonnatural pathway of chloroplast development occurring only under laboratory conditions. In this article, we have reviewed the data in favor of the involvement of etioplasts and etio-chloroplasts as intermediary stage(s) in chloroplast formation under natural conditions, the molecular aspects of PLB formation and we propose a dynamic model for its regulation.

Molecular cloning of cDNA for Avena phytochrome

We have isolated several cDNA clones for phytochrome, a plant regulatory photoreceptor. A cDNA library was constructed by using etiolated Avena poly(A)(+) RNA enriched for phytochrome mRNA by size fractionation. Replicate arrays of colonies were differentially screened with cDNA probes made from poly(A)(+) RNA that had been either enriched in or depleted of phytochrome mRNA. Of the colonies hybridizing preferentially with the enriched probe, several contained plasmids that specifically selected phytochrome mRNA when assayed by hybridization-selection and translation. The largest such plasmid, pAP-2, was used to isolate clones from an Avena genomic library. One of these genomic clones was then used to screen a second cDNA library in an attempt to identify full-length phytochrome clones. The largest of the plasmids thus obtained, pAP-3, contains a 3.4-kilobasepair (kbp) insert, verified to contain phytochrome sequences by hybridization-selection and translation. Sequence analysis of pAP-2 and pAP-3 revealed that the two clones are identical in sequence through a 2.4-kbp region in which they overlap. However, the pAP-2 insert contains, in addition, 1.5 kbp of sequence of unknown origin, the apparent result of a recombination event. Blots of poly(A)(+) RNA hybridized with (32)P-labeled pAP-2 or pAP-3 show a single mRNA band at 4.2 kilobases. Blot analysis of RNA from dark-grown and from red-irradiated tissue demonstrates that a previously reported light-induced decrease in translatable phytochrome mRNA results from a decrease in physical abundance of this mRNA.

Organ-specific and light-induced expression of plant genes

Light plays a pivotal role in the development of plants. The photoregulation of plant genes involves recognition of light quality and quantity by phytochrome and other light receptors. Two gene families, rbcS and Cab, which code for abundant proteins active in photosynthesis, the small subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase and the chlorophyll a/b binding protein, show a 20-to 50-fold increase in transcript abundance in the light. Analyses in calli and transgenic plants of deletions of the rbcS gene and of chimeric constructions has allowed localization of two regions involved in light-induced transcription. One element is confined to a 33-base pair region surrounding the TATA box. In addition, an enhancer-like element contained within a 240-base pair fragment can confer phytochrome-induced transcription and organ specificity on nonregulated promoters.

Autoregulatory control of translatable phytochrome mRNA levels

Translatable phytochrome mRNA represents approximately 5 x 10(-3)% of the total poly(A)-RNA present in etiolated Avena seedlings, as determined by incorporation of radioactivity into the immunoprecipitable apoprotein in a cell-free translation system. Irradiation of such seedlings with 5-s red light induces a decline in this mRNA that is detectable within 15-30 min, shows a 50% reduction within 50-60 min, and results in a >95% reduction within 2 hr. The effect of the red light pulse is reversed by an immediately subsequent far-red pulse to the level of the far-red-light control, indicating that phytochrome exerts autoregulatory control over its own translatable mRNA level. This result necessitates revision of existing concepts of how phytochrome concentrations are modulated in vivo. Red-light dose-response curves show that the response is sensitive to very low light levels. Conversion of <1% of the total cellular phytochrome to the biologically active far-red-absorbing form is sufficient to induce approximately 60% of the maximal response, and 20% far-red-absorbing form saturates the response. The observed change in translatable phytochrome mRNA level is one of the most rapid phytochrome-induced alterations in any cellular mRNA yet recorded. Thus, autoregulation of phytochrome mRNA provides an attractive opportunity to examine the early sequence of events in phytochrome control of gene expression.

Protochlorophyllide spectral forms

Abstract: This study summarized recent results on POR and plastid development in order to find an explanation for the existence of Pchlide spectral forms. This review has summarized many researches about the Pchlide spectral forms and their phototransformability in different higher plants which have been published. Chlorophyll (Chl) is the most important pigment on the Earth. Each spring millions of tons Chl are formed during bud break and leaf development. The sun light needed for photosynthesis is captured by Chl and transformed to chemical energy. In the Biosynthesis of chlorophyll (Chl) begins with the synthesis of delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) from glutamic acid. Chl biosynthetic pathway, a light dependent enzyme protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) catalyses a key light-driven reaction, trans addition of hydrogen across the C-17-C-18 double bond of the Chl precursor, protochlorophyllide (Pchlide), that triggers a profound transformation in plant development. Pchlide is spectrally heterogeneous and exist in different spectral forms having slightly different absorption and fluorescence peaks. The identified Pchlide spectral forms can be sorted into three groups. The first group is designated as short-wavelength forms. This group with fluorescence in the 625-646 nm spectral region has a heterogeneous nature and is made by four components. The second group includes the long-wavelength Pchlide forms with emission maxima between 652 and 657 nm. The third group is found in the extreme red region (670-730 nm) of the fluorescence emission spectra and includes a number of pigment forms with spectral bands of low intensity. This region is also influenced by vibrational bands of the short-and long-wavelength Pchlide forms.

Alterations of NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase quantity and lipid composition in etiolated barley seedlings infected by Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV)

SUMMARY To understand the phenomenon by which infection of seed-transmitted Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) alters membrane structures and inhibits protochlorophyllide biosynthesis of dark-grown barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants, we analysed the presence of NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR, EC 1.3.1.33) and the galactolipid content and fatty acid composition. The amount of POR in etioplasts of infected leaves, compared with non-infected leaves, was reduced, as measured by immunoelectron microscopy and Western blot. These results are in agreement with the previously described reduction of the ratio of the photoactive 650 nm to non-photoactive 630 nm absorbing protochlorophyllide forms (Harsányi et al., 2002. Physiol. Plant 114, 149-155). The galactolipid content was lower in infected leaves. Monogalactosyl-diacylglycerol (MGDG) content was reduced to 40% and digalactosyl-diacylglycerol to 55% of control plants on a fresh weight basis. In infected plants, the proportion of linolenic acid decreased in both galactolipids. The lower amount of highly unsaturated fatty acids and the reduced abundance of MGDG correlated well with the previously detected reduction in the membrane ratio of prolamellar body (PLB) to prothylakoid (Harsányi et al., 2002. Physiol. Plant 114, 149-155). The reduced amount of POR and the above described alterations in the lipid composition resulted in a disturbed structure of PLBs. As a consequence, pigment synthesis and the greening process were inhibited in infected cells, in turn explaining the appearance of chlorotic stripes of BSMV-infected barley leaves. Our results show that BSMV infection can be detected at a very early stage of leaf development.

Two Native Pools of Phytochrome A in Monocots: Evidence from Fluorescence Investigations of Phytochrome Mutants of Rice

Fluorescence investigations of phytochrome (phy) in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare) mutants deficient in phyA, phyB and phyA plus phyB were performed. Total content of the pigment (Ptot) and its spectroscopic and photochemical characteristics were determined in different parts of the dark‐grown and far‐red light (FR)‐grown coleoptiles. Spectroscopically, phyA in the phyB mutant was identical to phyA in the wild‐type (WT) and the extent of the conversion from Pr to lumi‐R at 85 K was the same for phyA in both lines and varied similarly, depending on the part of the coleoptile used. The latter finding proved that phyA in rice is heterogeneous and comprises two phyA populations, phyA′ and phyA″. Functional properties of phyA were also determined. In the dark the phyB mutant had a higher content of phyA, inactive protochlorophyllide (Pchlide633) and active protochlorophyllide (Pchlide655) than WT and its coleoptile was longer, indicating that phyB may affect the development of WT seedlings in the dark. Constant FR drastically reduced the content of phyA, Pchlide633 and Pchlide655 and brought about coleoptile shortening and appearance of the first leaf, whereas pulsed FR of equal fluence was less effective. This suggested that the reactions were primarily of the high irradiance responses type, which are likely to be mediated by phyA′. The effects on protochlorophyllide biosynthesis and growth responses type were more pronounced in the phyB mutant than in the WT seedlings, which can be connected with the higher phyA′ content in the phyB mutant and/or phyB interference with its action in WT seedlings. In the phyA mutant induction of Pchlide633 and Pchlide655 biosynthesis was observed under constant FR, indicating that phyC may be responsible for this effect.

In vitro-mutagenesis of NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase B: two distinctive protochlorophyllide binding sites participate in enzyme catalysis and assembly

NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) B is a key enzyme for the light-induced greening of etiolated angiosperm plants. It is nucleus-encoded, imported into the plastids posttranslationally, and assembled into larger light-harvesting POR:protochlorophyllide complexes termed LHPP (Reinbothe et al., Nature 397:80-84, 1999). An in vitro-mutagenesis approach was taken to study the role of the evolutionarily conserved Cys residues in pigment binding. Four Cys residues are present in the PORB of which two, Cys276 and Cys303, established distinct pigment binding sites, as shown by biochemical tests, protein import studies, and in vitro-reconstitution experiments. While Cys276 constituted the Pchlide binding site in the active site of the enzyme, Cys303 established a second, low affinity pigment binding site that was involved in the assembly and stabilization of imported PORB enzyme inside etioplasts.

Two Native Pools of Phytochrome A in Monocots: Evidence from Fluorescence Investigations of Phytochrome Mutants of Rice

Fluorescence investigations of phytochrome (phy) in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare) mutants deficient in phyA, phyB and phyA plus phyB were performed. Total content of the pigment (P(tot)) and its spectroscopic and photochemical characteristics were determined in different parts of the dark-grown and far-red light (FR)-grown coleoptiles. Spectroscopically, phyA in the phyB mutant was identical to phyA in the wild-type (WT) and the extent of the conversion from Pr to lumi-R at 85 K was the same for phyA in both lines and varied similarly, depending on the part of the coleoptile used. The latter finding proved that phyA in rice is heterogeneous and comprises two phyA populations, phyA' and phyA". Functional properties of phyA were also determined. In the dark the phyB mutant had a higher content of phyA, inactive protochlorophyllide (Pchlide633) and active protochlorophyllide (Pchlide655) than WT and its coleoptile was longer, indicating that phyB may affect the development of WT seedlings in the dark. Constant FR drastically reduced the content of phyA, Pchlide633 and Pchlide655 and brought about coleoptile shortening and appearance of the first leaf, whereas pulsed FR of equal fluence was less effective. This suggested that the reactions were primarily of the high irradiance responses type, which are likely to be mediated by phyA'. The effects on protochlorophyllide biosynthesis and growth responses type were more pronounced in the phyB mutant than in the WT seedlings, which can be connected with the higher phyA' content in the phyB mutant and/or phyB interference with its action in WT seedlings. In the phyA mutant induction of Pchlide633 and Pchlide655 biosynthesis was observed under constant FR, indicating that phyC may be responsible for this effect.

Multiplicity of different cell- and organ-specific import routes for the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductases A and B in plastids of Arabidopsis seedlings

The NADPH-dependent protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) oxidoreductase (POR) is a photoenzyme that requires light for its catalytic activity and uses Pchlide itself as a photoreceptor. In Arabidopsis there are three PORs denoted PORA, PORB and PORC. The PORA and PORB genes are strongly expressed early in seedling development. In contrast to PORB the import of PORA into plastids of cotyledons is substrate-dependent and organ-specific. These differences in the import reactions between PORA and PORB most likely are due to different import mechanisms that are responsible for the uptake of these proteins. The two major core constituents of the translocon of the outer plastid envelope, Toc159 and Toc34, have been implicated in the binding and recognition of precursors of nuclear-encoded plastid proteins. Their involvement in conferring substrate dependency and organ specificity of PORA import was analyzed in intact Arabidopsis seedlings of wild type and the three mutants ppi3, ppi1 and ppi2 that are deficient in atToc34, atToc33, a closely related isoform of atToc34, and atToc159. Whereas none of these three Toc constituents is required for maintaining the organ specificity and substrate dependency of PORA import, atToc33 is indispensable for the import of PORB in cotyledons and true leaves suggesting that in these parts of the plant translocation of PORA and PORB occurs via two distinct import pathways. The analysis of PORA and PORB import into plastids of intact seedlings revealed an unexpected multiplicity of import routes that differed by their substrate, cell, tissue and organ specificities. This versatility of pathways for protein targeting to plastids suggests that in intact seedlings not only the constituents of the core complex of import channels but also other factors are involved in mediating the import of nuclear-encoded plastid proteins.

Protochlorophyllide reduction: mechanisms and evolutions

Protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) reductases are key enzymes in the process of chlorophyll biosynthesis. In this review, current knowledge on the molecular organization, substrate specificity and assembly of the light-dependent reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate:Pchlide oxidoreductases are discussed. Characteristics of light-independent enzymes are also described briefly, and the possible reasons for the selection of light-dependent enzymes during the course of evolution are discussed.

Up-regulation by phytochrome A of the active protochlorophyllide, Pchlide655, biosynthesis in dicots under far-red light

It is well-documented that phytochrome A (phyA) down-regulates the synthesis of NADPH:protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) oxidoreductase and active Pchlide(655) under far-red light (FR). In this work, we demonstrate that phyA can up-regulate the synthesis of Pchlide(655) under FR as well and that its sign and extent depend on plant species and tissue. With the use of fluorescence spectroscopy, it was found that [Pchlide(655)] in the upper stems of FR-grown seedlings of pea and tobacco increased > or =10-fold and much lower in cotyledons or leaves as compared with the dark-grown. In the upper stems of Arabidopsis and tomato, the positive effect of FR was low, 1.2- to 1.5-fold, and the negative effect of FR was seen in cotyledons. In stems of wild-type (WT) tobacco and its line overexpressing full-length oat phyA (FL), we observed gross stimulating effect of FR while in its line overexpressing N-terminally truncated (Delta7-69) oat phyA (NA) it was low. Because WT and FL comprise both native phyA forms, phyA' and phyA", while NA, only phyA", the regulation under FR can be associated with phyA', while phyA" inhibits the action of phyA'. In etiolated seedlings of the NA line, [Pchlide(655)] was much higher than in those of WT and FL suggesting that phyA" may have relation to this enhancement. The regulation of Pchlide(633) in contrast to Pchlide(655) was positive independent of the plant species and tissue.

The jasmonate-free rice mutant hebiba is affected in the response of phyA′/phyA″ pools and protochlorophyllide biosynthesis to far-red light

Phytochrome (phy) A in its two native isoforms (phyA' and phyA") and the active (Pchlide(655)) and inactive (Pchlide(633)) protochlorophyllides were investigated by low-temperature fluorescence spectroscopy in the tips of rice (Oryza sativa L. Japonica cv Nihonmasari) coleoptiles from wild type (WT) and the jasmonate-deficient mutant hebiba. The seedlings were either grown in the dark or under pulsed (FRp) or continuous (FRc) far-red light (lambda(a) >/= 720 nm) of equal fluences. In the dark, the mutant had a long mesocotyl and a short coleoptile, whereas the situation was reversed under FR: short mesocotyl and long coleoptile, suggesting that the effect is mediated by phyA. Under these conditions the WT displayed a short coleoptile and emergence of the first leaf. In the dark, the spectroscopic and photochemical properties of phyA, its content and the proportion of its two pools, phyA' and phyA", were virtually identical between WT and hebiba. However, the total content of protochlorophyllides was higher in the mutant. Upon illumination with FRc, [phyA] declined in the WT and the ratio between phyA' and phyA" shifted towards phyA". In hebiba, the light-induced decline of [phyA] was less pronounced and the ratio between phyA' and phyA" did not shift. Moreover, in the WT, FRp stimulated the biosynthesis of Pchlide(655), whereas FRc was inhibiting. In contrast, in the mutant, both FRp and FRc stimulated the synthesis of Pchlide(655). This means that FRc caused the opposite effect in hebiba. This difference correlates with a slower photodestruction of primarily the light-labile phyA' pool in hebiba.

An Arabidopsis porB porC double mutant lacking light-dependent NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductases B and C is highly chlorophyll-deficient and developmentally arrested

A key reaction in the biosynthesis of chlorophylls (Chls) a and b from cyanobacteria through higher plants is the strictly light-dependent reduction of protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) a to chlorophyllide (Chlide) a. Angiosperms, unlike other photosynthetic organisms, rely exclusively upon this mechanism to reduce Pchlide and hence require light to green. In Arabidopsis, light-dependent Pchlide reduction is mediated by three structurally related but differentially regulated NADPH:Pchlide oxidoreductases, denoted as PORA, PORB, and PORC. The PORA and PORB genes, but not PORC, are strongly expressed early in seedling development. In contrast, expression of PORB and PORC, but not PORA, is observed in older seedlings and adult plants. We have tested the hypothesis that PORB and PORC govern light-dependent Chl biosynthesis throughout most of the plant development by identifying porB and porC mutants of Arabidopsis, the first higher plant por mutants characterized. The porB-1 and porC-1 mutants lack the respective POR transcripts and specific POR isoforms because of the interruption of the corresponding genes by a derivative of the maize Dissociation (Ds) transposable element. Single por mutants, grown photoperiodically, display no obvious phenotypes at the whole plant or chloroplast ultrastructural levels, although the porB-1 mutant has less extensive etioplast inner membranes. However, a light-grown porB-1 porC-1 double mutant develops a seedling-lethal xantha phenotype at the cotyledon stage, contains only small amounts of Chl a, and possesses chloroplasts with mostly unstacked thylakoid membranes. PORB and PORC thus seem to play redundant roles in maintaining light-dependent Chl biosynthesis in green plants, and are together essential for growth and development.

Catalytic function of a novel protein protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase C of Arabidopsis thaliana

In Arabidopsis thaliana Por C has been identified only on sequence homology to that of por A and por B. To demonstrate its catalytic function Arabidopsis thaliana protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase C gene (por c) that codes for the mature part of POR C protein having 335 amino acids was expressed in Escherchia coli cells. The POR C enzyme in the presence of NADPH and protochlorophyllide when incubated in dark formed a ternary complex. When it was excited at 433 nm, it had a fluorescence emission peak at 636 nm. After illumination with actinic cool white fluorescent light, a peak at 673 nm due to chlorophyllide gradually increased with concomitant decrease of 636 nm emission, demonstrating the gradual phototransformation of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide. The significance of differential por gene expression in light and dark among different species is discussed.

Both light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase A and protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase B are down-regulated in the slender mutant of barley

The gibberellin-insensitive overgrowth mutant of barley, slender, exhibits altered expression of a number of nuclear genes in comparison with the wild type. There is a particularly marked reduction in slender seedlings of transcript encoding protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR), the enzyme which catalyses the penultimate and only light-requiring step in chlorophyll biosynthesis. The expression of the two barley genes encoding light-dependent POR, PORA and PORB was investigated. Expression of both genes was found to be reduced in slender seedlings relative to the wild type, in both etiolated and light-grown leaf tissue; this was most marked in the zone of rapid cell extension. Western blot analysis showed that POR protein was also less abundant in etiolated and in light-grown slender than in the equivalent wild-type leaf tissue, although the effect was less pronounced than at the transcript level. Protochlorophyllide content in etiolated slender seedlings was reduced in comparison with wild-type seedlings, though chlorophyll content in light-grown leaf blades was unaffected. The reduction in POR expression in slender barley may reflect a novel response to the constitutive activation of gibberellin signalling in this mutant. Despite the consequences of the mutation for POR gene expression, slender seedlings develop apparently normal chloroplasts in the light, and etioplasts with well-defined prolamellar bodies when grown in continuous darkness. This suggests that the POR content of wild-type barley seedlings is well in excess of the minimum required for normal plastid development.

Photoregulation of chloroplast developm ent: transcriptional, translational and post-translational controls?

Chloroplast development involves the nucleus, the cytoplasm and the chloroplast of plant cells. This may be illustrated by reference to the two most abundant proteins of the chloroplast: (i) the soluble CO 2 -fixing enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase—oxygenase, whose large subunit (LSU) is encoded in chloroplast DNA and synthesized on chloroplast ribosomes and whose small subunit (SSU) is encoded in nuclear DNA, synthesized on cytoplasmic ribosomes in precursor form and transported into chloroplasts, and (ii) the thylakoid-bound light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex, whose pigment components are synthesized in the chloroplast and whose apoproteins resemble the SSU in site of coding and site of synthesis. We have examined the extent to which biosynthetic events in the nucleocytoplasmic compartments are coordinated with those inside the chloroplast during the de-etiolation of pea seedlings. We have examined the levels of LSU, SSU and the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein (LHCP) by using a highly specific radioimmune assay. The steady-state levels of the corresponding mRNAs have been determined using specific cloned DNA probes. With the SSU, the mRNA and protein levels are near the limit of detection in dark-grown plants but increase markedly under continuous white light, with a lag of about 24 h. The protein appears to be under simple phytochrome control at the level of the steady-state concentration of its mRNA. The LSU also appears to be regulated through the steady-state concentration of its mRNA but in this case the mRNA is not under simple phytochrome control. The LHCP mRNA is readily detectable in dark-grown plants and accumulates further under illumination in a phytochrome-mediated manner. However, the LHCP itself (like chlorophyll) is not detectable in dark-grown plants and accumulates to high levels only under continuous illumination, with a lag of about 6 h. Post-translational control is particularly important in the accumulation of the LHCP: continuous chlorophyll synthesis is required for the stabilization of the protein within the thylakoid membrane, at least during the early stages of chloroplast development.

Photoperception and de-etiolation

In seedlings or sprouts of higher plants, photomorphogenesis is the strategy of development if and as long as abundant light is available, and scotomorphogenesis (etiolation) is the developmental strategy of choice as long as light is not yet, or no longer, available. The transition from scotomorphogenesis to photomorphogenesis (called de-etiolation) can be considered a process in which a single, well defined environmental factor causes a plant to change its pattern of gene expression. The present article focuses on the question: what is the photosensory system, including photoreception and signal transduction, through which a plant can detect those light conditions that justify the (gradual) shift from scotomorphogenesis to photomorphogenesis, i.e. de-etiolation, which implies a strong and partly irreversible investment of m atter and energy? The significance of phytochrome for signal reception, the mode of signal expression, and the time course of signal transduction in phytochromemediated responses are reviewed briefly. The emphasis is on amplification of the phytochrome signal by red, blue and ultraviolet light (measured as responsivity amplification) because these recent findings may lead to a better understanding of the responses of plants under natural light conditions.

Evidence that the plastid signal and light operate via the same cis-acting elements in the promoters of nuclear genes for plastid proteins

Nuclear-encoded genes for proteins of the photosynthetic machinery represent a particular subset of genes. Their expression is cooperatively stimulated by discrete factors including the developmental stage of plastids and light. We have analyzed in transgenic tobacco the plastid- and light-dependent expression of a series of 5' promoter deletions of various nuclear genes from spinach, of fusions of defined promoter segments with the 90-bp 35S RNA CaMV minimal promoter, as well as with mutations in sequences with homologies to characterized cis-elements, to address the question of whether the plastid signal and light operate via the same or different cis-acting elements. In none of the 160 different transgenic lines (representing 32 promoter constructs from seven genes) analyzed, could significant differences be identified in the responses to the two regulatory pathways. The data are compatible with the idea that both signals control the expression of nuclear genes for plastid proteins via the same cis-acting elements.

Identification of three cDNA clones expressed in the leaf extension zone and with altered patterns of expression in the slender mutant of barley: a tonoplast intrinsic protein, a putative structural protein and protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase

Three cDNA clones have been isolated on the basis of altered patterns of expression in the leaf extension zone of the developmental mutant, slender barley, compared with the wild type. mRNAs corresponding to two of the cDNAs, 7s and 8s, are increased in slender compared with normal. 7s encodes a putative gamma-TIP and is expressed throughout the elongation zone. gamma-TIPs form transmembrane channels which allow the passive transfer of water. Although expression of 7s was increased in slender leaf tissue, the increase was much less extreme than that shown by Phillips and Huttly (1994) following the application of GA to an extreme dwarf of Arabidopsis. 8s is maximally expressed in the region of early cell elongation and has 66% encoded protein identity with MFS18, a cDNA encoding a putative cell wall structural protein isolated from male flowers of maize. Both 8s and MFS18 encode small (128 amino acids) basic proteins rich in glycine, alanine, proline and serine. mRNA corresponding to the third cDNA, 24n, is present at a greatly reduced level in slender compared with normal and encodes protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR). POR catalyses the conversion of protochlorophyllide into chlorophyllide. The reduced level of POR mRNA is not correlated with a similar reduction in expanded leaf blade chlorophyll levels. Western analysis identified two POR proteins present in light-grown seedlings. Whilst the larger of the proteins is present throughout most of the leaf, the smaller protein mimics the mRNA results, being both maximally present in the elongation tissue and present at a reduced level in slender. An antagonistic relationship between chlorophyll biosynthesis and extension growth is suggested.

The regulation of enzymes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis

All living organisms contain tetrapyrroles. In plants, chlorophyll (chlorophyll a plus chlorophyll b) is the most abundant and probably most important tetrapyrrole. It is involved in light absorption and energy transduction during photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is synthesized from the intact carbon skeleton of glutamate via the C5 pathway. This pathway takes place in the chloroplast. It is the aim of this review to summarize the current knowledge on the biochemistry and molecular biology of the C5-pathway enzymes, their regulated expression in response to light, and the impact of chlorophyll biosynthesis on chloroplast development. Particular emphasis will be placed on the key regulatory steps of chlorophyll biosynthesis in higher plants, such as 5-aminolevulinic acid formation, the production of Mg(2+)-protoporphyrin IX, and light-dependent protochlorophyllide reduction.

The pc-1 phenotype of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii results from a deletion mutation in the nuclear gene for NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase

The pc-1 mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been shown to be incapable of protochlorophyllide photoconversion in vivo and is thought to be defective in light-dependent NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase activity. We have isolated and characterized the nuclear genes encoding this enzyme from wild-type and pc-1 mutant Chlamydomonas cells. The wild-type CRlpcr-1 gene encodes a 397 amino acid polypeptide of which the N-terminal 57 residues comprise the chloroplast transit sequence. The Chlamydomonas protochlorophyllide reductase has 66-70% identity (79-82% similarity) to the higher plant enzymes. Transcripts encoding protochlorophyllide reductase are abundant in dark-grown wild-type cells, but absent or at very low levels in cells grown in the light. Similarly, immunoreactive protochlorophyllide reductase protein is also present to a greater extent in dark- versus light-grown wild-type cells. Both pc-1 and pc-1 y-7 cells lack CRlpcr-1 mRNA and the major (36 kDa) immunodetectable form of protochlorophyllide reductase consistent with their inability to photoreduce protochlorophyllide. DNA sequence analysis revealed that the lpcr gene in pc-1 y-7 cells contains a two-nucleotide deletion within the fourth and fifth codons of the protochlorophyllide reductase precursor that causes a shift in the reading frame and results in premature termination of translation. The absence of protochlorophyllide reductase message in pc-1 and pc-1 y-7 cells is likely the consequence of this frameshift mutation in the lpcr gene. Introduction of the CRlpcr-1 gene into pc-1 y-7 cells by nuclear transformation was sufficient to restore the wild-type phenotype. Transformants contained both protochlorophyllide reductase mRNA and immunodetectable enzyme protein. These studies demonstrate that pc-1 was in fact a defect in protochlorophyllide reductase activity and provide the first in vivo molecular evidence that the lpcr gene product is essential for light-dependent protochlorophyllide reduction.

The in vitro assembly of the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase in pea chloroplasts

The NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (pchlide reductase, EC 1.6.99.1) is the major protein in the prolamellar bodies (PLBs) of etioplasts, where it catalyzes the light-dependent reduction of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide during chlorophyll synthesis in higher plants. The suborganellar location in chloroplasts of light-grown plants is less clear. In vitro assays were performed to characterize the assembly process of the pchlide reductase protein in pea chloroplasts. Import reactions employing radiolabelled precursor protein of the pchlide reductase showed that the protein was efficiently imported into fully matured green chloroplasts of pea. Fractionation assays following an import reaction revealed that imported protein was targeted to the thylakoid membranes. No radiolabelled protein could be detected in the stromal or envelope compartments upon import. Assembly reactions performed in chloroplast lysates showed that maximum amount of radiolabelled protein was associated to the thylakoid membranes in a thermolysin-resistant conformation when the assays were performed in the presence of hydrolyzable ATP and NADPH, but not in the presence of NADH. Furthermore, membrane assembly was optimal at pH 7.5 and at 25 degrees C. However, further treatment of the thylakoids with NaOH after an assembly reaction removed most of the membrane-associated protein. Assembly assays performed with the mature form of the pchlide reductase, lacking the transit peptide, showed that the pre-sequence was not required for membrane assembly. These results indicate that the pchlide reductase is a peripheral protein located on the stromal side of the membrane, and that both the precursor and the mature form of the protein can act as substrates for membrane assembly.

Molecular cloning, nuclear gene structure, and developmental expression of NADPH: protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase in pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Complementary DNA clones and a corresponding nuclear gene (lpcr) encoding the NADPH-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (pchlide reductase, EC 1.6.99.1) have been characterized from pea (Pisum sativum L.). The pea lpcr gene encodes a 43,118 Da precursor polypeptide comprised of a transit peptide of 64 amino acids and a mature protein of 336 amino acids. The coding portion of the gene is interrupted by four introns, two of which are located within the transit peptide coding portion of the gene. The deduced primary structure for the pea protein is similar to those reported for Arabidopsis and two monocot species. Northern blot analysis revealed little to no decrease in steady-state levels of mRNA encoding the enzyme in etiolated leaves illuminated with continuous white light for up to 48 h. In contrast, western blot analysis showed that the major immunoreactive species present in whole leaf extracts decreased to nearly undetectable levels during this same 48 h period. These results suggest that pchlide reductase activity in pea is primarily regulated post-transcriptionally, most likely at the level of translation initiation/elongation or protein turnover.

Effect of light on the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase of Arabidopsis thaliana

A cDNA encoding the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (Pchlide reductase) of Arabidopsis thaliana has been isolated and sequenced. The cDNA contains the complete reading frame for the precursor of the Pchlide reductase. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Arabidopsis enzyme closely resembles the corresponding sequences of barley and oat. The cDNA has been used as a template for the synthesis of the enzyme protein in Escherichia coli. An antiserum was raised against this enzyme protein and both the antiserum and the cDNA were used as experimental tools to study the effects of light on the Pchlide reductase in A. thaliana. When etiolated seedlings of Arabidopsis were exposed to light the enzyme activity and the concentration of the enzyme protein rapidly declined. Similar light effects have been described previously for other angiosperms. In contrast to most of these species, however, in Arabidopsis only minor changes in Pchlide reductase mRNA content could be observed when etiolated seedlings were exposed to light.

Cloning and sequencing of protochlorophyllide reductase

Putative protochlorophyllide reductase cDNA clones (252 and 113) were isolated from an etiolated-oat (Avena sativa) cDNA library. These were used to indirectly characterize a further clone, p127, isolated from a lambda-phage gt11 cDNA library. The latter (1.15 kb in length) was sequenced, and the derived amino acid sequence was shown to be remarkably similar to that derived from chemical analysis of a CNBr-cleavage fragment of the purified reductase, p127 codes for more than 95% of the reductase protein.

Nucleotide sequence of a cDNA coding for the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (PCR) of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and its expression in Escherichia coli

The primary structure of the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase of barley has been deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a cloned full-length cDNA. This cDNA hybridizes to a 1.7 kb RNA whose steady-state level in dark-grown seedlings is drastically reduced upon illumination. The predicted amino acid sequence (388 residues in length) includes a transit peptide of 74 amino acids whose end point has been delimited by sequencing the N-terminus of the mature protein. Expression of the cDNA in Escherichia coli leads to the synthesis of an enzymatically active precursor of the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase. Activity of this protein in bacterial lysates is completely dependent on the presence of NADPH and protochlorophyllide and requires light.

The early light-inducible proteins of barley. Characterization of two families of 2-h-specific nuclear-coded chloroplast proteins

Within 1-2 h of illumination of etiolated barley plants the mRNAs of seven nuclear-coded proteins are transiently induced. It is proposed that at least some of these proteins are precursors to chloroplast membrane proteins since after posttranslational transport 2-h-specific bands of 18.5 kDa, 18 kDa and 13.5 kDa have been found bound to thylakoid membranes. cDNA clones for these early light-inducible proteins (ELIPs) have been isolated. Hybrid-release translation shows that part of their information must be homologous since the complete set of early light-inducible translation products is obtained with all investigated clones although the proportions of the translated bands vary for individual clones. From hybridization data it is concluded that two ELIP families of high (24-27 kDa) and of low (16-18 kDa) molecular mass exist which are induced in parallel. Induction of ELIPs occurs even at very low light intensities and is saturated at about 1000 lx. Therefore, ELIPs are not considered to represent light stress proteins but to play a regulatory role during development.

Light-induced changes in the amounts of the 36000-Mr polypeptide of NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase and its mRNA in barley plants grown under a diurnal light/dark cycle

Seedlings of barley were grown either in continuous darkness or under a diurnal 12 h light/12 h dark cycle and the effects on NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase were followed at two different levels. Firstly, the relative content of the mRNA encoding the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase was measured by dot-blot hybridization. Secondly, changes in the enzyme polypeptide were monitored either by the method of immunoblotting or by immunogold labelling of ultrathin sections of Lowicryl-embedded leaf tissue. Our results demonstrate that drastic diurnal changes in the level of mRNA sequences and the enzyme protein are unlikely to occur in plants which have been grown under natural light/dark conditions. In the dark, protein and mRNA accumulation occurs at an early developmental stage. These results are difficult to reconcile with the suggestion that the massive accumulation of mRNA and enzyme protein in dark-grown seedlings is primarily the consequence of an artificially extended darkperiod. In addition to the plastid-specific NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase a closely related polypeptide has been detected outside the plastid in the surrounding cytoplasm (Dehseh et al. 1986b, Planta 169, 172-183). During the diurnal light/dark treatment of seedlings the concentrations of the two protein populations did not show any variation indicative of an exchange between the two protein populations across the plastid envelope.