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Renner SS, Sokoloff DD. The sexual lability hypothesis for the origin of the land plant generation cycle. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R697-R707. [PMID: 39043145 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of the land plant alternation of generations has been an open question for the past 150 years. Two hypotheses have dominated the discussion: the antithetic hypothesis, which posits that the diploid sporophyte generation arose de novo and gradually increased in complexity, and the homologous hypothesis, which holds that land plant ancestors had independently living sporophytes and haploid gametophytes of similar complexity. Changes in ploidy levels were unknown to early researchers. The antithetic hypothesis is contradicted by generation cycles in Lower Devonian Rhynie chert plants, whose sporophytes and gametophytes have similar morphologies and by some Silurian sporophytes whose complexity exceeds that of Rhynie chert sporophytes. The oldest unambiguous bryophyte gametophytes (thalli) are from the upper Middle Devonian, with an unconnected sporophyte nearby. Based on the 2024 discovery that conjugate algae are paraphyletic to land plants, we present a new hypothesis for the evolution of the land plant generation cycle, focusing on labile ploidy levels and types of reproduction found in conjugate algae. Our 'sexual lability' hypothesis assumes a period of unstable generation cycles (as regards ploidy), likely with predominant clonal growth, as is common in conjugate algae, resulting in sporophytes and gametophytes of similar morphology. When sexual reproduction became stabilized, the timing of gamete fusion, meiosis, and resistant wall formation, which are heterochronic in some conjugate algae, became standardized, with wall formation permanently delayed. In our scenario, independently living adult sporophytes are the land plant ancestral condition, and life-long sporophyte retention on the gametophyte is a bryophyte apomorphy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne S Renner
- Department of Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
| | - Dmitry D Sokoloff
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997820, Israel
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2
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Busch A, Gerbracht JV, Davies K, Hoecker U, Hess S. Comparative transcriptomics elucidates the cellular responses of an aeroterrestrial zygnematophyte to UV radiation. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:3624-3642. [PMID: 38520340 PMCID: PMC11156808 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae131] [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: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
The zygnematophytes are the closest relatives of land plants and comprise several lineages that adapted to a life on land. Species of the genus Serritaenia form colorful, mucilaginous capsules, which surround the cells and block harmful solar radiation, one of the major terrestrial stressors. In eukaryotic algae, this 'sunscreen mucilage' represents a unique photoprotective strategy, whose induction and chemical background are unknown. We generated a de novo transcriptome of Serritaenia testaceovaginata and studied its gene regulation under moderate UV radiation (UVR) that triggers sunscreen mucilage under experimental conditions. UVR induced the repair of DNA and the photosynthetic apparatus as well as the synthesis of aromatic specialized metabolites. Specifically, we observed pronounced expressional changes in the production of aromatic amino acids, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis genes, potential cross-membrane transporters of phenolics, and extracellular, oxidative enzymes. Interestingly, the most up-regulated enzyme was a secreted class III peroxidase, whose embryophyte homologs are involved in apoplastic lignin formation. Overall, our findings reveal a conserved, plant-like UVR perception system (UVR8 and downstream factors) in zygnematophyte algae and point to a polyphenolic origin of the sunscreen pigment of Serritaenia, whose synthesis might be extracellular and oxidative, resembling that of plant lignins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Busch
- Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, D-50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Jennifer V Gerbracht
- Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, D-50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Kevin Davies
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 11600, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - Ute Hoecker
- Institute for Plant Sciences and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Biocenter, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Strasse 47b, D-50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sebastian Hess
- Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, D-50674 Cologne, Germany
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Hess WR, Hiltbrunner A. Take your sunscreen: plant photoreceptor systems in Serritaenia testaceovaginata. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:3206-3208. [PMID: 38845355 PMCID: PMC11156802 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
This article comments on:
Busch A, Gerbracht JV, Davies K, Hoecker U, Hess S. 2024. Comparative transcriptomics elucidates the cellular responses of an aeroterrestrial zygnematophyte to UV radiation. Journal of Experimental Botany 75, 3624–3642.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang R Hess
- University of Freiburg, Institute of Biology III, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Hiltbrunner
- University of Freiburg, Institute of Biology II, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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Lindsey CR, Knoll AH, Herron MD, Rosenzweig F. Fossil-calibrated molecular clock data enable reconstruction of steps leading to differentiated multicellularity and anisogamy in the Volvocine algae. BMC Biol 2024; 22:79. [PMID: 38600528 PMCID: PMC11007952 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01878-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Throughout its nearly four-billion-year history, life has undergone evolutionary transitions in which simpler subunits have become integrated to form a more complex whole. Many of these transitions opened the door to innovations that resulted in increased biodiversity and/or organismal efficiency. The evolution of multicellularity from unicellular forms represents one such transition, one that paved the way for cellular differentiation, including differentiation of male and female gametes. A useful model for studying the evolution of multicellularity and cellular differentiation is the volvocine algae, a clade of freshwater green algae whose members range from unicellular to colonial, from undifferentiated to completely differentiated, and whose gamete types can be isogamous, anisogamous, or oogamous. To better understand how multicellularity, differentiation, and gametes evolved in this group, we used comparative genomics and fossil data to establish a geologically calibrated roadmap of when these innovations occurred. RESULTS Our ancestral-state reconstructions, show that multicellularity arose independently twice in the volvocine algae. Our chronograms indicate multicellularity evolved during the Carboniferous-Triassic periods in Goniaceae + Volvocaceae, and possibly as early as the Cretaceous in Tetrabaenaceae. Using divergence time estimates we inferred when, and in what order, specific developmental changes occurred that led to differentiated multicellularity and oogamy. We find that in the volvocine algae the temporal sequence of developmental changes leading to differentiated multicellularity is much as proposed by David Kirk, and that multicellularity is correlated with the acquisition of anisogamy and oogamy. Lastly, morphological, molecular, and divergence time data suggest the possibility of cryptic species in Tetrabaenaceae. CONCLUSIONS Large molecular datasets and robust phylogenetic methods are bringing the evolutionary history of the volvocine algae more sharply into focus. Mounting evidence suggests that extant species in this group are the result of two independent origins of multicellularity and multiple independent origins of cell differentiation. Also, the origin of the Tetrabaenaceae-Goniaceae-Volvocaceae clade may be much older than previously thought. Finally, the possibility of cryptic species in the Tetrabaenaceae provides an exciting opportunity to study the recent divergence of lineages adapted to live in very different thermal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Ross Lindsey
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Andrew H Knoll
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Matthew D Herron
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Frank Rosenzweig
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
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Kurtović K, Schmidt V, Nehasilová M, Vosolsobě S, Petrášek J. Rediscovering Chara as a model organism for molecular and evo-devo studies. PROTOPLASMA 2024; 261:183-196. [PMID: 37880545 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-023-01900-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Chara has been used as a model for decades in the field of plant physiology, enabling the investigation of fundamental physiological processes. In electrophysiological studies, Chara has been utilized thanks to its large internodal cells that can be easily manipulated. Additionally, Chara played a pioneering role in elucidating the presence and function of the cytoskeleton in cytoplasmic streaming, predating similar findings in terrestrial plants. Its representation considerably declined following the establishment and routine application of genetic transformation techniques in Arabidopsis. Nevertheless, the recent surge in evo-devo studies can be attributed to the whole genome sequencing of the Chara braunii, which has shed light on ancestral traits prevalent in land plants. Surprisingly, the Chara braunii genome encompasses numerous genes that were previously regarded as exclusive to land plants, suggesting their acquisition prior to the colonization of terrestrial habitats. This review summarizes the established methods used to study Chara, while incorporating recent molecular data, to showcase its renewed importance as a model organism in advancing plant evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Kurtović
- Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Vojtěch Schmidt
- Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Nehasilová
- Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Stanislav Vosolsobě
- Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Petrášek
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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Bek J, Steemans P, Frýda J, Žárský V. Silurian Climatic Zonation of Cryptospore, Trilete Spore and Plant Megafossils, with Emphasis on the Přídolí Epoch. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:258. [PMID: 38398767 PMCID: PMC10890225 DOI: 10.3390/life14020258] [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: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
This paper describes dispersed cryptospores and trilete spores from tropical, temperate and cool climate belts within Přídolí and compares them with the land plant megafossil record. The palynology of earlier intervals in the Silurian are also reviewed. A common feature of the cryptospore and trilete spore records is that their number is surprisingly lowest in the tropical climatic belt and much higher in the temperate and especially in the cool latitude, and the highest number of cryptospore taxa occurring only in one belt is found in the cool belt while the highest number of trilete spore taxa that occurred only in one belt is recorded in the temperate belt. In general, based on the dispersed spore record, we can estimate that the plant assemblages of the tropical belt were dominated by rhyniophytes; trimerophytes probably prevailed over rhyniophytes in the temperate belt, and rhyniophytes again dominated within the cool belt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Bek
- Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Palaeoecology, Institute of Geology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Philippe Steemans
- Eddy Lab/Palaeopalynology, Department of Geology, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Jiří Frýda
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- Czech Geological Survey, 118 21 Prague 1, Czech Republic
| | - Viktor Žárský
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 43 Prague 2, Czech Republic;
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Glass SE, McCourt RM, Gottschalk SD, Lewis LA, Karol KG. Chloroplast genome evolution and phylogeny of the early-diverging charophycean green algae with a focus on the Klebsormidiophyceae and Streptofilum. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2023; 59:1133-1146. [PMID: 37548118 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The Klebsormidiophyceae are a class of green microalgae observed globally in both freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Morphology-based classification schemes of this class have been shown to be inadequate due to the simple morphology of these algae, the tendency of morphology to vary in culture versus field conditions, and rampant morphological homoplasy. Molecular studies revealing cryptic diversity have renewed interest in this group. We sequenced the complete chloroplast genomes of a broad series of taxa spanning the known taxonomic breadth of this class. We also sequenced the chloroplast genomes of three strains of Streptofilum, a recently discovered green algal lineage with close affinity to the Klebsormidiophyceae. Our results affirm the previously hypothesized polyphyly of the genus Klebsormidium as well as the polyphyly of the nominal species in this genus, K. flaccidum. Furthermore, plastome sequences strongly support the status of Streptofilum as a distinct, early-diverging lineage of charophytic algae sister to a clade comprising Klebsormidiophyceae plus Phragmoplastophyta. We also uncovered major structural alterations in the chloroplast genomes of species in Klebsormidium that have broad implications regarding the underlying mechanisms of chloroplast genome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Glass
- Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, The City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
| | - Richard M McCourt
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephen D Gottschalk
- Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Louise A Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Kenneth G Karol
- Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, USA
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8
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Rieseberg TP, Dadras A, Bergschmidt LIN, Bierenbroodspot MJ, Fürst-Jansen JMR, Irisarri I, de Vries S, Darienko T, de Vries J. Divergent responses in desiccation experiments in two ecophysiologically different Zygnematophyceae. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e14056. [PMID: 38148198 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Water scarcity can be considered a major stressor on land, with desiccation being its most extreme form. Land plants have found two different solutions to this challenge: avoidance and tolerance. The closest algal relatives to land plants, the Zygnematophyceae, use the latter, and how this is realized is of great interest for our understanding of the conquest of land. Here, we worked with two representatives of the Zygnematophyceae, Zygnema circumcarinatum SAG 698-1b and Mesotaenium endlicherianum SAG 12.97, who differ in habitats and drought resilience. We challenged both algal species with severe desiccation in a laboratory setup until photosynthesis ceased, followed by a recovery period. We assessed their morphological, photophysiological, and transcriptomic responses. Our data pinpoint global differential gene expression patterns that speak of conserved responses, from calcium-mediated signaling to the adjustment of plastid biology, cell envelopes, and amino acid pathways, between Zygnematophyceae and land plants despite their strong ecophysiological divergence. The main difference between the two species appears to rest in a readjustment of the photobiology of Zygnema, while Mesotaenium experiences stress beyond a tipping point.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim P Rieseberg
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Armin Dadras
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Luisa I N Bergschmidt
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maaike J Bierenbroodspot
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Janine M R Fürst-Jansen
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
- Section Phylogenomics, Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sophie de Vries
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tatyana Darienko
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jan de Vries
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
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9
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Heß D, Heise CM, Schubert H, Hess WR, Hagemann M. The impact of salt stress on the physiology and the transcriptome of the model streptophyte green alga Chara braunii. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e14123. [PMID: 38148211 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Chara braunii is a model for early land plant evolution and terrestrialization. Salt stress has a profound effect on water and ion transport activities, thereby interacting with many other processes, including inorganic carbon acquisition for photosynthesis. In this study, we analyzed the impact of salt stress (5 practical salt units, PSU) on the physiology and gene expression in C. braunii. Photosynthesis was only slightly affected 6 h after salt addition and returned to control levels after 48 h. Several organic compounds such as proline, glutamate, sucrose, and 2-aminobutyrate accumulated in salt-treated thalli and might contribute to osmotic potential acclimation, whereas the amount of K+ decreased. We quantified transcript levels for 17,387 genes, of which 95 were up-regulated and 44 down-regulated after salt addition. Genes encoding proteins of the functional groups ion/solute transport and cell wall synthesis/modulation were enriched among the up-regulated genes 24-48 h after salt stress, indicating their role in osmotic acclimation. However, a homolog to land plant ERD4 osmosensors was transiently upregulated after 6 h, and phylogenetic analyses suggested that these sensors evolved in Charophyceae. Down-regulated genes were mainly related to photosynthesis and carbon metabolism/fixation, consistent with the observed lowered growth after extended cultivation. The changed expression of genes encoding proteins for inorganic carbon acquisition might be related to the impact of salt on ionic relations and inorganic carbon uptake. The results indicate that C. braunii can tolerate enhanced salt concentrations in a defined acclimation process, including distinct gene expression changes to achieve new metabolic homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Heß
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics Group, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Carolin M Heise
- Plant Physiology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
- Aquatic Ecology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Hendrik Schubert
- Aquatic Ecology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Wolfgang R Hess
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics Group, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Martin Hagemann
- Plant Physiology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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10
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Heß D, Holzhausen A, Hess WR. Insight into the nodal cells transcriptome of the streptophyte green alga Chara braunii S276. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e14025. [PMID: 37882314 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Charophyceae are the most complex streptophyte algae, possessing tissue-like structures, rhizoids and a cellulose-pectin-based cell wall akin to embryophytes. Together with the Zygnematophyceae and the Coleochaetophycae, the Charophyceae form a grade in which the Zygnematophyceae share a last common ancestor with land plants. The availability of genomic data, its short life cycle, and the ease of non-sterile cultivation in the laboratory have made the species Chara braunii an emerging model system for streptophyte terrestrialization and early land plant evolution. In this study, tissue containing nodal cells was prepared under the stereomicroscope, and an RNA-seq dataset was generated and compared to transcriptome data from whole plantlets. In both samples, transcript coverage was high for genes encoding ribosomal proteins and a homolog of the putative PAX3- and PAX7-binding protein 1. Gene ontology was used to classify the putative functions of the differently expressed genes. In the nodal cell sample, main upregulated molecular functions were related to protein, nucleic acid, ATP- and DNA binding. Looking at specific genes, several signaling-related genes and genes encoding sugar-metabolizing enzymes were found to be expressed at a higher level in the nodal cell sample, while photosynthesis-and chloroplast-related genes were expressed at a comparatively lower level. We detected the transcription of 21 different genes encoding DUF4360-containing cysteine-rich proteins. The data contribute to the growing understanding of Charophyceae developmental biology by providing a first insight into the transcriptome composition of Chara nodal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Heß
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics Group, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anja Holzhausen
- Plant Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang R Hess
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics Group, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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11
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Dadras A, Fürst-Jansen JMR, Darienko T, Krone D, Scholz P, Sun S, Herrfurth C, Rieseberg TP, Irisarri I, Steinkamp R, Hansen M, Buschmann H, Valerius O, Braus GH, Hoecker U, Feussner I, Mutwil M, Ischebeck T, de Vries S, Lorenz M, de Vries J. Environmental gradients reveal stress hubs pre-dating plant terrestrialization. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:1419-1438. [PMID: 37640935 PMCID: PMC10505561 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01491-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Plant terrestrialization brought forth the land plants (embryophytes). Embryophytes account for most of the biomass on land and evolved from streptophyte algae in a singular event. Recent advances have unravelled the first full genomes of the closest algal relatives of land plants; among the first such species was Mesotaenium endlicherianum. Here we used fine-combed RNA sequencing in tandem with a photophysiological assessment on Mesotaenium exposed to a continuous range of temperature and light cues. Our data establish a grid of 42 different conditions, resulting in 128 transcriptomes and ~1.5 Tbp (~9.9 billion reads) of data to study the combinatory effects of stress response using clustering along gradients. Mesotaenium shares with land plants major hubs in genetic networks underpinning stress response and acclimation. Our data suggest that lipid droplet formation and plastid and cell wall-derived signals have denominated molecular programmes since more than 600 million years of streptophyte evolution-before plants made their first steps on land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Dadras
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Janine M R Fürst-Jansen
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tatyana Darienko
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Denis Krone
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Patricia Scholz
- Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Siqi Sun
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Green Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Cornelia Herrfurth
- Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Service Unit for Metabolomics and Lipidomics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tim P Rieseberg
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Section Phylogenomics, Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum of Nature, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rasmus Steinkamp
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maike Hansen
- Institute for Plant Sciences and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Henrik Buschmann
- Faculty of Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, Section Biotechnology and Chemistry, Molecular Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, Mittweida, Germany
| | - Oliver Valerius
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences and Service Unit LCMS Protein Analytics, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Gerhard H Braus
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences and Service Unit LCMS Protein Analytics, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Ute Hoecker
- Institute for Plant Sciences and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ivo Feussner
- Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Service Unit for Metabolomics and Lipidomics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Marek Mutwil
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Till Ischebeck
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Green Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sophie de Vries
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maike Lorenz
- Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Experimental Phycology and SAG Culture Collection of Algae, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jan de Vries
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
- Campus Institute Data Science, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
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12
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Rittmeier N, Holzinger A. Improved Methods for Acetocarmine and Haematoxylin Staining to Visualize Chromosomes in the Filamentous Green Alga Zygnema (Charophyta). Bio Protoc 2023; 13:e4768. [PMID: 37638297 PMCID: PMC10450781 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome sizes of Zygnema spp. vary greatly, being unknown whether polyploidization occurred. The exact number of chromosomes in this genus is unknown since counting methods established for higher plants cannot be applied to green algae. The massive presence of pectins and arabinogalactan proteins in the cell wall interferes with the uptake of staining solutions; moreover, cell divisions in green algae are not restricted to meristems as in higher plants, which is another limiting factor. Cell divisions occur randomly in the thallus, due to the intercalary growth of algal filaments. Therefore, we increased the number of cell divisions via synchronization by changing the light cycle (10:14 h light/dark). The number of observed mitotic stages peaked at the beginning of the dark cycle. This protocol describes two methods for the visualization of chromosomes in the filamentous green alga Zygnema. Existing protocols were modified, leading to improved acetocarmine and haematoxylin staining methods as investigated by light microscopy. A freeze-shattering approach with liquid nitrogen was applied to increase the accessibility of the haematoxylin dye. These modified protocols allowed reliable chromosome counting in the genus Zygnema. Key features Improved method for chromosome staining in filamentous green algae. Optimized for the Zygnema strains SAG 698-1a (Z. cylindricum), SAG 698-1b (Z. circumcarinatum), and SAG 2419 (Zygnema 'Saalach'). This protocol builds upon the methods of chromosomal staining in green algae developed by Wittmann (1965), Staker (1971), and Fujii and Guerra (1998). Cultivation and synchronization: 14 days; fixation and permeabilization: 24 h; staining: 1 h; image analysis and chromosome number quantification: up to 20 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Rittmeier
- Functional Plant Biology, Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- Functional Plant Biology, Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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13
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Permann C, Pichrtová M, Šoljaková T, Herburger K, Jouneau P, Uwizeye C, Falconet D, Marechal E, Holzinger A. 3D-reconstructions of zygospores in Zygnema vaginatum (Charophyta) reveal details of cell wall formation, suggesting adaptations to extreme habitats. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e13988. [PMID: 37616005 PMCID: PMC10953328 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
The streptophyte green algal class Zygnematophyceae is the immediate sister lineage to land plants. Their special form of sexual reproduction via conjugation might have played a key role during terrestrialization. Thus, studying Zygnematophyceae and conjugation is crucial for understanding the conquest of land. Moreover, sexual reproduction features are important for species determination. We present a phylogenetic analysis of a field-sampled Zygnema strain and analyze its conjugation process and zygospore morphology, both at the micro- and nanoscale, including 3D-reconstructions of the zygospore architecture. Vegetative filament size (26.18 ± 1.07 μm) and reproductive features allowed morphological determination of Zygnema vaginatum, which was combined with molecular analyses based on rbcL sequencing. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) depicted a thin cell wall in young zygospores, while mature cells exhibited a tripartite wall, including a massive and sculptured mesospore. During development, cytological reorganizations were visualized by focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). Pyrenoids were reorganized, and the gyroid cubic central thylakoid membranes, as well as the surrounding starch granules, degraded (starch granule volume: 3.58 ± 2.35 μm3 in young cells; 0.68 ± 0.74 μm3 at an intermediate stage of zygospore maturation). Additionally, lipid droplets (LDs) changed drastically in shape and abundance during zygospore maturation (LD/cell volume: 11.77% in young cells; 8.79% in intermediate cells, 19.45% in old cells). In summary, we provide the first TEM images and 3D-reconstructions of Zygnema zygospores, giving insights into the physiological processes involved in their maturation. These observations help to understand mechanisms that facilitated the transition from water to land in Zygnematophyceae.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martina Pichrtová
- Department of Botany, Faculty of ScienceCharles UniversityPragueCzech Republic
| | - Tereza Šoljaková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of ScienceCharles UniversityPragueCzech Republic
| | - Klaus Herburger
- Department of BotanyUniversity of InnsbruckInnsbruckAustria
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of RostockRostockGermany
| | - Pierre‐Henri Jouneau
- Laboratoire Modélisation et Exploration des MatériauxIRIG, CEA, Univ. Grenoble AlpesGrenobleFrance
| | - Clarisse Uwizeye
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et VégétaleCEA, CNRS, INRAE, Univ. Grenoble AlpesGrenobleFrance
| | - Denis Falconet
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et VégétaleCEA, CNRS, INRAE, Univ. Grenoble AlpesGrenobleFrance
| | - Eric Marechal
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et VégétaleCEA, CNRS, INRAE, Univ. Grenoble AlpesGrenobleFrance
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14
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McCourt RM, Lewis LA, Strother PK, Delwiche CF, Wickett NJ, de Vries J, Bowman JL. Green land: Multiple perspectives on green algal evolution and the earliest land plants. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16175. [PMID: 37247371 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Green plants, broadly defined as green algae and the land plants (together, Viridiplantae), constitute the primary eukaryotic lineage that successfully colonized Earth's emergent landscape. Members of various clades of green plants have independently made the transition from fully aquatic to subaerial habitats many times throughout Earth's history. The transition, from unicells or simple filaments to complex multicellular plant bodies with functionally differentiated tissues and organs, was accompanied by innovations built upon a genetic and phenotypic toolkit that have served aquatic green phototrophs successfully for at least a billion years. These innovations opened an enormous array of new, drier places to live on the planet and resulted in a huge diversity of land plants that have dominated terrestrial ecosystems over the past 500 million years. This review examines the greening of the land from several perspectives, from paleontology to phylogenomics, to water stress responses and the genetic toolkit shared by green algae and plants, to the genomic evolution of the sporophyte generation. We summarize advances on disparate fronts in elucidating this important event in the evolution of the biosphere and the lacunae in our understanding of it. We present the process not as a step-by-step advancement from primitive green cells to an inevitable success of embryophytes, but rather as a process of adaptations and exaptations that allowed multiple clades of green plants, with various combinations of morphological and physiological terrestrialized traits, to become diverse and successful inhabitants of the land habitats of Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M McCourt
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19118, USA
| | - Louise A Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Paul K Strother
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Boston College Weston Observatory, 381 Concord Road, Weston, MA, 02493, USA
| | - Charles F Delwiche
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Norman J Wickett
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Jan de Vries
- Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Göttingen Goldschmidtstr. 1, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - John L Bowman
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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15
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Carrillo‐Carrasco VP, Hernandez‐Garcia J, Mutte SK, Weijers D. The birth of a giant: evolutionary insights into the origin of auxin responses in plants. EMBO J 2023; 42:e113018. [PMID: 36786017 PMCID: PMC10015382 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022113018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The plant signaling molecule auxin is present in multiple kingdoms of life. Since its discovery, a century of research has been focused on its action as a phytohormone. In land plants, auxin regulates growth and development through transcriptional and non-transcriptional programs. Some of the molecular mechanisms underlying these responses are well understood, mainly in Arabidopsis. Recently, the availability of genomic and transcriptomic data of green lineages, together with phylogenetic inference, has provided the basis to reconstruct the evolutionary history of some components involved in auxin biology. In this review, we follow the evolutionary trajectory that allowed auxin to become the "giant" of plant biology by focusing on bryophytes and streptophyte algae. We consider auxin biosynthesis, transport, physiological, and molecular responses, as well as evidence supporting the role of auxin as a chemical messenger for communication within ecosystems. Finally, we emphasize that functional validation of predicted orthologs will shed light on the conserved properties of auxin biology among streptophytes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sumanth K Mutte
- Laboratory of BiochemistryWageningen UniversityWageningenthe Netherlands
| | - Dolf Weijers
- Laboratory of BiochemistryWageningen UniversityWageningenthe Netherlands
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16
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Bowles AMC, Williamson CJ, Williams TA, Lenton TM, Donoghue PCJ. The origin and early evolution of plants. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 28:312-329. [PMID: 36328872 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2022.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plant (archaeplastid) evolution has transformed the biosphere, but we are only now beginning to learn how this took place through comparative genomics, phylogenetics, and the fossil record. This has illuminated the phylogeny of Archaeplastida, Viridiplantae, and Streptophyta, and has resolved the evolution of key characters, genes, and genomes - revealing that many key innovations evolved long before the clades with which they have been casually associated. Molecular clock analyses estimate that Streptophyta and Viridiplantae emerged in the late Mesoproterozoic to late Neoproterozoic, whereas Archaeplastida emerged in the late-mid Palaeoproterozoic. Together, these insights inform on the coevolution of plants and the Earth system that transformed ecology and global biogeochemical cycles, increased weathering, and precipitated snowball Earth events, during which they would have been key to oxygen production and net primary productivity (NPP).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M C Bowles
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK; Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences and School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | | | - Tom A Williams
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences and School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Timothy M Lenton
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Laver Building, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
| | - Philip C J Donoghue
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences and School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
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17
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Rieseberg TP, Dadras A, Fürst-Jansen JMR, Dhabalia Ashok A, Darienko T, de Vries S, Irisarri I, de Vries J. Crossroads in the evolution of plant specialized metabolism. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 134:37-58. [PMID: 35292191 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The monophyletic group of embryophytes (land plants) stands out among photosynthetic eukaryotes: they are the sole constituents of the macroscopic flora on land. In their entirety, embryophytes account for the majority of the biomass on land and constitute an astounding biodiversity. What allowed for the massive radiation of this particular lineage? One of the defining features of all land plants is the production of an array of specialized metabolites. The compounds that the specialized metabolic pathways of embryophytes produce have diverse functions, ranging from superabundant structural polymers and compounds that ward off abiotic and biotic challenges, to signaling molecules whose abundance is measured at the nanomolar scale. These specialized metabolites govern the growth, development, and physiology of land plants-including their response to the environment. Hence, specialized metabolites define the biology of land plants as we know it. And they were likely a foundation for their success. It is thus intriguing to find that the closest algal relatives of land plants, freshwater organisms from the grade of streptophyte algae, possess homologs for key enzymes of specialized metabolic pathways known from land plants. Indeed, some studies suggest that signature metabolites emerging from these pathways can be found in streptophyte algae. Here we synthesize the current understanding of which routes of the specialized metabolism of embryophytes can be traced to a time before plants had conquered land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim P Rieseberg
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Armin Dadras
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Janine M R Fürst-Jansen
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Amra Dhabalia Ashok
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tatyana Darienko
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Sophie de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jan de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtsr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.
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18
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Permann C, Gierlinger N, Holzinger A. Zygospores of the green alga Spirogyra: new insights from structural and chemical imaging. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1080111. [PMID: 36561459 PMCID: PMC9763465 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1080111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Zygnematophyceae, a class of streptophyte green algae and sister group to land plants (Embryophytes) live in aquatic to semi-terrestrial habitats. The transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments requires adaptations in the physiology of vegetative cells and in the structural properties of their cell walls. Sexual reproduction occurs in Zygnematophyceae by conjugation and results in the formation of zygospores, possessing unique multi-layered cell walls, which might have been crucial in terrestrialization. We investigated the structure and chemical composition of field sampled Spirogyra sp. zygospore cell walls by multiple microscopical and spectral imaging techniques: light microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy following high pressure freeze fixation/freeze substitution, Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. This comprehensive analysis allowed the detection of the subcellular organization and showed three main layers of the zygospore wall, termed endo-, meso- and exospore. The endo- and exospore are composed of polysaccharides with different ultrastructural appearance, whereas the electron dense middle layer contains aromatic compounds as further characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The possible chemical composition remains elusive, but algaenan or a sporopollenin-like material is suggested. Similar compounds with a non-hydrolysable character can be found in moss spores and pollen of higher plants, suggesting a protective function against desiccation stress and high irradiation. While the tripartite differentiation of the zygospore wall is well established in Zygnematopyhceae, Spirogyra showed cellulose fibrils arranged in a helicoidal pattern in the endo- and exospore. Initial incorporation of lipid bodies during early zygospore wall formation was also observed, suggesting a key role of lipids in zygospore wall synthesis. Multimodal imaging revealed that the cell wall of the sexually formed zygospores possess a highly complex internal structure as well as aromatics, likely acting as protective compounds and leading to impregnation. Both, the newly discovered special three-dimensional arrangement of microfibrils and the integration of highly resistant components in the cell wall are not found in the vegetative state. The variety of methods gave a comprehensive view on the intricate zygospore cell wall and its potential key role in the terrestrial colonization and plant evolution is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Permann
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Functional Plant Biology, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Notburga Gierlinger
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Functional Plant Biology, Innsbruck, Austria
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19
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Assunção AGL. The F-bZIP-regulated Zn deficiency response in land plants. PLANTA 2022; 256:108. [PMID: 36348172 PMCID: PMC9643250 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-022-04019-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This review describes zinc sensing and transcriptional regulation of the zinc deficiency response in Arabidopsis, and discusses how their evolutionary conservation in land plants facilitates translational approaches for improving the Zn nutritional value of crop species. Zinc is an essential micronutrient for all living organisms due to its presence in a large number of proteins, as a structural or catalytic cofactor. In plants, zinc homeostasis mechanisms comprise uptake from soil, transport and distribution throughout the plant to provide adequate cellular zinc availability. Here, I discuss the transcriptional regulation of the response to zinc deficiency and the zinc sensing mechanisms in Arabidopsis, and their evolutionary conservation in land plants. The Arabidopsis F-group basic region leucine-zipper (F-bZIP) transcription factors bZIP19 and bZIP23 function simultaneously as sensors of intracellular zinc status, by direct binding of zinc ions, and as the central regulators of the zinc deficiency response, with their target genes including zinc transporters from the ZRT/IRT-like Protein (ZIP) family and nicotianamine synthase enzymes that produce the zinc ligand nicotianamine. I note that this relatively simple mechanism of zinc sensing and regulation, together with the evolutionary conservation of F-bZIP transcription factors across land plants, offer important research opportunities. One of them is to use the F-bZIP-regulated zinc deficiency response as a tractable module for evolutionary and comparative functional studies. Another research opportunity is translational research in crop plants, modulating F-bZIP activity as a molecular switch to enhance zinc accumulation. This should become a useful plant-based solution to alleviate effects of zinc deficiency in soils, which impact crop production and crop zinc content, with consequences for human nutrition globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana G L Assunção
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
- CIBIO-InBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal.
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20
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Hess S, Williams SK, Busch A, Irisarri I, Delwiche CF, de Vries S, Darienko T, Roger AJ, Archibald JM, Buschmann H, von Schwartzenberg K, de Vries J. A phylogenomically informed five-order system for the closest relatives of land plants. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4473-4482.e7. [PMID: 36055238 PMCID: PMC9632326 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of streptophytes had a profound impact on life on Earth. They brought forth those photosynthetic eukaryotes that today dominate the macroscopic flora: the land plants (Embryophyta).1 There is convincing evidence that the unicellular/filamentous Zygnematophyceae-and not the morphologically more elaborate Coleochaetophyceae or Charophyceae-are the closest algal relatives of land plants.2-6 Despite the species richness (>4,000), wide distribution, and key evolutionary position of the zygnematophytes, their internal phylogeny remains largely unresolved.7,8 There are also putative zygnematophytes with interesting body plan modifications (e.g., filamentous growth) whose phylogenetic affiliations remain unknown. Here, we studied a filamentous green alga (strain MZCH580) from an Austrian peat bog with central or parietal chloroplasts that lack discernible pyrenoids. It represents Mougeotiopsis calospora PALLA, an enigmatic alga that was described more than 120 years ago9 but never subjected to molecular analyses. We generated transcriptomic data of M. calospora strain MZCH580 and conducted comprehensive phylogenomic analyses (326 nuclear loci) for 46 taxonomically diverse zygnematophytes. Strain MZCH580 falls in a deep-branching zygnematophycean clade together with some unicellular species and thus represents a formerly unknown zygnematophycean lineage with filamentous growth. Our well-supported phylogenomic tree lets us propose a new five-order system for the Zygnematophyceae and provides evidence for at least five independent origins of true filamentous growth in the closest algal relatives of land plants. This phylogeny provides a robust and comprehensive framework for performing comparative analyses and inferring the evolution of cellular traits and body plans in the closest relatives of land plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Hess
- Institute for Zoology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
| | - Shelby K Williams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College St., Halifax NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Anna Busch
- Institute for Zoology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Charles F Delwiche
- Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Sophie de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tatyana Darienko
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College St., Halifax NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - John M Archibald
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College St., Halifax NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Henrik Buschmann
- University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, Faculty of Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, Section Biotechnology and Chemistry, Molecular Biotechnology, Technikumplatz 17, 09648 Mittweida, Germany
| | - Klaus von Schwartzenberg
- Universität Hamburg, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Microalgae and Zygnematophyceae Collection Hamburg (MZCH) and Aquatic Ecophysiology and Phycology, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.
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21
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Fürst-Jansen JM, de Vries S, Lorenz M, von Schwartzenberg K, Archibald JM, de Vries J. Submergence of the filamentous Zygnematophyceae Mougeotia induces differential gene expression patterns associated with core metabolism and photosynthesis. PROTOPLASMA 2022; 259:1157-1174. [PMID: 34939169 PMCID: PMC9385824 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-021-01730-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The streptophyte algal class Zygnematophyceae is the closest algal sister lineage to land plants. In nature, Zygnematophyceae can grow in both terrestrial and freshwater habitats and how they do this is an important unanswered question. Here, we studied what happens to the zygnematophyceaen alga Mougeotia sp., which usually occurs in permanent and temporary freshwater bodies, when it is shifted to liquid growth conditions after growth on a solid substrate. Using global differential gene expression profiling, we identified changes in the core metabolism of the organism interlinked with photosynthesis; the latter went hand in hand with measurable impact on the photophysiology as assessed via pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry. Our data reveal a pronounced change in the overall physiology of the alga after submergence and pinpoint candidate genes that play a role. These results provide insight into the importance of photophysiological readjustment when filamentous Zygnematophyceae transition between terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine M.R. Fürst-Jansen
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, University of Goettingen, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Sophie de Vries
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, University of Goettingen, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maike Lorenz
- Department of Experimental Phycology and SAG Culture Collection of Algae, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Science, University of Goettingen, Nikolausberger Weg 18, 37073 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Klaus von Schwartzenberg
- Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Microalgae and Zygnematophyceae Collection Hamburg (MZCH) and Aquatic Ecophysiology and Phycology, Universität Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - John M. Archibald
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2 Canada
| | - Jan de Vries
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, University of Goettingen, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), University of Goettingen, Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
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Permann C, Becker B, Holzinger A. Temperature- and light stress adaptations in Zygnematophyceae: The challenges of a semi-terrestrial lifestyle. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:945394. [PMID: 35928713 PMCID: PMC9343959 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.945394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Streptophyte green algae comprise the origin of land plants and therefore life on earth as we know it today. While terrestrialization opened new habitats, leaving the aquatic environment brought additional abiotic stresses. More-drastic temperature shifts and high light levels are major abiotic stresses in semi-terrestrial habitats, in addition to desiccation, which has been reviewed elsewhere. Zygnematophyceae, a species-rich class of streptophyte green algae, is considered a sister-group to embryophytes. They have developed a variety of avoidance and adaptation mechanisms to protect against temperature extremes and high radiation in the form of photosynthetically active and ultraviolet radiation (UV) radiation occurring on land. Recently, knowledge of transcriptomic and metabolomic changes as consequences of these stresses has become available. Land-plant stress-signaling pathways producing homologs of key enzymes have been described in Zygnematophyceae. An efficient adaptation strategy is their mat-like growth habit, which provides self-shading and protects lower layers from harmful radiation. Additionally, Zygnematophyceae possess phenolic compounds with UV-screening ability. Resting stages such as vegetative pre-akinetes tolerate freezing to a much higher extent than do young cells. Sexual reproduction occurs by conjugation without the formation of flagellated male gametes, which can be seen as an advantage in water-deficient habitats. The resulting zygospores possess a multilayer cell wall, contributing to their resistance to terrestrial conditions. Especially in the context of global change, understanding temperature and light tolerance is crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Permann
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Burkhard Becker
- Department of Biology, Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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23
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Pfeifer L, Mueller KK, Classen B. The cell wall of hornworts and liverworts: innovations in early land plant evolution? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:4454-4472. [PMID: 35470398 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
An important step for plant diversification was the transition from freshwater to terrestrial habitats. The bryophytes and all vascular plants share a common ancestor that was probably the first to adapt to life on land. A polysaccharide-rich cell wall was necessary to cope with newly faced environmental conditions. Therefore, some pre-requisites for terrestrial life have to be shared in the lineages of modern bryophytes and vascular plants. This review focuses on hornwort and liverwort cell walls and aims to provide an overview on shared and divergent polysaccharide features between these two groups of bryophytes and vascular plants. Analytical, immunocytochemical, and bioinformatic data were analysed. The major classes of polysaccharides-cellulose, hemicelluloses, and pectins-seem to be present but have diversified structurally during evolution. Some polysaccharide groups show structural characteristics which separate hornworts from the other bryophytes or are too poorly studied in detail to be able to draw absolute conclusions. Hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein backbones are found in hornworts and liverworts, and show differences in, for example, the occurrence of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored arabinogalactan-proteins, while glycosylation is practically unstudied. Overall, the data are an appeal to researchers in the field to gain more knowledge on cell wall structures in order to understand the changes with regard to bryophyte evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Pfeifer
- Pharmaceutical Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstr. 76, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Kim-Kristine Mueller
- Pharmaceutical Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstr. 76, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Birgit Classen
- Pharmaceutical Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstr. 76, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
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24
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Yu J, Ran Z, Zhang J, Wei L, Ma W. Genome-Wide Insights Into the Organelle Translocation of Photosynthetic NDH-1 Genes During Evolution. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:956578. [PMID: 35910652 PMCID: PMC9326235 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.956578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Translocation of chloroplast-located genes to mitochondria or nucleus is considered to be a safety strategy that impedes mutation of photosynthetic genes and maintains their household function during evolution. The organelle translocation strategy is also developed in photosynthetic NDH-1 (pNDH-1) genes but its understanding is still far from complete. Here, we found that the mutation rate of the conserved pNDH-1 genes was gradually reduced but their selection pressure was maintained at a high level during evolution from cyanobacteria to angiosperm. By contrast, oxygenic photosynthesis-specific (OPS) pNDH-1 genes had an opposite trend, explaining the reason why they were transferred from the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-enriched chloroplast to the ROS-barren nucleus. Further, genome-wide sequence analysis supported the possibility that all conserved pNDH-1 genes lost in chloroplast genomes of Chlorophyceae and Pinaceae were transferred to the ROS-less mitochondrial genome as deduced from their truncated pNDH-1 gene fragments. Collectively, we propose that the organelle translocation strategy of pNDH-1 genes during evolution is necessary to maintain the function of the pNDH-1 complex as an important antioxidant mechanism for efficient photosynthesis.
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25
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Kwantes M, Wichard T. The APAF1_C/WD40 repeat domain-encoding gene from the sea lettuce Ulva mutabilis sheds light on the evolution of NB-ARC domain-containing proteins in green plants. PLANTA 2022; 255:76. [PMID: 35235070 PMCID: PMC8891106 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-022-03851-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We advance Ulva's genetic tractability and highlight its value as a model organism by characterizing its APAF1_C/WD40 domain-encoding gene, which belongs to a family that bears homology to R genes. The multicellular chlorophyte alga Ulva mutabilis (Ulvophyceae, Ulvales) is native to coastal ecosystems worldwide and attracts both high socio-economic and scientific interest. To further understand the genetic mechanisms that guide its biology, we present a protocol, based on adapter ligation-mediated PCR, for retrieving flanking sequences in U. mutabilis vector-insertion mutants. In the created insertional library, we identified a null mutant with an insertion in an apoptotic protease activating factor 1 helical domain (APAF1_C)/WD40 repeat domain-encoding gene. Protein domain architecture analysis combined with phylogenetic analysis revealed that this gene is a member of a subfamily that arose early in the evolution of green plants (Viridiplantae) through the acquisition of a gene that also encoded N-terminal nucleotide-binding adaptor shared by APAF-1, certain R-gene products and CED-4 (NB-ARC) and winged helix-like (WH-like) DNA-binding domains. Although phenotypic analysis revealed no mutant phenotype, gene expression levels in control plants correlated to the presence of bacterial symbionts, which U. mutabilis requires for proper morphogenesis. In addition, our analysis led to the discovery of a putative Ulva nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) Resistance protein (R-protein), and we discuss how the emergence of these R proteins in green plants may be linked to the evolution of the APAF1_C/WD40 protein subfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel Kwantes
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Lessingstr. 8, 07743, Jena, Germany.
| | - Thomas Wichard
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Lessingstr. 8, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- Jena School for Microbial Communication, 07743, Jena, Germany.
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Niklas KJ, Telewski FW. Environmental-biomechanical reciprocity and the evolution of plant material properties. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:1067-1079. [PMID: 34487177 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Abiotic-biotic interactions have shaped organic evolution since life first began. Abiotic factors influence growth, survival, and reproductive success, whereas biotic responses to abiotic factors have changed the physical environment (and indeed created new environments). This reciprocity is well illustrated by land plants who begin and end their existence in the same location while growing in size over the course of years or even millennia, during which environment factors change over many orders of magnitude. A biomechanical, ecological, and evolutionary perspective reveals that plants are (i) composed of materials (cells and tissues) that function as cellular solids (i.e. materials composed of one or more solid and fluid phases); (ii) that have evolved greater rigidity (as a consequence of chemical and structural changes in their solid phases); (iii) allowing for increases in body size and (iv) permitting acclimation to more physiologically and ecologically diverse and challenging habitats; which (v) have profoundly altered biotic as well as abiotic environmental factors (e.g. the creation of soils, carbon sequestration, and water cycles). A critical component of this evolutionary innovation is the extent to which mechanical perturbations have shaped plant form and function and how form and function have shaped ecological dynamics over the course of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl J Niklas
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Frank W Telewski
- Department of Plant Biology, W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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27
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Pfeifer L, Utermöhlen J, Happ K, Permann C, Holzinger A, von Schwartzenberg K, Classen B. Search for evolutionary roots of land plant arabinogalactan-proteins in charophytes: presence of a rhamnogalactan-protein in Spirogyra pratensis (Zygnematophyceae). THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 109:568-584. [PMID: 34767672 PMCID: PMC7612518 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Charophyte green algae (CGA) are assigned to be the closest relatives of land plants and therefore enlighten processes in the colonization of terrestrial habitats. For the transition from water to land, plants needed significant physiological and structural changes, as well as with regard to cell wall composition. Sequential extraction of cell walls of Nitellopsis obtusa (Charophyceae) and Spirogyra pratensis (Zygnematophyceae) offered a comparative overview on cell wall composition of late branching CGA. Because arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) are considered common for all land plant cell walls, we were interested in whether these special glycoproteins are present in CGA. Therefore, we investigated both species with regard to characteristic features of AGPs. In the cell wall of Nitellopsis, no hydroxyproline was present and no AGP was precipitable with the β-glucosyl Yariv's reagent (βGlcY). By contrast, βGlcY precipitation of the water-soluble cell wall fraction of Spirogyra yielded a glycoprotein fraction rich in hydroxyproline, indicating the presence of AGPs. Putative AGPs in the cell walls of non-conjugating Spirogyra filaments, especially in the area of transverse walls, were detected by staining with βGlcY. Labelling increased strongly in generative growth stages, especially during zygospore development. Investigations of the fine structure of the glycan part of βGlcY-precipitated molecules revealed that the galactan backbone resembled that of AGPs with 1,3- 1,6- and 1,3,6-linked Galp moieties. Araf was present only in small amounts and the terminating sugars consisted predominantly of pyranosidic terminal and 1,3-linked rhamnose residues. We introduce the term 'rhamnogalactan-protein' for this special AGP-modification present in S. pratensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Pfeifer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Jon Utermöhlen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Kathrin Happ
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Charlotte Permann
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | | | - Birgit Classen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany
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28
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Kawai J, Kanazawa M, Suzuki R, Kikuchi N, Hayakawa Y, Sekimoto H. Highly efficient transformation of the model zygnematophycean alga Closterium peracerosum-strigosum-littorale complex by square-pulse electroporation. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:569-578. [PMID: 34605030 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The zygnematophycean algae occupy an important phylogenetic position as the closest living relatives of land plants. Reverse genetics is quite useful for dissecting the functions of genes. However, this strategy requires genetic transformation, and there are only a few reports of successful transformation in zygnematophycean algae. Here, we established a simple and highly efficient transformation technique for the unicellular zygnematophycean alga Closterium peracerosum-strigosum-littorale complex using a square electric pulse-generating electroporator without the need for cell wall removal. Using this method, the transformation efficiency increased > 100-fold compared with our previous study using particle bombardment. We also succeeded in performing CRISPR/Cas9-based gene knockout using this new method. Our method requires only small amounts of labor, time and incubator space. Moreover, our technique could also be utilized to transform other charophycean algae with available genome information by optimizing the electric pulse conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junko Kawai
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan
| | - Manaki Kanazawa
- Division of Material and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan
| | - Rie Suzuki
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan
| | - Nanako Kikuchi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan
| | | | - Hiroyuki Sekimoto
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan
- Division of Material and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan
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29
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Sharma V, Clark AJ, Kawashima T. Insights into the molecular evolution of fertilization mechanism in land plants. PLANT REPRODUCTION 2021; 34:353-364. [PMID: 34061252 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-021-00414-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Comparative genetics and genomics among green plants, including algae, provide deep insights into the evolution of land plant sexual reproduction. Land plants have evolved successive changes during their conquest of the land and innovations in sexual reproduction have played a major role in their terrestrialization. Recent years have seen many revealing dissections of the molecular mechanisms of sexual reproduction and much new genomics data from the land plant lineage, including early diverging land plants, as well as algae. This new knowledge is being integrated to further understand how sexual reproduction in land plants evolved, identifying highly conserved factors and pathways, but also molecular changes that underpinned the emergence of new modes of sexual reproduction. Here, we review recent advances in the knowledge of land plant sexual reproduction from an evolutionary perspective and also revisit the evolution of angiosperm double fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijyesh Sharma
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Anthony J Clark
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Tomokazu Kawashima
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
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30
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Felhofer M, Mayr K, Lütz-Meindl U, Gierlinger N. Raman imaging of Micrasterias: new insights into shape formation. PROTOPLASMA 2021; 258:1323-1334. [PMID: 34292402 PMCID: PMC8523415 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-021-01685-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The algae Micrasterias with its star-shaped cell pattern is a perfect unicellular model system to study morphogenesis. How the indentations are formed in the primary cell wall at exactly defined areas puzzled scientists for decades, and they searched for chemical differences in the primary wall of the extending tips compared to the resting indents. We now tackled the question by Raman imaging and scanned in situ Micrasterias cells at different stages of development. Thousands of Raman spectra were acquired from the mother cell and the developing semicell to calculate chemical images based on an algorithm finding the most different Raman spectra. Each of those spectra had characteristic Raman bands, which were assigned to molecular vibrations of BaSO4, proteins, lipids, starch, and plant cell wall carbohydrates. Visualizing the cell wall carbohydrates revealed a cell wall thickening at the indentations of the primary cell wall of the growing semicell and uniplanar orientation of the cellulose microfibrils to the cell surface in the secondary cell wall. Crystalline cellulose dominated in the secondary cell wall spectra, while in the primary cell wall spectra, also xyloglucan and pectin were reflected. Spectral differences between the indent and tip region of the primary cell wall were scarce, but a spectral mixing approach pointed to more cellulose fibrils deposited in the indent region. Therefore, we suggest that cell wall thickening together with a denser network of cellulose microfibrils stiffens the cell wall at the indent and induces different cell wall extensibility to shape the lobes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Felhofer
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Konrad Mayr
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ursula Lütz-Meindl
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Notburga Gierlinger
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190, Vienna, Austria.
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31
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Permann C, Herburger K, Niedermeier M, Felhofer M, Gierlinger N, Holzinger A. Cell wall characteristics during sexual reproduction of Mougeotia sp. (Zygnematophyceae) revealed by electron microscopy, glycan microarrays and RAMAN spectroscopy. PROTOPLASMA 2021; 258:1261-1275. [PMID: 33974144 PMCID: PMC8523461 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-021-01659-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Mougeotia spp. collected from field samples were investigated for their conjugation morphology by light-, fluorescence-, scanning- and transmission electron microscopy. During a scalarifom conjugation, the extragametangial zygospores were initially surrounded by a thin cell wall that developed into a multi-layered zygospore wall. Maturing zygospores turned dark brown and were filled with storage compounds such as lipids and starch. While M. parvula had a smooth surface, M. disjuncta had a punctated surface structure and a prominent suture. The zygospore wall consisted of a polysaccharide rich endospore, followed by a thin layer with a lipid-like appaerance, a massive electron dense mesospore and a very thin exospore composed of polysaccharides. Glycan microarray analysis of zygospores of different developmental stages revealed the occurrence of pectins and hemicelluloses, mostly composed of homogalacturonan (HG), xyloglucans, xylans, arabino-galactan proteins and extensins. In situ localization by the probe OG7-13AF 488 labelled HG in young zygospore walls, vegetative filaments and most prominently in conjugation tubes and cross walls. Raman imaging showed the distribution of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and aromatic components of the mature zygospore with a spatial resolution of ~ 250 nm. The carbohydrate nature of the endo- and exospore was confirmed and in-between an enrichment of lipids and aromatic components, probably algaenan or a sporopollenin-like material. Taken together, these results indicate that during zygospore formation, reorganizations of the cell walls occured, leading to a resistant and protective structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Permann
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Klaus Herburger
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Plant Glycobiology, University of Copenhagen, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Martin Niedermeier
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Martin Felhofer
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Notburga Gierlinger
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
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32
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Artur MAS, Kajala K. Convergent evolution of gene regulatory networks underlying plant adaptations to dry environments. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2021; 44:3211-3222. [PMID: 34196969 PMCID: PMC8518057 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plants transitioned from an aquatic to a terrestrial lifestyle during their evolution. On land, fluctuations on water availability in the environment became one of the major problems they encountered. The appearance of morpho-physiological adaptations to cope with and tolerate water loss from the cells was undeniably useful to survive on dry land. Some of these adaptations, such as carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), desiccation tolerance (DT) and root impermeabilization, appeared in multiple plant lineages. Despite being crucial for evolution on land, it has been unclear how these adaptations convergently evolved in the various plant lineages. Recent advances on whole genome and transcriptome sequencing are revealing that co-option of genes and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a common feature underlying the convergent evolution of these adaptations. In this review, we address how the study of CCMs and DT has provided insight into convergent evolution of GRNs underlying plant adaptation to dry environments, and how these insights could be applied to currently emerging understanding of evolution of root impermeabilization through different barrier cell types. We discuss examples of co-option, conservation and innovation of genes and GRNs at the cell, tissue and organ levels revealed by recent phylogenomic (comparative genomic) and comparative transcriptomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana A. S. Artur
- Laboratory of Plant PhysiologyWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Kaisa Kajala
- Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
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33
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Zhou W, Li Z, Zhang J, Mou B, Zhou W. The OsIME4 gene identified as a key to meiosis initiation by RNA in situ hybridization. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2021; 23:861-873. [PMID: 33884735 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The formation of asexual seeds in plants holds great promise as a breeding system for one-line hybrid rice. Entry into meiosis is a key developmental decision in gametogenesis, especially in formation of asexual seeds in plants. Apomeiosis in MeMCs can be achieved by identifying and manipulating meiosis-specific genes. Using methods based on in situ hybridization and expression analysis, we identified OsIME4 (inducer of meiosis 4) sense and antisense transcripts involved in rice meiosis initiation, similar to initiation of meiosis in budding yeast. Our data suggest that the OsIME4 sense transcript, which encodes a putative mRNA N6-adenosine methyltransferase, keeps rice cells at mitosis stage through some form of epigenesis (DNA/RNA methylation), and the non-coding antisense transcript of OsIME4 converts the cell status from mitosis to meiosis by inhibiting expression (transcription and translation) of the sense transcript. We identified that the non-coding antisense transcript of OsIME4 converts archesporial cell status from mitosis to meiosis by inhibiting expression of the OsIME4 sense transcript in rice. Our results provide novel insights into meiosis initiation in rice and for engineering of apomixis in sexual crops by manipulating the OsIME4 sense and antisense transcripts, which has great promise for producing apomictic rice in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Zhou
- Crop Research Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730070, PR China
| | - Z Li
- Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, PR China
| | - J Zhang
- Crop Research Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730070, PR China
| | - B Mou
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, USDA-ARS), 1636 E. Alisal Street, Salinas, CA, 93905, USA
| | - W Zhou
- Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, PR China
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, USDA-ARS), 1636 E. Alisal Street, Salinas, CA, 93905, USA
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34
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Permann C, Herburger K, Felhofer M, Gierlinger N, Lewis LA, Holzinger A. Induction of Conjugation and Zygospore Cell Wall Characteristics in the Alpine Spirogyra mirabilis (Zygnematophyceae, Charophyta): Advantage under Climate Change Scenarios? PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:1740. [PMID: 34451785 PMCID: PMC8402014 DOI: 10.3390/plants10081740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Extreme environments, such as alpine habitats at high elevation, are increasingly exposed to man-made climate change. Zygnematophyceae thriving in these regions possess a special means of sexual reproduction, termed conjugation, leading to the formation of resistant zygospores. A field sample of Spirogyra with numerous conjugating stages was isolated and characterized by molecular phylogeny. We successfully induced sexual reproduction under laboratory conditions by a transfer to artificial pond water and increasing the light intensity to 184 µmol photons m-2 s-1. This, however was only possible in early spring, suggesting that the isolated cultures had an internal rhythm. The reproductive morphology was characterized by light- and transmission electron microscopy, and the latter allowed the detection of distinctly oriented microfibrils in the exo- and endospore, and an electron-dense mesospore. Glycan microarray profiling showed that Spirogyra cell walls are rich in major pectic and hemicellulosic polysaccharides, and immuno-fluorescence allowed the detection of arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) and xyloglucan in the zygospore cell walls. Confocal RAMAN spectroscopy detected complex aromatic compounds, similar in their spectral signature to that of Lycopodium spores. These data support the idea that sexual reproduction in Zygnematophyceae, the sister lineage to land plants, might have played an important role in the process of terrestrialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Permann
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria;
| | - Klaus Herburger
- Section for Plant Glycobiology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark;
| | - Martin Felhofer
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; (M.F.); (N.G.)
| | - Notburga Gierlinger
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; (M.F.); (N.G.)
| | - Louise A. Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Conneticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3043, USA;
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria;
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35
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de Vries S, Fürst-Jansen JMR, Irisarri I, Dhabalia Ashok A, Ischebeck T, Feussner K, Abreu IN, Petersen M, Feussner I, de Vries J. The evolution of the phenylpropanoid pathway entailed pronounced radiations and divergences of enzyme families. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 107:975-1002. [PMID: 34165823 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Land plants constantly respond to fluctuations in their environment. Part of their response is the production of a diverse repertoire of specialized metabolites. One of the foremost sources for metabolites relevant to environmental responses is the phenylpropanoid pathway, which was long thought to be a land-plant-specific adaptation shaped by selective forces in the terrestrial habitat. Recent data have, however, revealed that streptophyte algae, the algal relatives of land plants, have candidates for the genetic toolkit for phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and produce phenylpropanoid-derived metabolites. Using phylogenetic and sequence analyses, we here show that the enzyme families that orchestrate pivotal steps in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis have independently undergone pronounced radiations and divergence in multiple lineages of major groups of land plants; sister to many of these radiated gene families are streptophyte algal candidates for these enzymes. These radiations suggest a high evolutionary versatility in the enzyme families involved in the phenylpropanoid-derived metabolism across embryophytes. We suggest that this versatility likely translates into functional divergence, and may explain the key to one of the defining traits of embryophytes: a rich specialized metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie de Vries
- Population Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Janine M R Fürst-Jansen
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Amra Dhabalia Ashok
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Till Ischebeck
- Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Goettingen Metabolomics and Lipidomics Laboratory, University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- Department of Plant Biochemistry, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Kirstin Feussner
- Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Goettingen Metabolomics and Lipidomics Laboratory, University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Ilka N Abreu
- Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maike Petersen
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie und Biotechnologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Robert-Koch-Str. 4, 35037, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ivo Feussner
- Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Goettingen Metabolomics and Lipidomics Laboratory, University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- Department of Plant Biochemistry, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jan de Vries
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtsr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
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36
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Hernandez AM, Ryan JF. Six-state Amino Acid Recoding is not an Effective Strategy to Offset Compositional Heterogeneity and Saturation in Phylogenetic Analyses. Syst Biol 2021; 70:1200-1212. [PMID: 33837789 PMCID: PMC8513762 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syab027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Six-state amino acid recoding strategies are commonly applied to combat the effects of compositional heterogeneity and substitution saturation in phylogenetic analyses. While these methods have been endorsed from a theoretical perspective, their performance has never been extensively tested. Here, we test the effectiveness of six-state recoding approaches by comparing the performance of analyses on recoded and non-recoded data sets that have been simulated under gradients of compositional heterogeneity or saturation. In our simulation analyses, non-recoding approaches consistently outperform six-state recoding approaches. Our results suggest that six-state recoding strategies are not effective in the face of high saturation. Furthermore, while recoding strategies do buffer the effects of compositional heterogeneity, the loss of information that accompanies six-state recoding outweighs its benefits. In addition, we evaluate recoding schemes with 9, 12, 15, and 18 states and show that these consistently outperform six-state recoding. Our analyses of other recoding schemes suggest that under conditions of very high compositional heterogeneity, it may be advantageous to apply recoding using more than six states, but we caution that applying any recoding should include sufficient justification. Our results have important implications for the more than 90 published papers that have incorporated six-state recoding, many of which have significant bearing on relationships across the tree of life. [Compositional heterogeneity; Dayhoff 6-state recoding; S&R 6-state recoding; six-state amino acid recoding; substitution saturation.]
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Hernandez
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, 9505 Ocean Shore Boulevard, St. Augustine, FL, 32080, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Joseph F Ryan
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, 9505 Ocean Shore Boulevard, St. Augustine, FL, 32080, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
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37
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Naake T, Maeda HA, Proost S, Tohge T, Fernie AR. Kingdom-wide analysis of the evolution of the plant type III polyketide synthase superfamily. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 185:857-875. [PMID: 33793871 PMCID: PMC8133574 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaa086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of type III polyketide synthases (PKSs) was a prerequisite for the conquest of land by the green lineage. Within the PKS superfamily, chalcone synthases (CHSs) provide the entry point reaction to the flavonoid pathway, while LESS ADHESIVE POLLEN 5 and 6 (LAP5/6) provide constituents of the outer exine pollen wall. To study the deep evolutionary history of this key family, we conducted phylogenomic synteny network and phylogenetic analyses of whole-genome data from 126 species spanning the green lineage including Arabidopsis thaliana, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and maize (Zea mays). This study thereby combined study of genomic location and context with changes in gene sequences. We found that the two major clades, CHS and LAP5/6 homologs, evolved early by a segmental duplication event prior to the divergence of Bryophytes and Tracheophytes. We propose that the macroevolution of the type III PKS superfamily is governed by whole-genome duplications and triplications. The combined phylogenetic and synteny analyses in this study provide insights into changes in the genomic location and context that are retained for a longer time scale with more recent functional divergence captured by gene sequence alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Naake
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Hiroshi A Maeda
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Sebastian Proost
- Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Herestraat, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Campus Gasthuisberg, Rega Instituut, Herestraat, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Takayuki Tohge
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
- Author for communication:
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38
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Wang S, Liang H, Xu Y, Li L, Wang H, Sahu DN, Petersen M, Melkonian M, Sahu SK, Liu H. Genome-wide analyses across Viridiplantae reveal the origin and diversification of small RNA pathway-related genes. Commun Biol 2021; 4:412. [PMID: 33767367 PMCID: PMC7994812 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01933-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Small RNAs play a major role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. Despite the evolutionary importance of streptophyte algae, knowledge on small RNAs in this group of green algae is almost non-existent. We used genome and transcriptome data of 34 algal and plant species, and performed genome-wide analyses of small RNA (miRNA & siRNA) biosynthetic and degradation pathways. The results suggest that Viridiplantae started to evolve plant-like miRNA biogenesis and degradation after the divergence of the Mesostigmatophyceae in the streptophyte algae. We identified two major evolutionary transitions in small RNA metabolism in streptophyte algae; during the first transition, the origin of DCL-New, DCL1, AGO1/5/10 and AGO4/6/9 in the last common ancestor of Klebsormidiophyceae and all other streptophytes could be linked to abiotic stress responses and evolution of multicellularity in streptophytes. During the second transition, the evolution of DCL 2,3,4, and AGO 2,3,7 as well as DRB1 in the last common ancestor of Zygnematophyceae and embryophytes, suggests their possible contribution to pathogen defense and antibacterial immunity. Overall, the origin and diversification of DICER and AGO along with several other small RNA pathway-related genes among streptophyte algae suggested progressive adaptations of streptophyte algae during evolution to a subaerial environment. Wang, Liang et al. conduct a genome-wide investigation into the origin of small RNA pathway-related genes in Viridiplantae. Their findings suggest that streptophyte algae progressively adapted to a subaerial environment through generation of these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sibo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hongping Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Linzhou Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hongli Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Morten Petersen
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Melkonian
- Integrative Bioinformatics, Department Plant Microbe Interactions, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sunil Kumar Sahu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Huan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China. .,Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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39
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Feng X, Holzinger A, Permann C, Anderson D, Yin Y. Characterization of Two Zygnema Strains ( Zygnema circumcarinatum SAG 698-1a and SAG 698-1b) and a Rapid Method to Estimate Nuclear Genome Size of Zygnematophycean Green Algae. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:610381. [PMID: 33643345 PMCID: PMC7902510 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.610381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Zygnematophyceae green algae (ZGA) have been shown to be the closest relatives of land plants. Three nuclear genomes (Spirogloea muscicola, Mesotaenium endlicherianum, and Penium margaritaceum) of ZGA have been recently published, and more genomes are underway. Here we analyzed two Zygnema circumcarinatum strains SAG 698-1a (mating +) and SAG 698-1b (mating -) and found distinct cell sizes and other morphological differences. The molecular identities of the two strains were further investigated by sequencing their 18S rRNA, psaA and rbcL genes. These marker genes of SAG 698-1a were surprisingly much more similar to Z. cylindricum (SAG 698-2) than to SAG 698-1b. Phylogenies of these marker genes also showed that SAG 698-1a and SAG 698-1b were well separated into two different Zygnema clades, where SAG 698-1a was clustered with Z. cylindricum, while SAG 698-1b was clustered with Z. tunetanum. Additionally, physiological parameters like ETRmax values differed between SAG 698-1a and SAG 698-1b after 2 months of cultivation. The de-epoxidation state (DEPS) of the xanthophyll cycle pigments also showed significant differences. Surprisingly, the two strains could not conjugate, and significantly differed in the thickness of the mucilage layer. Additionally, ZGA cell walls are highly enriched with sticky and acidic polysaccharides, and therefore the widely used plant nuclear extraction protocols do not work well in ZGA. Here, we also report a fast and simple method, by mechanical chopping, for efficient nuclear extraction in the two SAG strains. More importantly, the extracted nuclei were further used for nuclear genome size estimation of the two SAG strains by flow cytometry (FC). To confirm the FC result, we have also used other experimental methods for nuclear genome size estimation of the two strains. Interestingly, the two strains were found to have very distinct nuclear genome sizes (313.2 ± 2.0 Mb in SAG 698-1a vs. 63.5 ± 0.5 Mb in SAG 698-1b). Our multiple lines of evidence strongly indicate that SAG 698-1a possibly had been confused with SAG 698-2 prior to 2005, and most likely represents Z. cylindricum or a closely related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehuan Feng
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | | | | | - Dirk Anderson
- Center for Biotechnology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Yanbin Yin
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
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40
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Žárský J, Žárský V, Hanáček M, Žárský V. Cryogenian Glacial Habitats as a Plant Terrestrialisation Cradle - The Origin of the Anydrophytes and Zygnematophyceae Split. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:735020. [PMID: 35154170 PMCID: PMC8829067 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.735020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
For tens of millions of years (Ma), the terrestrial habitats of Snowball Earth during the Cryogenian period (between 720 and 635 Ma before present-Neoproterozoic Era) were possibly dominated by global snow and ice cover up to the equatorial sublimative desert. The most recent time-calibrated phylogenies calibrated not only on plants but on a comprehensive set of eukaryotes indicate that within the Streptophyta, multicellular charophytes (Phragmoplastophyta) evolved in the Mesoproterozoic to the early Neoproterozoic. At the same time, Cryogenian is the time of the likely origin of the common ancestor of Zygnematophyceae and Embryophyta and later, also of the Zygnematophyceae-Embryophyta split. This common ancestor is proposed to be called Anydrophyta; here, we use anydrophytes. Based on the combination of published phylogenomic studies and estimated diversification time comparisons, we deem it highly likely that anydrophytes evolved in response to Cryogenian cooling. Also, later in the Cryogenian, secondary simplification of multicellular anydrophytes and loss of flagella resulted in Zygnematophyceae diversification as an adaptation to the extended cold glacial environment. We propose that the Marinoan geochemically documented expansion of first terrestrial flora has been represented not only by Chlorophyta but also by Streptophyta, including the anydrophytes, and later by Zygnematophyceae, thriving on glacial surfaces until today. It is possible that multicellular early Embryophyta survived in less abundant (possibly relatively warmer) refugia, relying more on mineral substrates, allowing the retention of flagella-based sexuality. The loss of flagella and sexual reproduction by conjugation evolved in Zygnematophyceae and zygomycetous fungi during the Cryogenian in a remarkably convergent way. Thus, we support the concept that the important basal cellular adaptations to terrestrial environments were exapted in streptophyte algae for terrestrialization and propose that this was stimulated by the adaptation to glacial habitats dominating the Cryogenian Snowball Earth. Including the glacial lifestyle when considering the rise of land plants increases the parsimony of connecting different ecological, phylogenetic, and physiological puzzles of the journey from aquatic algae to terrestrial floras.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Žárský
- CryoEco Research Group, Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Jakub Žárský,
| | - Vojtěch Žárský
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czechia
| | - Martin Hanáček
- Polar-Geo-Lab, Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
- Regional Museum in Jeseník, Jeseník, Czechia
| | - Viktor Žárský
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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41
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de Vries J, Ischebeck T. Ties between Stress and Lipid Droplets Pre-date Seeds. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 25:1203-1214. [PMID: 32921563 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Seeds were a key evolutionary innovation. These durable structures provide a concerted solution to two challenges on land: dispersal and stress. Lipid droplets (LDs) that act as nutrient storage reservoirs are one of the main cell-biological reasons for seed endurance. Although LDs are key structures in spermatophytes and are especially abundant in seeds, they are found across plants and algae, and increase during stress. Further, the proteins that underpin their form and function often have deep homologs. We propose an evolutionary scenario in which (i) the generation of LDs arose as a mechanism to mediate general drought and desiccation resilience, and (ii) the required protein framework was co-opted by spermatophytes for a seed-specific program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstrasse 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidtstrasse 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Till Ischebeck
- University of Goettingen, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.
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42
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoko Hosokawa
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate school of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
| | - Shigeyuki Kawano
- Functional Biotechnology PJ, Future Center Initiative, The University of Tokyo
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43
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Hiraga Y, Ara T, Nagashima Y, Shimada N, Sakurai N, Suzuki H, Kera K. Metabolome analysis using multiple data mining approaches suggests luteolin biosynthesis in Physcomitrella patens. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (TOKYO, JAPAN) 2020; 37:377-381. [PMID: 33088205 PMCID: PMC7557656 DOI: 10.5511/plantbiotechnology.20.0525b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The model land plant Physcomitrella patens synthesizes flavonoids which may act as protectant of ultraviolet-B radiation. We aimed to uncover its flavonoid profile, for which metabolome analysis using liquid chromatography coupled with Ion trap/Orbitrap mass spectrometry was performed. From the 80% methanol extracts, 661 valid peaks were detected. Prediction of the elemental compositions within a mass accuracy of 2 ppm indicated that 217 peaks had single elemental composition. A compound database search revealed 47 peaks to be annotated as secondary metabolites based on the compound database search. Comprehensive substituent search by ShiftedIonsFinder showed there were 13 peaks of potential flavonoid derivatives. Interestingly, a peak having m/z 287.0551, corresponding to that of luteolin, was detected, even though flavone synthase has never been identified in P. patens. Using P. patens labeled with stable isotopes (13C-, 15N-, 18O-, and 34S), we confirmed the elemental composition of the peak as C15H10O6. By a comparison of MS/MS spectra with that of authentic standard, the peak was identified as luteolin or related flavone isomers. This is the first report of luteolin or related flavones synthesis and the possibility of the existence of an unknown enzyme with flavone synthase activity in P. patens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhide Hiraga
- Research and Development Department, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
- Department of Research and Development, Hirata Corporation, 111 Hitotsugi, Ueki, Kita, Kumamoto, Kumamoto 861-0198, Japan
| | - Takeshi Ara
- Research and Development Department, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Nagashima
- Research and Development Department, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Norimoto Shimada
- Research and Development Department, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Nozomu Sakurai
- Research and Development Department, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Suzuki
- Research and Development Department, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
- Department of Research and Development, Hirata Corporation, 111 Hitotsugi, Ueki, Kita, Kumamoto, Kumamoto 861-0198, Japan
| | - Kota Kera
- Research and Development Department, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
- Department of Nutritional Science and Food Safety, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
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44
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de Vries J, de Vries S, Curtis BA, Zhou H, Penny S, Feussner K, Pinto DM, Steinert M, Cohen AM, von Schwartzenberg K, Archibald JM. Heat stress response in the closest algal relatives of land plants reveals conserved stress signaling circuits. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 103:1025-1048. [PMID: 32333477 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
All land plants (embryophytes) share a common ancestor that likely evolved from a filamentous freshwater alga. Elucidating the transition from algae to embryophytes - and the eventual conquering of Earth's surface - is one of the most fundamental questions in plant evolutionary biology. Here, we investigated one of the organismal properties that might have enabled this transition: resistance to drastic temperature shifts. We explored the effect of heat stress in Mougeotia and Spirogyra, two representatives of Zygnematophyceae - the closest known algal sister lineage to land plants. Heat stress induced pronounced phenotypic alterations in their plastids, and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy-based profiling of 565 transitions for the analysis of main central metabolites revealed significant shifts in 43 compounds. We also analyzed the global differential gene expression responses triggered by heat, generating 92.8 Gbp of sequence data and assembling a combined set of 8905 well-expressed genes. Each organism had its own distinct gene expression profile; less than one-half of their shared genes showed concordant gene expression trends. We nevertheless detected common signature responses to heat such as elevated transcript levels for molecular chaperones, thylakoid components, and - corroborating our metabolomic data - amino acid metabolism. We also uncovered the heat-stress responsiveness of genes for phosphorelay-based signal transduction that links environmental cues, calcium signatures and plastid biology. Our data allow us to infer the molecular heat stress response that the earliest land plants might have used when facing the rapidly shifting temperature conditions of the terrestrial habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan de Vries
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstr. 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Sophie de Vries
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
- Institute of Population Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Bruce A Curtis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Hong Zhou
- Microalgae and Zygnematophyceae Collection Hamburg (MZCH) and Aquatic Ecophysiology and Phycology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Universität Hamburg, 22609, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Penny
- National Research Council, Human Health Therapeutics, 1411 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 3Z1, Canada
| | - Kirstin Feussner
- Department of Plant Biochemistry, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
- Service Unit for Metabolomics and Lipidomics, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Devanand M Pinto
- National Research Council, Human Health Therapeutics, 1411 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 3Z1, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, 6274 Coburg Rd, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Michael Steinert
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstr. 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Alejandro M Cohen
- Biological Spectrometry Core Facility, Life Sciences Research Institute, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Klaus von Schwartzenberg
- Microalgae and Zygnematophyceae Collection Hamburg (MZCH) and Aquatic Ecophysiology and Phycology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Universität Hamburg, 22609, Hamburg, Germany
| | - John M Archibald
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, 661 University Ave, Suite 505, Toronto, ON, M5G 1M1, Canada
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45
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Zhou H, von Schwartzenberg K. Zygnematophyceae: from living algae collections to the establishment of future models. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:3296-3304. [PMID: 32076703 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The class of conjugating green algae, Zygnematophyceae (Conjugatophyceae), is extremely rich in species and has attracted the interest of phycologists for a long time. It is now widely accepted that this class of charophyte algae holds a key position in the phylogenetic tree of streptophytes, where they represent the closest relatives to all land plants (embryophytes). It is increasingly evident that robust model plants that can be easily cultivated and genetically transformed are necessary to better understand the process of terrestrialization and the related molecular, cellular, and physiological adaptations. Living algae collections play an important role, not only for phylogenomic-based taxonomy but also for screening for suitable model organisms. For this review, we screened six major public algae collections for Zygnematophyceae strains and established a cumulative list comprising 738 different taxa (including species, subspecies, varieties, and forms). From the described biodiversity with 8883 registered taxa (AlgaeBase) the cultured Zygnematophyceae taxa worldwide cover only ~8.3%. We review the past research on this clade of algae and discuss it from the perspective of establishing a model organism. We present data on the life cycle of the genera Micrasterias and Spirogyra, representing the orders Desmidiales and Zygnematales, and outline the current status of genetic transformation of Zygnematophyceae algae and future research perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zhou
- Microalgae and Zygnematophyceae Collection Hamburg, Institute for Plant Science and Microbiology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Klaus von Schwartzenberg
- Microalgae and Zygnematophyceae Collection Hamburg, Institute for Plant Science and Microbiology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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46
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Orton LM, Fitzek E, Feng X, Grayburn WS, Mower JP, Liu K, Zhang C, Duvall MR, Yin Y. Zygnema circumcarinatum UTEX 1559 chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes provide insight into land plant evolution. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:3361-3373. [PMID: 32206790 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The complete chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes of Charophyta have shed new light on land plant terrestrialization. Here, we report the organellar genomes of the Zygnema circumcarinatum strain UTEX 1559, and a comparative genomics investigation of 33 plastomes and 18 mitogenomes of Chlorophyta, Charophyta (including UTEX 1559 and its conspecific relative SAG 698-1a), and Embryophyta. Gene presence/absence was determined across these plastomes and mitogenomes. A comparison between the plastomes of UTEX 1559 (157 548 bp) and SAG 698-1a (165 372 bp) revealed very similar gene contents, but substantial genome rearrangements. Surprisingly, the two plastomes share only 85.69% nucleotide sequence identity. The UTEX 1559 mitogenome size is 215 954 bp, the largest among all sequenced Charophyta. Interestingly, this large mitogenome contains a 50 kb region without homology to any other organellar genomes, which is flanked by two 86 bp direct repeats and contains 15 ORFs. These ORFs have significant homology to proteins from bacteria and plants with functions such as primase, RNA polymerase, and DNA polymerase. We conclude that (i) the previously published SAG 698-1a plastome is probably from a different Zygnema species, and (ii) the 50 kb region in the UTEX 1559 mitogenome might be recently acquired as a mobile element.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Orton
- Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Elisabeth Fitzek
- Biology/Computational Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Center for Biotechnology-CeBiTec, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Xuehuan Feng
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - W Scott Grayburn
- Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Jeffrey P Mower
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE USA
| | - Kan Liu
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Chi Zhang
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Melvin R Duvall
- Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Yanbin Yin
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
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47
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Arc E, Pichrtová M, Kranner I, Holzinger A. Pre-akinete formation in Zygnema sp. from polar habitats is associated with metabolite re-arrangement. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:3314-3322. [PMID: 32147713 PMCID: PMC7289716 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
In streptophytic green algae in the genus Zygnema, pre-akinete formation is considered a key survival strategy under extreme environmental conditions in alpine and polar regions. The transition from young, dividing cells to pre-akinetes is associated with morphological changes and the accumulation of storage products. Understanding the underlying metabolic changes could provide insights into survival strategies in polar habitats. Here, GC-MS-based metabolite profiling was used to study the metabolic signature associated with pre-akinete formation in Zygnema sp. from polar regions under laboratory conditions, induced by water and nutrient depletion, or collected in the field. Light microscopy and TEM revealed drastic changes in chloroplast morphology and ultrastructure, degradation of starch grains, and accumulation of lipid bodies in pre-akinetes. Accordingly, the metabolite profiles upon pre-akinete formation reflected a gradual shift in metabolic activity. Compared with young cells, pre-akinetes showed an overall reduction in primary metabolites such as amino acids and intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, consistent with a lower metabolic turnover, while they accumulated lipids and oligosaccharides. Overall, the transition to the pre-akinete stage involves re-allocation of photosynthetically fixed energy into storage instead of growth, supporting survival of extreme environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erwann Arc
- University of Innsbruck, Department of Botany, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Martina Pichrtová
- Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Botany, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ilse Kranner
- University of Innsbruck, Department of Botany, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- University of Innsbruck, Department of Botany, Innsbruck, Austria
- Correspondence:
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48
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Buschmann H, Holzinger A. Understanding the algae to land plant transition. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:3241-3246. [PMID: 32529251 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
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49
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Becker B, Feng X, Yin Y, Holzinger A. Desiccation tolerance in streptophyte algae and the algae to land plant transition: evolution of LEA and MIP protein families within the Viridiplantae. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:3270-3278. [PMID: 32107542 PMCID: PMC7289719 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The present review summarizes the effects of desiccation in streptophyte green algae, as numerous experimental studies have been performed over the past decade particularly in the early branching streptophyte Klebsormidium sp. and the late branching Zygnema circumcarinatum. The latter genus gives its name to the Zygenmatophyceae, the sister group to land plants. For both organisms, transcriptomic investigations of desiccation stress are available, and illustrate a high variability in the stress response depending on the conditions and the strains used. However, overall, the responses of both organisms to desiccation stress are very similar to that of land plants. We highlight the evolution of two highly regulated protein families, the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins and the major intrinsic protein (MIP) family. Chlorophytes and streptophytes encode LEA4 and LEA5, while LEA2 have so far only been found in streptophyte algae, indicating an evolutionary origin in this group. Within the MIP family, a high transcriptomic regulation of a tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP) has been found for the first time outside the embryophytes in Z. circumcarinatum. The MIP family became more complex on the way to terrestrialization but simplified afterwards. These observations suggest a key role for water transport proteins in desiccation tolerance of streptophytes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xuehuan Feng
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Yanbin Yin
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- University of Innsbruck, Department of Botany, Innsbruck, Austria
- Correspondence:
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50
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Moody LA. Three-dimensional growth: a developmental innovation that facilitated plant terrestrialization. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2020; 133:283-290. [PMID: 32095969 PMCID: PMC7214384 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-020-01173-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
One of the most transformative events in the history of life on earth was the transition of plants from water to land approximately 470 million years ago. Within the Charophyte green algae, the closest living relatives of land plants, body plans have evolved from those that comprise simple unicells to those that are morphologically complex, large and multicellular. The Charophytes developed these broad ranging body plans by exploiting a range of one-dimensional and two-dimensional growth strategies to produce filaments, mats and branches. When plants were confronted with harsh conditions on land, they were required to make significant changes to the way they shaped their body plans. One of the fundamental developmental transitions that occurred was the evolution of three-dimensional growth and the acquisition of apical cells with three or more cutting faces. Plants subsequently developed a range of morphological adaptations (e.g. vasculature, roots, flowers, seeds) that enabled them to colonise progressively drier environments. 3D apical growth also evolved convergently in the brown algae, completely independently of the green lineage. This review summarises the evolving developmental complexities observed in the early divergent Charophytes all the way through to the earliest conquerors of land, and investigates 3D apical growth in the brown algae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Moody
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK.
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