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Arabidopsis PII Proteins Form Characteristic Foci in Chloroplasts Indicating Novel Properties in Protein Interaction and Degradation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222312666. [PMID: 34884470 PMCID: PMC8657445 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The PII protein is an evolutionary, highly conserved regulatory protein found in both bacteria and higher plants. In bacteria, it modulates the activity of several enzymes, transporters, and regulatory factors by interacting with them and thereby regulating important metabolic hubs, such as carbon/nitrogen homeostasis. More than two decades ago, the PII protein was characterized for the first time in plants, but its physiological role is still not sufficiently resolved. To gain more insights into the function of this protein, we investigated the interaction behavior of AtPII with candidate proteins by BiFC and FRET/FLIM in planta and with GFP/RFP traps in vitro. In the course of these studies, we found that AtPII interacts in chloroplasts with itself as well as with known interactors such as N-acetyl-L-glutamate kinase (NAGK) in dot-like aggregates, which we named PII foci. In these novel protein aggregates, AtPII also interacts with yet unknown partners, which are known to be involved in plastidic protein degradation. Further studies revealed that the C-terminal component of AtPII is crucial for the formation of PII foci. Altogether, the discovery and description of PII foci indicate a novel mode of interaction between PII proteins and other proteins in plants. These findings may represent a new starting point for the elucidation of physiological functions of PII proteins in plants.
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Selim KA, Ermilova E, Forchhammer K. From cyanobacteria to Archaeplastida: new evolutionary insights into PII signalling in the plant kingdom. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 227:722-731. [PMID: 32077495 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The PII superfamily consists of signal transduction proteins found in all domains of life. Canonical PII proteins sense the cellular energy state through the competitive binding of ATP and ADP, and carbon/nitrogen balance through 2-oxoglutarate binding. The ancestor of Archaeplastida inherited its PII signal transduction protein from an ancestral cyanobacterial endosymbiont. Over the course of evolution, plant PII proteins acquired a glutamine-sensing C-terminal extension, subsequently present in all Chloroplastida PII proteins. The PII proteins of various algal strains (red, green and nonphotosynthetic algae) have been systematically investigated with respect to their sensory and regulatory properties. Comparisons of the PII proteins from different phyla of oxygenic phototrophs (cyanobacteria, red algae, Chlorophyta and higher plants) have yielded insights into their evolutionary conservation vs adaptive properties. The highly conserved role of the controlling enzyme of arginine biosynthesis, N-acetyl-l-glutamate kinase (NAGK), as a main PII-interactor has been demonstrated across oxygenic phototrophs of cyanobacteria and Archaeplastida. In addition, the PII signalling system of red algae has been identified as an evolutionary intermediate between that of Cyanobacteria and Chloroplastida. In this review, we consider recent advances in understanding metabolic signalling by PII proteins of the plant kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A Selim
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Elena Ermilova
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, Saint-Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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Llebrés MT, Pascual MB, Valle C, de la Torre FN, Valderrama-Martin JM, Gómez L, Avila C, Cánovas FM. Structural and Functional Characteristics of Two Molecular Variants of the Nitrogen Sensor PII in Maritime Pine. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:823. [PMID: 32612622 PMCID: PMC7308587 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
High levels of nitrogen are stored as arginine during the last stages of seed formation in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton). The protein sensor PII regulates the feedback inhibition of arginine biosynthesis through interaction with the key enzyme N-acetylglutamate kinase (NAGK). In this study, the structural and functional characteristics of PII have been investigated in maritime pine to get insights into the regulation of arginine metabolism. Two different forms of PII have been identified, PpPIIa and PpPIIb, which differ in their amino acid sequence and most likely correspond to splicing variants of a single gene in the pine genome. Two PII variants are also present in other pine species but not in other conifers such as spruces. PpPIIa and PpPIIb are trimeric proteins for which structural modeling predicts similar tridimensional protein core structures. Both are located in the chloroplast, where the PII-target enzyme PpNAGK is also found. PpPIIa, PpPIIb, and PpNAGK have been recombinantly produced to investigate the formation of NAGK-PII complexes. The interaction of PpPIIa/PpPIIb and PpNAGK may be enhanced by glutamine and contribute to relieve the feedback inhibition of PpNAGK by arginine. Expression analysis of PpPII genes revealed that PpIIa transcripts were predominant during embryogenesis and germination. The potential roles of PpPIIa and PpPIIb in the regulation of arginine metabolism of maritime pine are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Teresa Llebrés
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - María Belén Pascual
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Carolina Valle
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Fernando N. de la Torre
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - José Miguel Valderrama-Martin
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Luis Gómez
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Campus de Excelencia Internacional de Montegancedo, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Concepción Avila
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Francisco M. Cánovas
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
- *Correspondence: Francisco M. Cánovas,
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Costa JM, Marques da Silva J, Pinheiro C, Barón M, Mylona P, Centritto M, Haworth M, Loreto F, Uzilday B, Turkan I, Oliveira MM. Opportunities and Limitations of Crop Phenotyping in Southern European Countries. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1125. [PMID: 31608085 PMCID: PMC6774291 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot dry summers and frequent droughts. Mediterranean crops are frequently subjected to high evapotranspiration demands, soil water deficits, high temperatures, and photo-oxidative stress. These conditions will become more severe due to global warming which poses major challenges to the sustainability of the agricultural sector in Mediterranean countries. Selection of crop varieties adapted to future climatic conditions and more tolerant to extreme climatic events is urgently required. Plant phenotyping is a crucial approach to address these challenges. High-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) helps to monitor the performance of improved genotypes and is one of the most effective strategies to improve the sustainability of agricultural production. In spite of the remarkable progress in basic knowledge and technology of plant phenotyping, there are still several practical, financial, and political constraints to implement HTPP approaches in field and controlled conditions across the Mediterranean. The European panorama of phenotyping is heterogeneous and integration of phenotyping data across different scales and translation of "phytotron research" to the field, and from model species to crops, remain major challenges. Moreover, solutions specifically tailored to Mediterranean agriculture (e.g., crops and environmental stresses) are in high demand, as the region is vulnerable to climate change and to desertification processes. The specific phenotyping requirements of Mediterranean crops have not yet been fully identified. The high cost of HTPP infrastructures is a major limiting factor, though the limited availability of skilled personnel may also impair its implementation in Mediterranean countries. We propose that the lack of suitable phenotyping infrastructures is hindering the development of new Mediterranean agricultural varieties and will negatively affect future competitiveness of the agricultural sector. We provide an overview of the heterogeneous panorama of phenotyping within Mediterranean countries, describing the state of the art of agricultural production, breeding initiatives, and phenotyping capabilities in five countries: Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. We characterize some of the main impediments for development of plant phenotyping in those countries and identify strategies to overcome barriers and maximize the benefits of phenotyping and modeling approaches to Mediterranean agriculture and related sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jorge Marques da Silva
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculty of Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carla Pinheiro
- FCT NOVA, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Monte da Caparica, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Matilde Barón
- Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Photini Mylona
- HAO-DEMETER, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Thermi, Greece
| | - Mauro Centritto
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, Italian National Research Council (IPSP-CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Loreto
- Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences, CNR, Rome, Italy
| | - Baris Uzilday
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, I˙zmir, Turkey
| | - Ismail Turkan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, I˙zmir, Turkey
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Zhao C, Zhang Y, Du J, Guo X, Wen W, Gu S, Wang J, Fan J. Crop Phenomics: Current Status and Perspectives. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:714. [PMID: 31214228 PMCID: PMC6557228 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Reliable, automatic, multifunctional, and high-throughput phenotypic technologies are increasingly considered important tools for rapid advancement of genetic gain in breeding programs. With the rapid development in high-throughput phenotyping technologies, research in this area is entering a new era called 'phenomics.' The crop phenotyping community not only needs to build a multi-domain, multi-level, and multi-scale crop phenotyping big database, but also to research technical systems for phenotypic traits identification and develop bioinformatics technologies for information extraction from the overwhelming amounts of omics data. Here, we provide an overview of crop phenomics research, focusing on two parts, from phenotypic data collection through various sensors to phenomics analysis. Finally, we discussed the challenges and prospective of crop phenomics in order to provide suggestions to develop new methods of mining genes associated with important agronomic traits, and propose new intelligent solutions for precision breeding.
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