Cold-Adapted Protein Kinases and Thylakoid Remodeling Impact Energy Distribution in an Antarctic Psychrophile

The Antarctic psychrophile Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241 evolved in a permanently ice-covered lake whose aquatic environment is characterized not only by constant low temperature and high salt but also by low light during the austral summer coupled with 6 months of complete darkness during the austral winter. Since the UWO241 genome indicated the presence of Stt7 and Stl1 protein kinases, we examined protein phosphorylation and the state transition phenomenon in this psychrophile. Light-dependent [γ-33P]ATP labeling of thylakoid membranes from Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241 exhibited a distinct low temperature-dependent phosphorylation pattern compared to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii despite comparable levels of the Stt7 protein kinase. The sequence and structure of the UWO241 Stt7 kinase domain exhibits substantial alterations, which we suggest predisposes it to be more active at low temperature. Comparative purification of PSII and PSI combined with digitonin fractionation of thylakoid membranes indicated that UWO241 altered its thylakoid membrane architecture and reorganized the distribution of PSI and PSII units between granal and stromal lamellae. Although UWO241 grown at low salt and low temperature exhibited comparable thylakoid membrane appression to that of C. reinhardtii at its optimal growth condition, UWO241 grown under its natural condition of high salt resulted in swelling of the thylakoid lumen. This was associated with an upregulation of PSI cyclic electron flow by 50% compared to growth at low salt. Due to the unique 77K fluorescence emission spectra of intact UWO241 cells, deconvolution was necessary to detect enhancement in energy distribution between PSII and PSI, which was sensitive to the redox state of the plastoquinone pool and to the NaCl concentrations of the growth medium. We conclude that a reorganization of PSII and PSI in UWO241 results in a unique state transition phenomenon that is associated with altered protein phosphorylation and enhanced PSI cyclic electron flow. These data are discussed with respect to a possible PSII-PSI energy spillover mechanism that regulates photosystem energy partitioning and quenching.

Characterization of photosynthetic ferredoxin from the Antarctic alga Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241 reveals novel features of cold adaptation

The objective of this work was to characterize photosynthetic ferredoxin from the Antarctic green alga Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241, a key enzyme involved in distributing photosynthetic reducing power. We hypothesize that ferredoxin possesses characteristics typical of cold-adapted enzymes, namely increased structural flexibility and high activity at low temperatures, accompanied by low stability at moderate temperatures. To address this objective, we purified ferredoxin from UWO241 and characterized the temperature dependence of its enzymatic activity and protein conformation. The UWO241 ferredoxin protein, RNA, and DNA sequences were compared with homologous sequences from related organisms. We provide evidence for the duplication of the main ferredoxin gene in the UWO241 nuclear genome and the presence of two highly similar proteins. Ferredoxin from UWO241 has both high activity at low temperatures and high stability at moderate temperatures, representing a novel class of cold-adapted enzymes. Our study reveals novel insights into how photosynthesis functions in the cold. The presence of two distinct ferredoxin proteins in UWO241 could provide an adaptive advantage for survival at cold temperatures. The primary amino acid sequence of ferredoxin is highly conserved among photosynthetic species, and we suggest that subtle differences in sequence can lead to significant changes in activity at low temperatures.

Resolving the phylogenetic relationship between Chlamydomonas sp. UWO 241 and Chlamydomonas raudensis sag 49.72 (Chlorophyceae) with nuclear and plastid DNA sequences

The Antarctic psychrophilic green alga Chlamy-domonas sp. UWO 241 is an emerging model for studying microbial adaptation to polar environments. However, little is known about its evolutionary history and its phylogenetic relationship with other chlamydomonadalean algae is equivocal. Here, we attempt to clarify the phylogenetic position of UWO 241, specifically with respect to Chlamydomonas rau-densis SAG 49.72. Contrary to a previous report, we show that UWO 241 is a distinct species from SAG 49.72. Our phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and plastid DNA sequences reveal that UWO 241 represents a unique lineage within the Moewusinia clade (sensu Nakada) of the Chlamydomonadales (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta), closely affiliated to the marine species Chlamydomonas parkeae SAG 24.89.

PLASTICITY OF THE PSYCHROPHILIC GREEN ALGA CHLAMYDOMONAS RAUDENSIS (UWO 241) (CHLOROPHYTA) TO SUPRAOPTIMAL TEMPERATURE STRESS(1)

Chlamydomonas raudensis  H. Ettl (UWO 241) is a psychrophilic green alga endemic to Lake Bonney, Antarctica. The objective of this study was to investigate the response of UWO 241 to incubation at 24°C, a temperature close to optimum for related mesophilic species. Using chl a fluorescence analysis, shifting cells from a growth temperature of 10°C-24°C resulted in a decline in PSII photochemical efficiency with light energy being directed away from photochemistry and toward dissipative pathways. Using the SYTOX Green assay, it was determined that UWO 241 cells die when incubated at 24°C under growth irradiance with a half-time of 34.9 h. The role of light in cell death was minor as cell death occurred in darkness at 24°C with a half-time of 43.7 h. To examine the plasticity of UWO 241 to temperature stress, 10°C-grown cells were shifted to 24°C for 12 h and then returned to 10°C to recover. The 12 h incubation at 24°C, which resulted in <10% cell death, led to declines in both light-saturated rates of photosynthesis and respiration, PSII photochemistry and energy partitioning, and changes to transcript abundances-those associated with the light-harvesting protein of PSII and ferredoxin declining rapidly, whereas transcripts of specific heat-shock proteins (HSPs) increased. Within 24-48 h of being transferred back to 10°C, all parameters returned to levels occurring in 10°C-grown cells. This research shows, for the first time, that 24°C is a temperature that is lethal to UWO 241, and yet this organism displays considerable physiological and molecular plasticity.