Functional Analysis of a MATE Gene OsFRDL2 Revealed its Involvement in Al-Induced Secretion of Citrate, but a Lower Contribution to Al Tolerance in Rice
The multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) transporters represent a large transporter family in plants, but the role of most genes in this family has not been examined. We functionally characterized a MATE family member, OsFRDL2, in rice (Oryza sativa). OsFRDL2 showed an efflux transport activity for citrate when it was expressed in both Xenopus oocytes and cultured tobacco cells. OsFRDL2 was mainly expressed in the roots and its expression was not induced by iron (Fe) deficiency, but it was rapidly up-regulated by aluminum (Al). Furthermore, the expression of OsFRDL2 was regulated by ART1, a C2H2-type zinc-finger t...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Yokosho, K., Yamaji, N., Fujii-Kashino, M., Ma, J. F. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
Jasmonate-Responsive ERF Transcription Factors Regulate Steroidal Glycoalkaloid Biosynthesis in Tomato
Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) are cholesterol-derived specialized metabolites produced in species of the Solanaceae. Here, we report that a group of jasmonate-responsive transcription factors of the ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) family (JREs) are close homologs of alkaloid regulators in Cathranthus roseus and tobacco, and regulate production of SGAs in tomato. In transgenic tomato, overexpression and dominant suppression of JRE genes caused drastic changes in SGA accumulation and in the expression of genes for metabolic enzymes involved in the multistep pathway leading to SGA biosynthesis, including the upstream mevalon...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Thagun, C., Imanishi, S., Kudo, T., Nakabayashi, R., Ohyama, K., Mori, T., Kawamoto, K., Nakamura, Y., Katayama, M., Nonaka, S., Matsukura, C., Yano, K., Ezura, H., Saito, K., Hashimoto, T., Shoji, T. Tags: Rapid Papers Source Type: research
Abscisic Acid Participates in the Control of Cell Cycle Initiation Through Heme Homeostasis in the Unicellular Red Alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae
ABA is a phytohormone that is synthesized in response to abiotic stresses and other environmental changes, inducing various physiological responses. While ABA has been found in unicellular photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae, its function in these organisms is poorly understood. Here, we found that ABA accumulated in the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae under conditions of salt stress and that the cell cycle G1/S transition was inhibited when ABA was added to the culture medium. A gene encoding heme-scavenging tryptophan-rich sensory protein-related protein (CmTSPO; CMS231C) was...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Kobayashi, Y., Ando, H., Hanaoka, M., Tanaka, K. Tags: Rapid Papers Source Type: research
Growth Properties and Biomass Production in the Hybrid C4 Crop Sorghum bicolor
In this study, to find a clue to the enhancement of biomass production by heterosis, we systemically evaluated the effect of heterosis on the growth rate and photosynthetic efficiency in sorghum hybrid [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench cv. Tentaka] and its parental lines (restorer line and maintainer line). The final biomass of Tentaka was 10–14 times greater than that of the parental lines grown in an experimental field, but the relative growth rate during the vegetative growth stage did not differ. Tentaka exhibited a relatively enlarged leaf area with lower leaf nitrogen content per leaf area (Narea). When the plants w...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Tazoe, Y., Sazuka, T., Yamaguchi, M., Saito, C., Ikeuchi, M., Kanno, K., Kojima, S., Hirano, K., Kitano, H., Kasuga, S., Endo, T., Fukuda, H., Makino, A. Tags: Special Focus Issue - Regular Papers Source Type: research
Metabolic Network Constrains Gene Regulation of C4 Photosynthesis: The Case of Maize
Engineering C3 plants to increase their efficiency of carbon fixation as well as of nitrogen and water use simultaneously may be facilitated by understanding the mechanisms that underpin the C4 syndrome. Existing experimental studies have indicated that the emergence of the C4 syndrome requires co-ordination between several levels of cellular organization, from gene regulation to metabolism, across two co-operating cell systems—mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. Yet, determining the extent to which the structure of the C4 plant metabolic network may constrain gene expression remains unclear, although it will provide ...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Robaina-Estevez, S., Nikoloski, Z. Tags: Special Focus Issue - Regular Papers Source Type: research
Targeted Knockdown of GDCH in Rice Leads to a Photorespiratory-Deficient Phenotype Useful as a Building Block for C4 Rice
The glycine decarboxylase complex (GDC) plays a critical role in the photorespiratory C2 cycle of C3 species by recovering carbon following the oxygenation reaction of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Loss of GDC from mesophyll cells (MCs) is considered a key early step in the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. To assess the impact of preferentially reducing GDC in rice MCs, we decreased the abundance of OsGDCH (Os10g37180) using an artificial microRNA (amiRNA) driven by a promoter that preferentially drives expression in MCs. GDC H- and P-proteins were undetectable in leaves of gdch lines. Plants exhibited a ...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Lin, H., Karki, S., Coe, R. A., Bagha, S., Khoshravesh, R., Balahadia, C. P., Ver Sagun, J., Tapia, R., Israel, W. K., Montecillo, F., de Luna, A., Danila, F. R., Lazaro, A., Realubit, C. M., Acoba, M. G., Sage, T. L., von Caemmerer, S., Furbank, R. T., C Tags: Special Focus Issue - Regular Papers Source Type: research
Mesophyll Chloroplast Investment in C3, C4 and C2 Species of the Genus Flaveria
The mesophyll (M) cells of C4 plants contain fewer chloroplasts than observed in related C3 plants; however, it is uncertain where along the evolutionary transition from C3 to C4 that the reduction in M chloroplast number occurs. Using 18 species in the genus Flaveria, which contains C3, C4 and a range of C3–C4 intermediate species, we examined changes in chloroplast number and size per M cell, and positioning of chloroplasts relative to the M cell periphery. Chloroplast number and coverage of the M cell periphery declined in proportion to increasing strength of C4 metabolism in Flaveria, while chloroplast size incre...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Stata, M., Sage, T. L., Hoffmann, N., Covshoff, S., Ka-Shu Wong, G., Sage, R. F. Tags: Special Focus Issue - Regular Papers Source Type: research
Promotion of Cyclic Electron Transport Around Photosystem I with the Development of C4 Photosynthesis
C4 photosynthesis is present in approximately 7,500 species classified into 19 families, including monocots and eudicots. In the majority of documented cases, a two-celled CO2-concentrating system that uses a metabolic cycle of four-carbon compounds is employed. C4 photosynthesis repeatedly evolved from C3 photosynthesis, possibly driven by the survival advantages it bestows in the hot, often dry, and nutrient-poor soils of the tropics and subtropics. The development of the C4 metabolic cycle greatly increased the ATP demand in chloroplasts during the evolution of malic enzyme-type C4 photosynthesis, and the additional ATP...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Munekage, Y. N., Taniguchi, Y. Y. Tags: Special Focus Issue - Invited Mini Review Source Type: research
Starch Accumulation in the Bundle Sheaths of C3 Plants: A Possible Pre-Condition for C4 Photosynthesis
C4 plants have evolved >60 times from their C3 ancestors. C4 photosynthesis requires a set of closely co-ordinated anatomical and biochemical characteristics. However, it is now recognized that the evolution of C4 plants requires fewer changes than had ever been considered, because of the genetic, biochemical and anatomical pre-conditions of C3 ancestors that were recruited into C4 photosynthesis. Therefore, the pre-conditions in C3 plants are now being actively investigated to clarify the evolutionary trajectory from C3 to C4 plants and to engineer C4 traits efficiently into C3 crops. In the present mini review, the an...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Miyake, H. Tags: Special Focus Issue - Mini Reviews Source Type: research
The Road to C4 Photosynthesis: Evolution of a Complex Trait via Intermediary States
C4 photosynthesis enables high photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency as well as high nitrogen and water use efficiencies. Given the multitude of biochemical, structural and molecular changes in comparison with C3 photosynthesis, it appears unlikely that such a complex trait would evolve in a single step. C4 photosynthesis is therefore believed to have evolved from the ancestral C3 state via intermediary stages. Consequently, the identification and detailed characterization of plant species representing transitory states between C3 and C4 is important for the reconstruction of the sequence of evolutionary events, espe...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Schlüter, U., Weber, A. P. M. Tags: Special Focus Issue - Mini Reviews Source Type: research
Future Research into C4 Biology
(Source: Plant and Cell Physiology)
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - May 12, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Taniguchi, M., Weber, A. P. M., von Caemmerer, S. Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Photosystem II Assembly Steps Take Place in the Thylakoid Membrane of the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803
(Source: Plant and Cell Physiology)
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - April 18, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Selao, T. T., Zhang, L., Knoppovaa, J., Komenda, J., Norling, B. Tags: Corrigendum Source Type: research
Involvement of Potassium Transport Systems in the Response of Synechocystis PCC 6803 Cyanobacteria to External pH Change, High-Intensity Light Stress and Heavy Metal Stress
The unicellular photosynthetic cyanobacterium, able to survive in varying environments, is the only prokaryote that directly converts solar energy and CO2 into organic material and is thus relevant for primary production in many ecosystems. To maintain the intracellular and intrathylakoid ion homeostasis upon different environmental challenges, the concentration of potassium as a major intracellular cation has to be optimized by various K+ uptake-mediated transport systems. We reveal here the specific and concerted physiological function of three K+ transporters of the plasma and thylakoid membranes, namely of SynK (K+ cha...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - April 18, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Checchetto, V., Segalla, A., Sato, Y., Bergantino, E., Szabo, I., Uozumi, N. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
Haspin has Multiple Functions in the Plant Cell Division Regulatory Network
Progression of cell division is controlled by various mitotic kinases. In animal cells, phosphorylation of histone H3 at Thr3 by the kinase Haspin (haploid germ cell-specific nuclear protein kinase) promotes centromeric Aurora B localization to regulate chromosome segregation. However, less is known about the function of Haspin in regulatory networks in plant cells. Here, we show that inhibition of Haspin with 5-iodotubercidin (5-ITu) in Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cells delayed chromosome alignment. Haspin inhibition also prevented the centromeric localization of Aurora3 kinase (AUR3) and disrupted its function. This suggested...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - April 18, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Kozgunova, E., Suzuki, T., Ito, M., Higashiyama, T., Kurihara, D. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution and Functional Divergence of MYB Transcription Factors in Chinese White Pear (Pyrus bretschneideri)
In this study, we identified 231 genes as candidate MYB genes and divided them into four subfamilies. The R2R3-MYB (PbrMYB) family shared an R2R3 domain with 104 amino acid residues, including five conserved tryptophan residues. The PbrMYB family was divided into 37 functional subgroups including 33 subgroups which contained both MYB genesof Rosaceae plants and AtMYB genes, and four subgroups which included only Rosaceae MYB genes or AtMYB genes. PbrMYB genes with similar functions clustered into the same subgroup, indicating functional conservation. We also found that whole-genome duplication (WGD) and dispersed duplicati...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - April 18, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Li, X., Xue, C., Li, J., Qiao, X., Li, L., Yu, L., Huang, Y., Wu, J. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
