Integrated proteome and metabolite analysis of the de-etiolation process in plastids from rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Acetylation proteomics and metabolomics analyses reveal the involvement of starch synthase undergoing acetylation modification during UV-B stress resistance in Rhododendron Chrysanthum Pall

BACKGROUND

Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. (R. chrysanthum) is a plant that lives in high mountain with strong UV-B radiation, so R. chrysanthum possess resistance to UV-B radiation. The process of stress resistance in plants is closely related to metabolism. Lysine acetylation is an important post-translational modification, and this modification process is involved in a variety of biological processes, and affected the expression of enzymes in metabolic processes. However, little is known about acetylation proteomics during UV-B stress resistance in R. chrysanthum.

RESULTS

In this study, R. chrysanthum OJIP curves indicated that UV-B stress damaged the receptor side of the PSII reaction center, with a decrease in photosynthesis, a decrease in sucrose content and an increase in starch content. A total of 807 differentially expressed proteins, 685 differentially acetylated proteins and 945 acetylation sites were identified by quantitative proteomic and acetylation modification histological analysis. According to COG and subcellular location analyses, DEPs with post-translational modification of proteins and carbohydrate metabolism had important roles in resistance to UV-B stress and DEPs were concentrated in chloroplasts. KEGG analyses showed that DEPs were enriched in starch and sucrose metabolic pathways. Analysis of acetylation modification histology showed that the enzymes in the starch and sucrose metabolic pathways underwent acetylation modification and the modification levels were up-regulated. Further analysis showed that only GBSS and SSGBSS changed to DEPs after undergoing acetylation modification. Metabolomics analyses showed that the metabolite content of starch and sucrose metabolism in R. chrysanthum under UV-B stress.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased photosynthesis in R. chrysanthum under UV-B stress, which in turn affects starch and sucrose metabolism. In starch synthesis, GBSS undergoes acetylation modification and the level is upregulated, promotes starch synthesis, making R. chrysanthum resistant to UV-B stress.

Understanding protein import in diverse non-green plastids

The spectacular diversity of plastids in non-green organs such as flowers, fruits, roots, tubers, and senescing leaves represents a Universe of metabolic processes in higher plants that remain to be completely characterized. The endosymbiosis of the plastid and the subsequent export of the ancestral cyanobacterial genome to the nuclear genome, and adaptation of the plants to all types of environments has resulted in the emergence of diverse and a highly orchestrated metabolism across the plant kingdom that is entirely reliant on a complex protein import and translocation system. The TOC and TIC translocons, critical for importing nuclear-encoded proteins into the plastid stroma, remain poorly resolved, especially in the case of TIC. From the stroma, three core pathways (cpTat, cpSec, and cpSRP) may localize imported proteins to the thylakoid. Non-canonical routes only utilizing TOC also exist for the insertion of many inner and outer membrane proteins, or in the case of some modified proteins, a vesicular import route. Understanding this complex protein import system is further compounded by the highly heterogeneous nature of transit peptides, and the varying transit peptide specificity of plastids depending on species and the developmental and trophic stage of the plant organs. Computational tools provide an increasingly sophisticated means of predicting protein import into highly diverse non-green plastids across higher plants, which need to be validated using proteomics and metabolic approaches. The myriad plastid functions enable higher plants to interact and respond to all kinds of environments. Unraveling the diversity of non-green plastid functions across the higher plants has the potential to provide knowledge that will help in developing climate resilient crops.

Subcellular Proteomics as a Unified Approach of Experimental Localizations and Computed Prediction Data for Arabidopsis and Crop Plants

In eukaryotic organisms, subcellular protein location is critical in defining protein function and understanding sub-functionalization of gene families. Some proteins have defined locations, whereas others have low specificity targeting and complex accumulation patterns. There is no single approach that can be considered entirely adequate for defining the in vivo location of all proteins. By combining evidence from different approaches, the strengths and weaknesses of different technologies can be estimated, and a location consensus can be built. The Subcellular Location of Proteins in Arabidopsis database ( http://suba.live/ ) combines experimental data sets that have been reported in the literature and is analyzing these data to provide useful tools for biologists to interpret their own data. Foremost among these tools is a consensus classifier (SUBAcon) that computes a proposed location for all proteins based on balancing the experimental evidence and predictions. Further tools analyze sets of proteins to define the abundance of cellular structures. Extending these types of resources to plant crop species has been complex due to polyploidy, gene family expansion and contraction, and the movement of pathways and processes within cells across the plant kingdom. The Crop Proteins of Annotated Location database ( http://crop-pal.org/ ) has developed a range of subcellular location resources including a species-specific voting consensus for 12 plant crop species that offers collated evidence and filters for current crop proteomes akin to SUBA. Comprehensive cross-species comparison of these data shows that the sub-cellular proteomes (subcellulomes) depend only to some degree on phylogenetic relationship and are more conserved in major biosynthesis than in metabolic pathways. Together SUBA and cropPAL created reference subcellulomes for plants as well as species-specific subcellulomes for cross-species data mining. These data collections are increasingly used by the research community to provide a subcellular protein location layer, inform models of compartmented cell function and protein-protein interaction network, guide future molecular crop breeding strategies, or simply answer a specific question-where is my protein of interest inside the cell?

A multifaceted analysis reveals two distinct phases of chloroplast biogenesis during de-etiolation in Arabidopsis

Light triggers chloroplast differentiation whereby the etioplast transforms into a photosynthesizing chloroplast and the thylakoid rapidly emerges. However, the sequence of events during chloroplast differentiation remains poorly understood. Using Serial Block Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF-SEM), we generated a series of chloroplast 3D reconstructions during differentiation, revealing chloroplast number and volume and the extent of envelope and thylakoid membrane surfaces. Furthermore, we used quantitative lipid and whole proteome data to complement the (ultra)structural data, providing a time-resolved, multi-dimensional description of chloroplast differentiation. This showed two distinct phases of chloroplast biogenesis: an initial photosynthesis-enabling 'Structure Establishment Phase' followed by a 'Chloroplast Proliferation Phase' during cell expansion. Moreover, these data detail thylakoid membrane expansion during de-etiolation at the seedling level and the relative contribution and differential regulation of proteins and lipids at each developmental stage. Altogether, we establish a roadmap for chloroplast differentiation, a critical process for plant photoautotrophic growth and survival.

Transcriptome Analyses of Two Citrus Cultivars (Shiranuhi and Huangguogan) in Seedling Etiolation

Citrus species are among the most important fruit crops. However, gene regulation and signaling pathways related to etiolation in this crop remain unknown. Using Illumina sequencing technology, modification of global gene expression in two hybrid citrus cultivars—Huangguogan and Shiranuhi, respectively—were investigated. More than 834.16 million clean reads and 125.12 Gb of RNA-seq data were obtained, more than 91.37% reads had a quality score of Q30. 124,952 unigenes were finally generated with a mean length of 1,189 bp. 79.15%, 84.35%, 33.62%, 63.12%, 57.67%, 57.99% and 37.06% of these unigenes had been annotated in NR, NT, KO, SwissProt, PFAM, GO and KOG databases, respectively. Further, we identified 604 differentially expressed genes in multicoloured and etiolated seedlings of Shiranuhi, including 180 up-regulated genes and 424 down-regulated genes. While in Huangguogan, we found 1,035 DEGs, 271 of which were increasing and the others were decreasing. 7 DEGs were commonly up-regulated, and 59 DEGs down-regulated in multicoloured and etiolated seedlings of these two cultivars, suggesting that some genes play fundamental roles in two hybrid citrus seedlings during etiolation. Our study is the first to provide the transcriptome sequence resource for seedlings etiolation of Shiranuhi and Huangguogan.

Towards understanding the evolution and functional diversification of DNA-containing plant organelles

Plastids and mitochondria derive from prokaryotic symbionts that lost most of their genes after the establishment of endosymbiosis. In consequence, relatively few of the thousands of different proteins in these organelles are actually encoded there. Most are now specified by nuclear genes. The most direct way to reconstruct the evolutionary history of plastids and mitochondria is to sequence and analyze their relatively small genomes. However, understanding the functional diversification of these organelles requires the identification of their complete protein repertoires – which is the ultimate goal of organellar proteomics. In the meantime, judicious combination of proteomics-based data with analyses of nuclear genes that include interspecies comparisons and/or predictions of subcellular location is the method of choice. Such genome-wide approaches can now make use of the entire sequences of plant nuclear genomes that have emerged since 2000. Here I review the results of these attempts to reconstruct the evolution and functions of plant DNA-containing organelles, focusing in particular on data from nuclear genomes. In addition, I discuss proteomic approaches to the direct identification of organellar proteins and briefly refer to ongoing research on non-coding nuclear DNAs of organellar origin (specifically, nuclear mitochondrial DNA and nuclear plastid DNA).

Transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolic changes in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves after the onset of illumination

BACKGROUND

Light plays an important role in plant growth and development. In this study, the impact of light on physiology of 20-d-old Arabidopsis leaves was examined through transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analysis. Since the energy-generating electron transport chains in chloroplasts and mitochondria are encoded by both nuclear and organellar genomes, sequencing total RNA after removal of ribosomal RNAs provides essential information on transcription of organellar genomes. The changes in the levels of ADP, ATP, NADP(+), NADPH and 41 metabolites upon illumination were also quantified.

RESULTS

Upon illumination, while the transcription of the genes encoded by the plastid genome did not change significantly, the transcription of nuclear genes encoding different functional complexes in the photosystem are differentially regulated whereas members of the same complex are co-regulated with each other. The abundance of mRNAs and proteins encoded by all three genomes are, however, not always positively correlated. One such example is the negative correlation between mRNA and protein abundances of the photosystem components, which reflects the importance of post-transcriptional regulation in plant physiology.

CONCLUSION

This study provides systems-wide datasets which allow plant researchers to examine the changes in leaf transcriptomes, proteomes and key metabolites upon illumination and to determine whether there are any correlations between changes in transcript and protein abundances of a particular gene or pathway upon illumination. The integration of data of the organelles and the photosystems, Calvin-Benson cycle, carbohydrate metabolism, glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and respiratory chain, thereby provides a more complete picture to the changes in plant physiology upon illumination than has been attained to date.

Differential Molecular Responses of Rapeseed Cotyledons to Light and Dark Reveal Metabolic Adaptations toward Autotrophy Establishment

Photosynthesis competent autotrophy is established during the postgerminative stage of plant growth. Among the multiple factors, light plays a decisive role in the switch from heterotrophic to autotrophic growth. Under dark conditions, the rapeseed hypocotyl extends quickly with an apical hook, and the cotyledon is yellow and folded, and maintains high levels of the isocitrate lyase (ICL). By contrast, in the light, the hypocotyl extends slowly, the cotyledon unfolds and turns green, the ICL content changes in parallel with cotyledon greening. To reveal metabolic adaptations during the establishment of postgerminative autotrophy in rapeseed, we conducted comparative proteomic and metabolomic analyses of the cotyledons of seedlings grown under light versus dark conditions. Under both conditions, the increase in proteases, fatty acid β-oxidation and glyoxylate-cycle related proteins was accompanied by rapid degradation of the stored proteins and lipids with an accumulation of the amino acids. While light condition partially retarded these conversions. Light significantly induced the expression of chlorophyll-binding and photorespiration related proteins, resulting in an increase in reducing-sugars. However, the levels of some chlorophyllide conversion, Calvin-cycle and photorespiration related proteins also accumulated in dark grown cotyledons, implying that the transition from heterotrophy to autotrophy is programmed in the seed rather than induced by light. Various anti-stress systems, e.g., redox related proteins, salicylic acid, proline and chaperones, were employed to decrease oxidative stress, which was mainly derived from lipid oxidation or photorespiration, under both conditions. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the differential molecular responses of rapeseed cotyledons to light and dark conditions, which will facilitate further study on the complex mechanism underlying the transition from heterotrophy to autotrophy.

Finding the Subcellular Location of Barley, Wheat, Rice and Maize Proteins: The Compendium of Crop Proteins with Annotated Locations (cropPAL)

Barley, wheat, rice and maize provide the bulk of human nutrition and have extensive industrial use as agricultural products. The genomes of these crops each contains >40,000 genes encoding proteins; however, the major genome databases for these species lack annotation information of protein subcellular location for >80% of these gene products. We address this gap, by constructing the compendium of crop protein subcellular locations called crop Proteins with Annotated Locations (cropPAL). Subcellular location is most commonly determined by fluorescent protein tagging of live cells or mass spectrometry detection in subcellular purifications, but can also be predicted from amino acid sequence or protein expression patterns. The cropPAL database collates 556 published studies, from >300 research institutes in >30 countries that have been previously published, as well as compiling eight pre-computed subcellular predictions for all Hordeum vulgare, Triticum aestivum, Oryza sativa and Zea mays protein sequences. The data collection including metadata for proteins and published studies can be accessed through a search portal http://crop-PAL.org. The subcellular localization information housed in cropPAL helps to depict plant cells as compartmentalized protein networks that can be investigated for improving crop yield and quality, and developing new biotechnological solutions to agricultural challenges.

Functions of plastid protein import and the ubiquitin-proteasome system in plastid development

Plastids, such as chloroplasts, are widely distributed endosymbiotic organelles in plants and algae. Apart from their well-known functions in photosynthesis, they have roles in processes as diverse as signal sensing, fruit ripening, and seed development. As most plastid proteins are produced in the cytosol, plastids have developed dedicated translocon machineries for protein import, comprising the TOC (translocon at the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts) and TIC (translocon at the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts) complexes. Multiple lines of evidence reveal that protein import via the TOC complex is actively regulated, based on the specific interplay between distinct receptor isoforms and diverse client proteins. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of protein import regulation, particularly in relation to control by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), and how such regulation changes plastid development. The diversity of plastid import receptors (and of corresponding preprotein substrates) has a determining role in plastid differentiation and interconversion. The controllable turnover of TOC components by the UPS influences the developmental fate of plastids, which is fundamentally linked to plant development. Understanding the mechanisms by which plastid protein import is controlled is critical to the development of breakthrough approaches to increase the yield, quality and stress tolerance of important crop plants, which are highly dependent on plastid development. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Chloroplast Biogenesis.

New insights into the mechanism of chloroplast protein import and its integration with protein quality control, organelle biogenesis and development

The translocons at the outer (TOC) and the inner (TIC) envelope membranes of chloroplasts mediate the targeting and import of several thousand nucleus-encoded preproteins that are required for organelle biogenesis and homeostasis. The cytosolic events in preprotein targeting remain largely unknown, although cytoplasmic chaperones have been proposed to facilitate delivery to the TOC complex. Preprotein recognition is mediated by the TOC GTPase receptors Toc159 and Toc34. The receptors constitute a GTP-regulated switch, which initiates membrane translocation via Toc75, a member of the Omp85 (outer membrane protein 85)/TpsB (two-partner secretion system B) family of bacterial, plastid and mitochondrial β-barrel outer membrane proteins. The TOC receptor systems have diversified to recognize distinct sets of preproteins, thereby maximizing the efficiency of targeting in response to changes in gene expression during developmental and physiological events that impact organelle function. The TOC complex interacts with the TIC translocon to allow simultaneous translocation of preproteins across the envelope. Both the two inner membrane complexes, the Tic110 and 1 MDa complexes, have been implicated as constituents of the TIC translocon, and it remains to be determined how they interact to form the TIC channel and assemble the import-associated chaperone network in the stroma that drives import across the envelope membranes. This review will focus on recent developments in our understanding of the mechanisms and diversity of the TOC-TIC systems. Our goal is to incorporate these recent studies with previous work and present updated or revised models for the function of TOC-TIC in protein import.

Differential plant proteome analysis by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)

Protein relative quantitation is one of the main targets in many proteomic experiments. Among the range of techniques available for both top-down and bottom-up approaches, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) have gained positions within the top-rank techniques used for this purpose in the recent years. Briefly, each iTRAQ reagent consists of three different components: a reporter group (with a variable mass in the range of 114-117 amu), a balance group, and an amino-reactive group. The isobaric nature of iTRAQ-labeled peptides adds a signal to every peptide in the sample which is detectable in both MS and MS/MS spectra, thus enhancing the sensitivity of detection. During MS/MS, the reporter groups are released as singly charged ions with m/z ratios ranking from 114 to 117 amu, visible in the low mass region of MS/MS spectra. The iTRAQ technology can be used to analyze up to four different samples using the 4-plex kit (reporter groups 114-115 amu) or can be scaled up to eight different samples using the 8-plex kit (reporter groups 113-121 amu). In this chapter, we focus on the experimental procedures typically using 4-plex labeling, including tips leading to successful application of iTRAQ technology for the analysis of plant protein mixtures.

Proteome analysis of plastids from developing seeds of Jatropha curcas L

In this study, we performed a proteomic analysis of plastids isolated from the endosperm of developing Jatropha curcas seeds that were in the initial stage of deposition of protein and lipid reserves. Proteins extracted from the plastids were digested with trypsin, and the peptides were applied to an EASY-nano LC system coupled inline to an ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap Velos mass spectrometer, and this led to the identification of 1103 proteins representing 804 protein groups, of which 923 proteins were considered as true identifications, and this considerably expands the repertoire of J. curcas proteins identified so far. Of the identified proteins, only five are encoded in the plastid genome, and none of them are involved in photosynthesis, evidentiating the nonphotosynthetic nature of the isolated plastids. Homologues for 824 out of 923 identified proteins were present in PPDB, SUBA, or PlProt databases while homologues for 13 proteins were not found in any of the three plastid proteins databases but were marked as plastidial by at least one of the three prediction programs used. Functional classification showed that proteins belonging to amino acids metabolism comprise the main functional class, followed by carbohydrate, energy, and lipid metabolisms. The small and large subunits of Rubisco were identified, and their presence in the plastids is considered to be an adaptive feature counterbalancing for the loss of one-third of the carbon as CO2 as a result of the conversion of carbohydrate to oil through glycolysis. While several enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of several precursors of diterpenoids were identified, we were unable to identify any terpene synthase/cyclase, which suggests that the plastids isolated from the endosperm of developing seeds do not synthesize phorbol esters. In conclusion, our study provides insights into the major biosynthetic pathways and certain unique features of the plastids from the endosperm of developing seeds at the whole proteome level.

Proteomic analysis of dark response in Arabidopsis cell suspension cultures

Despite intense research on light responses in plants, the consequences of a simple shift from light to darkness are largely unexplored. In this research, the physiological outcome and proteomic changes in Arabidopsis cell suspension cultures after switching from light to total darkness were examined. Deprivation of light led to a visible loss of chlorophyll and failure to develop functional chloroplasts that are present in light-grown cells. This response was accompanied by a significant increase in the cell multiplication rate, most likely due to decreased formation of the damaging reactive oxygen species in the dark. Additionally, there were significant changes in the abundance of 46 protein spots (mostly assigned to chloroplasts, mitochondria and membranes) which were resolved by two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometric analysis. All identified chloroplast proteins were down-regulated in response to sustained darkness. In contrast, all differentially expressed proteins associated with cell wall biosynthesis were up-regulated by the dark treatment. Changes in the levels of these proteins were consistent with the observed morphological and physiological changes of the cells. These results reveal a comprehensive picture of the dark response in Arabidopsis cells and provide a useful platform for further characterization of gene function and regulation in plant responses to light.

Combined elicitation of methyl-jasmonate and red light on stilbene and anthocyanin biosynthesis

Vitis vinifera cell suspensions are a suitable system to study the metabolic regulation of a large range of polyphenols, including flavonoids and stilbenes that play important roles in plant development. Grape cv. Barbera petioles cell cultures were treated with red light and 10 μM methyl-jasmonate (MeJA), alone or in combination, to investigate their influence and/or induction effect on the production of anthocyanins, catechins and free and mono-glucosylated stilbenes. The synthesis of total anthocyanins was slightly decreased by red light alone, while MeJA and MeJA plus red light increased the levels of these metabolites. When compared to the relative controls, the red light treatment decreased the amount of catechins and increased their release in the culture medium, while MeJA alone or in combination with red light increased their production. Red light treatment generally enhanced the amount of free and mono-glucosylated stilbenes during the entire observation period, as well as the percentage of their release in the media. Treatment with MeJA strongly promoted the production of total stilbenes, which was further elicited by the MeJA plus red light treatment. During the combined treatment, the presence of the light stimulus improved the effect of MeJA by anticipating the maximum increase of stilbenes which were also largely released (up to 90%). These results demonstrate that, in grapevine, as in other plant systems, the change of conditions in which the MeJA stimulus is perceived (e.g. going from total white to red light) drastically modifies the plant response to this hormone. The present paper confirms that the jasmonate transduction pathway is integrated into an elaborate signaling network that also comprehends the red light signaling pathway.

2-D DIGE analysis of UV-C radiation-responsive proteins in globe artichoke leaves

Plants respond to ultraviolet stress inducing a self-defence through the regulation of specific gene family members. The UV acclimation is the result of biochemical and physiological processes, such as enhancement of the antioxidant enzymatic system and accumulation of UV-absorbing phenolic compounds (e.g. flavonoids). Globe artichoke is an attractive species for studying the protein network involved in UV stress response, being characterized by remarkable levels of inducible antioxidants. Proteomic tools can assist the evaluation of the expression patterns of UV-responsive proteins and we applied the difference in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) technology for monitoring the globe artichoke proteome variation at four time points following an acute UV-C exposure. A total of 145 UV-C-modulated proteins were observed and 119 were identified by LC-MS/MS using a ∼144,000 customized Compositae protein database, which included about 19,000 globe artichoke unigenes. Proteins were Gene Ontology (GO) categorized, visualized on their pathways and their behaviour was discussed. A predicted protein interaction network was produced and highly connected hub-like proteins were highlighted. Most of the proteins differentially modulated were chloroplast located, involved in photosynthesis, sugar metabolisms, protein folding and abiotic stress. The identification of UV-C-responsive proteins may contribute to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to UV stress.

The Plastid Outer Envelope - A Highly Dynamic Interface between Plastid and Cytoplasm

Plastids are the defining organelles of all photosynthetic eukaryotes. They are the site of photosynthesis and of a large number of other essential metabolic pathways, such as fatty acid and amino acid biosyntheses, sulfur and nitrogen assimilation, and aromatic and terpenoid compound production, to mention only a few examples. The metabolism of plastids is heavily intertwined and connected with that of the surrounding cytosol, thus causing massive traffic of metabolic precursors, intermediates, and products. Two layers of biological membranes that are called the inner (IE) and the outer (OE) plastid envelope membranes bound the plastids of Archaeplastida. While the IE is generally accepted as the osmo-regulatory barrier between cytosol and stroma, the OE was considered to represent an unspecific molecular sieve, permeable for molecules of up to 10 kDa. However, after the discovery of small substrate specific pores in the OE, this view has come under scrutiny. In addition to controlling metabolic fluxes between plastid and cytosol, the OE is also crucial for protein import into the chloroplast. It contains the receptors and translocation channel of the TOC complex that is required for the canonical post-translational import of nuclear-encoded, plastid-targeted proteins. Further, the OE is a metabolically active compartment of the chloroplast, being involved in, e.g., fatty acid metabolism and membrane lipid production. Also, recent findings hint on the OE as a defense platform against several biotic and abiotic stress conditions, such as cold acclimation, freezing tolerance, and phosphate deprivation. Moreover, dynamic non-covalent interactions between the OE and the endomembrane system are thought to play important roles in lipid and non-canonical protein trafficking between plastid and endoplasmic reticulum. While proteomics and bioinformatics has provided us with comprehensive but still incomplete information on proteins localized in the plastid IE, the stroma, and the thylakoids, our knowledge of the protein composition of the plastid OE is far from complete. In this article, we report on the recent progress in discovering novel OE proteins to draw a conclusive picture of the OE. A "parts list" of the plastid OE will be presented, using data generated by proteomics of plastids isolated from various plant sources.