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Carmo-Silva E, Page R, Marsden CJ, Gjindali A, Orr DJ. Extraction of Soluble Proteins from Leaves. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2790:391-404. [PMID: 38649582 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3790-6_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Protein biochemistry can provide valuable answers to better understand plant performance and responses to the surrounding environment. In this chapter, we describe the process of extracting proteins from plant leaf samples. We highlight the key aspects to take into consideration to preserve protein integrity, from sample collection to extraction and preparation or storage for subsequent analysis of protein abundance and/or enzymatic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rhiannon Page
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Armida Gjindali
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Douglas J Orr
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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Lin MT, Stone WD, Chaudhari V, Hanson MR. Small subunits can determine enzyme kinetics of tobacco Rubisco expressed in Escherichia coli. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:1289-1299. [PMID: 32929197 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-00761-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco) catalyses the first step in carbon fixation and is a strategic target for improving photosynthetic efficiency. In plants, Rubisco is composed of eight large and eight small subunits, and its biogenesis requires multiple chaperones. Here, we optimized a system to produce tobacco Rubisco in Escherichia coli by coexpressing chaperones in autoinduction medium. We successfully assembled tobacco Rubisco in E. coli with each small subunit that is normally encoded by the nuclear genome. Even though each enzyme carries only a single type of small subunit in E. coli, the enzymes exhibit carboxylation kinetics that are very similar to the carboxylation kinetics of the native Rubisco. Tobacco Rubisco assembled with a recently discovered trichome small subunit has a higher catalytic rate and a lower CO2 affinity compared with Rubisco complexes that are assembled with other small subunits. Our E. coli expression system will enable the analysis of features of both subunits of Rubisco that affect its kinetic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myat T Lin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - William D Stone
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Maureen R Hanson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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Goudet MMM, Orr DJ, Melkonian M, Müller KH, Meyer MT, Carmo-Silva E, Griffiths H. Rubisco and carbon-concentrating mechanism co-evolution across chlorophyte and streptophyte green algae. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 227:810-823. [PMID: 32249430 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Green algae expressing a carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) are usually associated with a Rubisco-containing micro-compartment, the pyrenoid. A link between the small subunit (SSU) of Rubisco and pyrenoid formation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has previously suggested that specific RbcS residues could explain pyrenoid occurrence in green algae. A phylogeny of RbcS was used to compare the protein sequence and CCM distribution across the green algae and positive selection in RbcS was estimated. For six streptophyte algae, Rubisco catalytic properties, affinity for CO2 uptake (K0.5 ), carbon isotope discrimination (δ13 C) and pyrenoid morphology were compared. The length of the βA-βB loop in RbcS provided a phylogenetic marker discriminating chlorophyte from streptophyte green algae. Rubisco kinetic properties in streptophyte algae have responded to the extent of inducible CCM activity, as indicated by changes in inorganic carbon uptake affinity, δ13 C and pyrenoid ultrastructure between high and low CO2 conditions for growth. We conclude that the Rubisco catalytic properties found in streptophyte algae have coevolved and reflect the strength of any CCM or degree of pyrenoid leakiness, and limitations to inorganic carbon in the aquatic habitat, whereas Rubisco in extant land plants reflects more recent selective pressures associated with improved diffusive supply of the terrestrial environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam M M Goudet
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Douglas J Orr
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Michael Melkonian
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cologne, 50674, Cologne, Germany
- Central Collection of Algal Cultures, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Karin H Müller
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Moritz T Meyer
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | | | - Howard Griffiths
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
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Degen GE, Worrall D, Carmo-Silva E. An isoleucine residue acts as a thermal and regulatory switch in wheat Rubisco activase. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 103:742-751. [PMID: 32363739 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The regulation of Rubisco, the gatekeeper of carbon fixation into the biosphere, by its molecular chaperone Rubisco activase (Rca) is essential for photosynthesis and plant growth. Using energy from ATP hydrolysis, Rca promotes the release of inhibitors and restores catalytic competence to Rubisco-active sites. Rca is sensitive to moderate heat stress, however, and becomes progressively inhibited as the temperature increases above the optimum for photosynthesis. Here, we identify a single amino acid substitution (M159I) that fundamentally alters the thermal and regulatory properties of Rca in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Using site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate that the M159I substitution extends the temperature optimum of the most abundant Rca isoform by 5°C in vitro, while maintaining the efficiency of Rubisco activation by Rca. The results suggest that this single amino acid substitution acts as a thermal and regulatory switch in wheat Rca that can be exploited to improve the climate resilience and efficiency of carbon assimilation of this cereal crop as temperatures become warmer and more volatile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustaf E Degen
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Dawn Worrall
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
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Sales CRG, Degen GE, da Silva AB, Carmo-Silva E. Spectrophotometric Determination of RuBisCO Activity and Activation State in Leaf Extracts. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1770:239-250. [PMID: 29978406 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7786-4_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
RuBisCO plays a central role in photosynthesis and, due to its catalytic inefficiencies, frequently limits CO2 assimilation in fully illuminated leaves at the top of unstressed crop canopies. The CO2-fixing enzyme is heavily regulated and not all the enzyme present in the leaf is active at any given moment. In this chapter, a spectrophotometric assay is described for measuring RuBisCO activity and activation state in leaf extracts. Most of the assay components are available commercially and others can be produced by established protocols, making adoption of the assay achievable by most plant biochemistry laboratories. Its relative high-throughput capacity enables large-scale experiments aimed at screening germplasm for improved RuBisCO function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gustaf E Degen
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Anabela Bernardes da Silva
- Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal e Centro de Biodiversidade, Genómica Integrativa e Funcional (BioFIG), Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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Abstract
Measurements of in vivo photosynthesis are powerful tools that probe the largest fluxes of carbon and energy in an illuminated leaf, but often the specific techniques used are so varied and specialized that it is difficult for researchers outside the field to select and perform the most useful assays for their research questions. The goal of this chapter is to provide a broad overview of the current tools available for the study of in vivo photosynthesis so as to provide a foundation for selecting appropriate techniques, many of which are presented in detail in subsequent chapters. This chapter also organizes current methods into a comparative framework and provides examples of how they have been applied to research questions of broad agronomical, ecological, or biological importance. The chapter closes with an argument that the future of in vivo measurements of photosynthesis lies in the ability to use multiple methods simultaneously and discusses the benefits of this approach to currently open physiological questions. This chapter, combined with the relevant methods chapters, could serve as a laboratory course in methods in photosynthesis research or as part of a more comprehensive laboratory course in general plant physiology methods.
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