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Stępiński D. Decoding Plant Ribosomal Proteins: Multitasking Players in Cellular Games. Cells 2025; 14:473. [PMID: 40214427 PMCID: PMC11987935 DOI: 10.3390/cells14070473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2025] [Revised: 03/10/2025] [Accepted: 03/20/2025] [Indexed: 04/14/2025] Open
Abstract
Ribosomal proteins (RPs) were traditionally considered as ribosome building blocks, serving exclusively in ribosome assembly. However, contemporary research highlights their involvement in additional translational roles, as well as diverse non-ribosomal activities. The functional diversity of RPs is further enriched by the presence of 2-7 paralogs per RP family in plants, suggesting that these proteins may perform distinct, specialized functions. The spatiotemporal expression of RP paralogs allows for the assembly of unique ribosomes (ribosome heterogeneity), enabling the selective translation of specific mRNAs, and producing specialized proteins essential for plant functioning. Additionally, RPs that operate independently of ribosomes as free molecules may regulate a wide range of physiological processes. RPs involved in protein biosynthesis within the cytosol, mitochondria, or plastids are encoded by distinct genes, which account for their functional specialization. Notably, RPs associated with plastid or mitochondrial ribosomes, beyond their canonical roles in these organelles, also contribute to overall plant development and functionality, akin to their cytosolic counterparts. This review explores the roles of RPs in different cellular compartments, the presumed molecular mechanisms underlying their functions, and the involvement of other molecular factors that cooperate with RPs in these processes. In addition to the new RP nomenclature introduced in 2022/2023, the old names are also applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Stępiński
- Department of Cytophysiology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland
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Wang Y, Tan BC. Pentatricopeptide repeat proteins in plants: Cellular functions, action mechanisms, and potential applications. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2025; 6:101203. [PMID: 39644091 PMCID: PMC11897456 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2024] [Revised: 11/28/2024] [Accepted: 12/04/2024] [Indexed: 12/09/2024]
Abstract
Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are involved in nearly all aspects of post-transcriptional processing in plant mitochondria and plastids, playing vital roles in plant growth, development, cytoplasmic male sterility restoration, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Over the last three decades, significant advances have been made in understanding the functions of PPR proteins and the primary mechanisms through which they mediate post-transcriptional processing. This review aims to summarize these advancements, highlighting the mechanisms by which PPR proteins facilitate RNA editing, intron splicing, and RNA maturation in the context of organellar gene expression. We also present the latest progress in PPR engineering and discuss its potential as a biotechnological tool. Additionally, we discuss key challenges and questions that remain in PPR research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environmental Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Bao-Cai Tan
- Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environmental Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
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Robil JM. Plastid translation as a developmental checkpoint? Plastid ribosomal protein EMB27 is required for maize embryogenesis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:259-261. [PMID: 38401161 PMCID: PMC11060672 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Janlo M Robil
- Assistant Features Editor, Plant Physiology, American Society of Plant Biologists
- Department of Biology, School of Science and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City 1108, Philippines
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Liu XY, Jiang RC, Ma B, Wang Y, Yang YZ, Xu C, Sun F, Tan BC. Maize requires Embryo defective27 for embryogenesis and seedling development. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:430-445. [PMID: 38198212 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The essential role of plastid translation in embryogenesis has been established in many plants, but a retrograde signal triggered by defective plastid translation machinery that may leads to embryogenesis arrest remains unknown. In this study, we characterized an embryo defective27 (emb27) mutant in maize (Zea mays), and cloning indicates that Emb27 encodes the plastid ribosomal protein S13. The null mutant emb27-1 conditions an emb phenotype with arrested embryogenesis; however, the leaky mutant emb27-2 exhibits normal embryogenesis but an albino seedling-lethal phenotype. The emb27-1/emb27-2 trans-heterozygotes display varying phenotypes from emb to normal seeds but albino seedlings. Analysis of the Emb27 transcription levels in these mutants revealed that the Emb27 expression level in the embryo corresponds with the phenotypic expression of the emb27 mutants. In the W22 genetic background, an Emb27 transcription level higher than 6% of the wild-type level renders normal embryogenesis, whereas lower than that arrests embryogenesis. Mutation of Emb27 reduces the level of plastid 16S rRNA and the accumulation of the plastid-encoded proteins. As a secondary effect, splicing of several plastid introns was impaired in emb27-1 and 2 other plastid translation-defective mutants, emb15 and emb16, suggesting that plastome-encoded factors are required for the splicing of these introns, such as Maturase K (MatK). Our results indicate that EMB27 is essential for plastid protein translation, embryogenesis, and seedling development in maize and reveal an expression threshold of Emb27 for maize embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Yuan Liu
- Key Lab of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Rui-Cheng Jiang
- Key Lab of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Bing Ma
- Key Lab of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Key Lab of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Yan-Zhuo Yang
- Key Lab of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Chunhui Xu
- Key Lab of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Feng Sun
- Key Lab of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Bao-Cai Tan
- Key Lab of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
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Li Q, Du J, Qiao Z, Pan C, He W, Zhang L, Li X, Nie Y, Li X, Pan G, Zhang Z, Li G, Ding H. White and green striate leaves 1, predicted to encode a 16S rRNA processing protein, plays a critical role in the processing of chloroplast ribosomes in maize ( Zea mays L.). MOLECULAR BREEDING : NEW STRATEGIES IN PLANT IMPROVEMENT 2023; 43:65. [PMID: 37538809 PMCID: PMC10393919 DOI: 10.1007/s11032-023-01407-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Ribosomes play a crucial role in protein biosynthesis and are linked to plant growth and development. The RimM protein has been shown to be involved in the maturation of 30S ribosomal subunits, but its exact function in plants is still unknown. In this study, we discovered a maize mutant with white and green striate leaves (wgsl1) and reduced chlorophyll content. Genetic analysis showed that the wgsl1 mutation was recessive and controlled by a single nuclear gene. Map-based cloning of ZmWGSL1 identified a base substitution (G to A) that generated a missense mutation within the Zm00001d039036 gene in the wgsl1 mutant. Zm00001d039036 encodes a 16S rRNA processing protein containing the RimM motif. Further analysis of transcriptomic data showed that the transcript levels of many ribosomal proteins involved in the small and big ribosomal subunits were dramatically up-regulated in the wgsl1 mutant. Moreover, the level of ribosomal multimers was decreased. This suggests that ZmWGSL1 plays a crucial role in the maturation of the ribosome, leading to abnormal plant growth and development. In addition, subcellular localization results indicate that WGSL1 is localized in chloroplasts. Therefore, we suggest that WGSL1 is a nuclear-encoded protein, is transported to the chloroplast to drive functions, and affects the processing of ribosomes in the chloroplast. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01407-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qigui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018 Shangdong Province China
| | - Jiyuan Du
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018 Shangdong Province China
| | - Zhenghao Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018 Shangdong Province China
| | - Chao Pan
- Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130 China
| | - Weiqiang He
- Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130 China
| | - Li Zhang
- Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130 China
| | - Xiaohu Li
- Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130 China
| | - Yongxin Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018 Shangdong Province China
| | - Xinzheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018 Shangdong Province China
| | - Guangtang Pan
- Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130 China
| | - Zhiming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018 Shangdong Province China
| | - Gaoke Li
- Crops Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Guangzhou, 510640 Guangdong Province China
| | - Haiping Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018 Shangdong Province China
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Liu K, Lee KP, Duan J, Kim EY, Singh RM, Di M, Meng Z, Kim C. Cooperative role of AtRsmD and AtRimM proteins in modification and maturation of 16S rRNA in plastids. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 114:310-324. [PMID: 36752655 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplast pre-ribosomal RNA (rRNA) undergoes maturation, which is critical for ribosome assembly. While the central and auxiliary factors in rRNA maturation have been elucidated in bacteria, their mode of action remains largely unexplored in chloroplasts. We now reveal chloroplast-specific factors involved in 16S rRNA maturation, Arabidopsis thaliana orthologs of bacterial RsmD methyltransferase (AtRsmD) and ribosome maturation factor RimM (AtRimM). A forward genetic screen aimed to find suppressors of the Arabidopsis yellow variegated 2 (var2) mutant defective in photosystem II quality control found a causal nonsense mutation in AtRsmD. The substantially impaired 16S rRNA maturation and translation due to the mutation rescued the leaf variegation phenotype by lowering the levels of chloroplast-encoded proteins, including photosystem II core proteins, in var2. The subsequent co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry analyses and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay found that AtRsmD interacts with AtRimM. Consistent with their interaction, loss of AtRimM also considerably impairs 16S rRNA maturation with decelerated m2 G915 modification in 16S rRNA catalyzed by AtRsmD. The atrimM mutation also rescued var2 mutant phenotypes, corroborating the functional interplay between AtRsmD and AtRimM towards modification and maturation of 16S rRNA and chloroplast proteostasis. The maturation and post-transcriptional modifications of rRNA are critical to assembling ribosomes responsible for protein translation. Here, we revealed that the cooperative regulation of 16S rRNA m2 G915 modifications by AtRsmD methyltransferase and ribosome assembly factor AtRimM contributes to 16S rRNA maturation, ribosome assembly, and proteostasis in chloroplasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiwei Liu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Keun Pyo Lee
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jianli Duan
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Eun Yu Kim
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Rahul Mohan Singh
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Minghui Di
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhuoling Meng
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chanhong Kim
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
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