1
|
Rao S, Cao H, O'Hanna FJ, Zhou X, Lui A, Wrightstone E, Fish T, Yang Y, Thannhauser T, Cheng L, Dudareva N, Li L. Nudix hydrolase 23 post-translationally regulates carotenoid biosynthesis in plants. Plant Cell 2024; 36:1868-1891. [PMID: 38299382 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koae030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Carotenoids are essential for photosynthesis and photoprotection. Plants must evolve multifaceted regulatory mechanisms to control carotenoid biosynthesis. However, the regulatory mechanisms and the regulators conserved among plant species remain elusive. Phytoene synthase (PSY) catalyzes the highly regulated step of carotenogenesis and geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGPPS) acts as a hub to interact with GGPP-utilizing enzymes for the synthesis of specific downstream isoprenoids. Here, we report a function of Nudix hydrolase 23 (NUDX23), a Nudix domain-containing protein, in post-translational regulation of PSY and GGPPS for carotenoid biosynthesis. NUDX23 expresses highly in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaves. Overexpression of NUDX23 significantly increases PSY and GGPPS protein levels and carotenoid production, whereas knockout of NUDX23 dramatically reduces their abundances and carotenoid accumulation in Arabidopsis. NUDX23 regulates carotenoid biosynthesis via direct interactions with PSY and GGPPS in chloroplasts, which enhances PSY and GGPPS protein stability in a large PSY-GGPPS enzyme complex. NUDX23 was found to co-migrate with PSY and GGPPS proteins and to be required for the enzyme complex assembly. Our findings uncover a regulatory mechanism underlying carotenoid biosynthesis in plants and offer promising genetic tools for developing carotenoid-enriched food crops.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sombir Rao
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Hongbo Cao
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, Hebei 071000, China
| | - Franz Joseph O'Hanna
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Xuesong Zhou
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Andy Lui
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Emalee Wrightstone
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tara Fish
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Yong Yang
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Theodore Thannhauser
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Lailiang Cheng
- Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Natalia Dudareva
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2063, USA
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Li Li
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhou X, Sun T, Owens L, Yang Y, Fish T, Wrightstone E, Lui A, Yuan H, Chayut N, Burger J, Tadmor Y, Thannhauser T, Guo W, Cheng L, Li L. Carotenoid sequestration protein FIBRILLIN participates in CmOR-regulated β-carotene accumulation in melon. Plant Physiol 2023; 193:643-660. [PMID: 37233026 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Chromoplasts are plant organelles with a unique ability to sequester and store massive carotenoids. Chromoplasts have been hypothesized to enable high levels of carotenoid accumulation due to enhanced sequestration ability or sequestration substructure formation. However, the regulators that control the substructure component accumulation and substructure formation in chromoplasts remain unknown. In melon (Cucumis melo) fruit, β-carotene accumulation in chromoplasts is governed by ORANGE (OR), a key regulator for carotenoid accumulation in chromoplasts. By using comparative proteomic analysis of a high β-carotene melon variety and its isogenic line low-β mutant that is defective in CmOr with impaired chromoplast formation, we identified carotenoid sequestration protein FIBRILLIN1 (CmFBN1) as differentially expressed. CmFBN1 expresses highly in melon fruit tissue. Overexpression of CmFBN1 in transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) containing ORHis that genetically mimics CmOr significantly enhances carotenoid accumulation, demonstrating its involvement in CmOR-induced carotenoid accumulation. Both in vitro and in vivo evidence showed that CmOR physically interacts with CmFBN1. Such an interaction occurs in plastoglobules and results in promoting CmFBN1 accumulation. CmOR greatly stabilizes CmFBN1, which stimulates plastoglobule proliferation and subsequently carotenoid accumulation in chromoplasts. Our findings show that CmOR directly regulates CmFBN1 protein levels and suggest a fundamental role of CmFBN1 in facilitating plastoglobule proliferation for carotenoid sequestration. This study also reveals an important genetic tool to further enhance OR-induced carotenoid accumulation in chromoplasts in crops.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tianhu Sun
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Lauren Owens
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Yong Yang
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tara Fish
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Emalee Wrightstone
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Andy Lui
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Hui Yuan
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Noam Chayut
- Department of Vegetable Research, ARO, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Ramat Yishay 30095, Israel
- John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Joseph Burger
- Department of Vegetable Research, ARO, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Ramat Yishay 30095, Israel
| | - Yaakov Tadmor
- Department of Vegetable Research, ARO, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Ramat Yishay 30095, Israel
| | - Theodore Thannhauser
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Wangzhen Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Lailiang Cheng
- Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Li Li
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sun T, Wang P, Rao S, Zhou X, Wrightstone E, Lu S, Yuan H, Yang Y, Fish T, Thannhauser T, Liu J, Mazourek M, Grimm B, Li L. Co-chaperoning of Chlorophyll and Carotenoid Biosynthesis by ORANGE Family Proteins in Plants. Mol Plant 2023:S1674-2052(23)00140-5. [PMID: 37202926 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Chlorophylls and carotenoids are essential photosynthetic pigments. Plants spatiotemporally coordinate the needs of chlorophylls and carotenoids for optimal photosynthesis and fitness in response to diverse environmental and developmental cues. However, how the biosynthesis pathways of these two pigments are coordinated, particularly at posttranslational level to allow rapid control, remains largely unknown. Here, we report that the highly conserved ORANGE (OR) family proteins coordinate both pathways via posttranslationally mediating the first committed enzyme in each pathway. We demonstrate that OR family proteins physically interact with magnesium chelatase subunit I (CHLI) in addition to phytoene synthase (PSY) and concurrently stabilize CHLI and PSY enzymes. We show that loss of OR genes hinders both chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis, limits light-harvesting complex assembly, and impairs thylakoid grana stacking in chloroplasts. Overexpression of OR safeguards photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis and enhances thermotolerance in both Arabidopsis and tomato plants. Our findings establish a novel mechanism by which plants coordinate chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis and provide a potential genetic target to generate climate-resilient crops.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tianhu Sun
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA; Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Sombir Rao
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA; Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Xuesong Zhou
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA; Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Emalee Wrightstone
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA; Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Shan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Hui Yuan
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA; Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Yong Yang
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Tara Fish
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Theodore Thannhauser
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Jiping Liu
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA; Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Michael Mazourek
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Bernhard Grimm
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Li Li
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA; Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wright LK, Wrightstone E, Trumpore L, Steele J, Abid DM, Newman DL. The DNA Landscape: Development and Application of a New Framework for Visual Communication about DNA. CBE Life Sci Educ 2022; 21:ar47. [PMID: 35816448 PMCID: PMC9582814 DOI: 10.1187/cbe.22-01-0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Learning molecular biology involves using visual representations to communicate ideas about largely unobservable biological processes and molecules. Genes and gene expression cannot be directly visualized, but students are expected to learn and understand these and related concepts. Theoretically, textbook illustrations should help learners master such concepts, but how are genes and other DNA-linked concepts illustrated for learners? We examined all DNA-related images found in 12 undergraduate biology textbooks to better understand what biology students encounter when learning concepts related to DNA. Our analysis revealed a wide array of DNA images that were used to design a new visual framework, the DNA Landscape, which we applied to more than 2000 images from common introductory and advanced biology textbooks. All DNA illustrations could be placed on the landscape framework, but certain positions were more common than others. We mapped figures about "gene expression" and "meiosis" onto the landscape framework to explore how these challenging topics are illustrated for learners, aligning these outcomes with the research literature to showcase how the overuse of certain representations may hinder, instead of help, learning. The DNA Landscape is a tool to promote research on visual literacy and to guide new learning activities for molecular biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L. Kate Wright
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623
| | - Emalee Wrightstone
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623
| | - Lauren Trumpore
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623
| | - Julia Steele
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623
| | - Deanna M. Abid
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623
| | - Dina L. Newman
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623
- *Address correspondence to: Dina Newman ()
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhou X, Rao S, Wrightstone E, Sun T, Lui ACW, Welsch R, Li L. Phytoene Synthase: The Key Rate-Limiting Enzyme of Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Plants. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:884720. [PMID: 35498681 PMCID: PMC9039723 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.884720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Phytoene synthase (PSY) catalyzes the first committed step in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway and is a major rate-limiting enzyme of carotenogenesis. PSY is highly regulated by various regulators and factors to modulate carotenoid biosynthesis in response to diverse developmental and environmental cues. Because of its critical role in controlling the total amount of synthesized carotenoids, PSY has been extensively investigated and engineered in plant species. However, much remains to be learned on its multifaceted regulatory control and its catalytic efficiency for carotenoid enrichment in crops. Here, we present current knowledge on the basic biology, the functional evolution, the dynamic regulation, and the metabolic engineering of PSY. We also discuss the open questions and gaps to stimulate additional research on this most studied gene/enzyme in the carotenogenic pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Zhou
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Sombir Rao
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Emalee Wrightstone
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Tianhu Sun
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Andy Cheuk Woon Lui
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | | | - Li Li
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|