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Hess S, Williams SK, Busch A, Irisarri I, Delwiche CF, de Vries S, Darienko T, Roger AJ, Archibald JM, Buschmann H, von Schwartzenberg K, de Vries J. A phylogenomically informed five-order system for the closest relatives of land plants. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4473-4482.e7. [PMID: 36055238 PMCID: PMC9632326 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of streptophytes had a profound impact on life on Earth. They brought forth those photosynthetic eukaryotes that today dominate the macroscopic flora: the land plants (Embryophyta).1 There is convincing evidence that the unicellular/filamentous Zygnematophyceae-and not the morphologically more elaborate Coleochaetophyceae or Charophyceae-are the closest algal relatives of land plants.2-6 Despite the species richness (>4,000), wide distribution, and key evolutionary position of the zygnematophytes, their internal phylogeny remains largely unresolved.7,8 There are also putative zygnematophytes with interesting body plan modifications (e.g., filamentous growth) whose phylogenetic affiliations remain unknown. Here, we studied a filamentous green alga (strain MZCH580) from an Austrian peat bog with central or parietal chloroplasts that lack discernible pyrenoids. It represents Mougeotiopsis calospora PALLA, an enigmatic alga that was described more than 120 years ago9 but never subjected to molecular analyses. We generated transcriptomic data of M. calospora strain MZCH580 and conducted comprehensive phylogenomic analyses (326 nuclear loci) for 46 taxonomically diverse zygnematophytes. Strain MZCH580 falls in a deep-branching zygnematophycean clade together with some unicellular species and thus represents a formerly unknown zygnematophycean lineage with filamentous growth. Our well-supported phylogenomic tree lets us propose a new five-order system for the Zygnematophyceae and provides evidence for at least five independent origins of true filamentous growth in the closest algal relatives of land plants. This phylogeny provides a robust and comprehensive framework for performing comparative analyses and inferring the evolution of cellular traits and body plans in the closest relatives of land plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Hess
- Institute for Zoology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
| | - Shelby K Williams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College St., Halifax NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Anna Busch
- Institute for Zoology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Charles F Delwiche
- Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Sophie de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tatyana Darienko
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College St., Halifax NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - John M Archibald
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College St., Halifax NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Henrik Buschmann
- University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, Faculty of Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, Section Biotechnology and Chemistry, Molecular Biotechnology, Technikumplatz 17, 09648 Mittweida, Germany
| | - Klaus von Schwartzenberg
- Universität Hamburg, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Microalgae and Zygnematophyceae Collection Hamburg (MZCH) and Aquatic Ecophysiology and Phycology, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany; University of Goettingen, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.
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Pfeifer L, Utermöhlen J, Happ K, Permann C, Holzinger A, von Schwartzenberg K, Classen B. Search for evolutionary roots of land plant arabinogalactan-proteins in charophytes: presence of a rhamnogalactan-protein in Spirogyra pratensis (Zygnematophyceae). Plant J 2022; 109:568-584. [PMID: 34767672 PMCID: PMC7612518 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Charophyte green algae (CGA) are assigned to be the closest relatives of land plants and therefore enlighten processes in the colonization of terrestrial habitats. For the transition from water to land, plants needed significant physiological and structural changes, as well as with regard to cell wall composition. Sequential extraction of cell walls of Nitellopsis obtusa (Charophyceae) and Spirogyra pratensis (Zygnematophyceae) offered a comparative overview on cell wall composition of late branching CGA. Because arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) are considered common for all land plant cell walls, we were interested in whether these special glycoproteins are present in CGA. Therefore, we investigated both species with regard to characteristic features of AGPs. In the cell wall of Nitellopsis, no hydroxyproline was present and no AGP was precipitable with the β-glucosyl Yariv's reagent (βGlcY). By contrast, βGlcY precipitation of the water-soluble cell wall fraction of Spirogyra yielded a glycoprotein fraction rich in hydroxyproline, indicating the presence of AGPs. Putative AGPs in the cell walls of non-conjugating Spirogyra filaments, especially in the area of transverse walls, were detected by staining with βGlcY. Labelling increased strongly in generative growth stages, especially during zygospore development. Investigations of the fine structure of the glycan part of βGlcY-precipitated molecules revealed that the galactan backbone resembled that of AGPs with 1,3- 1,6- and 1,3,6-linked Galp moieties. Araf was present only in small amounts and the terminating sugars consisted predominantly of pyranosidic terminal and 1,3-linked rhamnose residues. We introduce the term 'rhamnogalactan-protein' for this special AGP-modification present in S. pratensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Pfeifer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Jon Utermöhlen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Kathrin Happ
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Charlotte Permann
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | | | - Birgit Classen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany
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Abstract
The polypeptides encoded by the chloroplast ndh genes and some nuclear genes form the thylakoid NADH dehydrogenase (Ndh) complex, homologous to the mitochondrial complex I. Except for Charophyceae (algae related to higher plants) and a few Prasinophyceae, all eukaryotic algae lack ndh genes. Among vascular plants, the ndh genes are absent in epiphytic and in some species scattered among different genera, families, and orders. The recent identification of many plants lacking plastid ndh genes allows comparison on phylogenetic trees and functional investigations of the ndh genes. The ndh genes protect Angiosperms under various terrestrial stresses, maintaining efficient photosynthesis. On the edge of dispensability, ndh genes provide a test for the natural selection of photosynthesis-related genes in evolution. Variable evolutionary environments place Angiosperms without ndh genes at risk of extinction and, probably, most extant ones may have lost ndh genes recently. Therefore, they are evolutionary endpoints in phylogenetic trees. The low number of sequenced plastid DNA and the long lifespan of some Gymnosperms lacking ndh genes challenge models about the role of ndh genes protecting against stress and promoting leaf senescence. Additional DNA sequencing in Gymnosperms and investigations into the molecular mechanisms of their response to stress will provide a unified model of the evolutionary and functional consequences of the lack of ndh genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartolomé Sabater
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain
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Franková L, Fry SC. Hemicellulose-remodelling transglycanase activities from charophytes: towards the evolution of the land-plant cell wall. Plant J 2021; 108:7-28. [PMID: 34547150 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Transglycanases remodel cell-wall polymers, having a critical impact on many physiological processes. Unlike xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (XET) activity, widely studied in land plants, very little is known about charophyte wall-modifying enzymes - information that would promote our understanding of the 'primordial' wall, revealing how the wall matrix is remodelled in the closest living algal relatives of land plants, and what changed during terrestrialisation. We conducted various in-vitro assays for wall-remodelling transglycosylases, monitoring either (a) polysaccharide-to-[3 H]oligosaccharide transglycosylation or (b) non-radioactive oligosaccharide-to-oligosaccharide transglycosylation. We screened a wide collection of enzyme extracts from charophytes (and early-diverging land plants for comparison) and discovered several homo- and hetero-transglycanase activities. In contrast to most land plants, charophytes possess high trans-β-1,4-mannanase activity, suggesting that land plants' algal ancestors prioritised mannan remodelling. Trans-β-1,4-xylanase activity was also found, most abundantly in Chara, Nitella and Klebsormidium. Exo-acting transglycosidase activities (trans-β-1,4-xylosidase and trans-β-1,4-mannosidase) were also detected. In addition, charophytes exhibited homo- and hetero-trans-β-glucanase activities (XET, mixed-linkage glucan [MLG]:xyloglucan endotransglucosylase and cellulose:xyloglucan endotransglucosylase) despite the paucity or lack of land-plant-like xyloglucan and MLG as potential donor substrates in their cell walls. However, trans-α-xylosidase activity (which remodels xyloglucan in angiosperms) was absent in charophytes and early-diverging land plants. Transglycanase action was also found in situ, acting on endogenous algal polysaccharides as donor substrates and fluorescent xyloglucan oligosaccharides as acceptor substrates. We conclude that trans-β-mannanase and trans-β-xylanase activities are present and thus may play key roles in charophyte walls (most of which possess little or no xyloglucan and MLG, but often contain abundant β-mannans and β-xylans), comparable to the roles of XET in xyloglucan-rich land plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Franková
- The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Stephen C Fry
- The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
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Abstract
Traditional evolutionary scenarios posit that land plants emerged from land plant-like relatives, the charophytes. New phylogenies suggest a closer affinity to simpler pond scum relatives, and evidence the gradual assembly of the land plant genome, revealing a phenotypic simplification from the complex ancestors envisaged by traditional scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Donoghue
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | - Jordi Paps
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Peñuelas M, Monte I, Schweizer F, Vallat A, Reymond P, García-Casado G, Franco-Zorrilla JM, Solano R. Jasmonate-Related MYC Transcription Factors Are Functionally Conserved in Marchantia polymorpha. Plant Cell 2019; 31:2491-2509. [PMID: 31391256 PMCID: PMC6790078 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.18.00974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The lipid-derived phytohormone jasmonoyl-isoleucine regulates plant immunity, growth and development in vascular plants by activating genome-wide transcriptional reprogramming. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), this process is largely orchestrated by the master regulator MYC2 and related transcription factors (TFs). However, the TFs activating this pathway in basal plant lineages are currently unknown. We report the functional conservation of MYC-related TFs between the eudicot Arabidopsis and the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a plant belonging to an early diverging lineage of land plants. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that MYC function first appeared in charophycean algae and therefore predates the evolutionary appearance of any other jasmonate pathway component. M. polymorpha possesses two functionally interchangeable MYC genes, one in females and one in males. Similar to AtMYC2, MpMYCs showed nuclear localization, interaction with JASMONATE-ZIM-DOMAIN PROTEIN repressors, and regulation by light. Phenotypic and molecular characterization of loss- and gain-of-function mutants demonstrated that MpMYCs are necessary and sufficient for activating the jasmonate pathway in M. polymorpha, but unlike their Arabidopsis orthologs, do not regulate fertility. Therefore, despite 450 million years of independent evolution, MYCs are functionally conserved between bryophytes and eudicots. Genetic conservation in an early diverging lineage suggests that MYC function existed in the common ancestor of land plants and evolved from a preexisting MYC function in charophycean algae.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Peñuelas
- Department of Plant Molecular Genetics, National Centre for Biotechnology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Monte
- Department of Plant Molecular Genetics, National Centre for Biotechnology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fabian Schweizer
- Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Armelle Vallat
- Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Neuchâtel, CH-2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Reymond
- Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gloria García-Casado
- Genomics Unit, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose M Franco-Zorrilla
- Genomics Unit, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Roberto Solano
- Department of Plant Molecular Genetics, National Centre for Biotechnology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Han W, Fan X, Teng L, Kaczurowski MJS, Zhang X, Xu D, Yin Y, Ye N. Identification, classification, and evolution of putative xylosyltransferases from algae. Protoplasma 2019; 256:1119-1132. [PMID: 30941581 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-019-01358-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Xylosyltransferases (XylTs) play key roles in the biosynthesis of many different polysaccharides. These enzymes transfer D-xylose from UDP-xylose to substrate acceptors. In this study, we identified 30 XylTs from primary endosymbionts (green algae, red algae, and glaucophytes) and secondary or higher endosymbionts (brown algae, diatoms, Eustigmatophyceae, Pelagophyceae, and Cryptophyta). We performed comparative phylogenetic studies on key XylT subfamilies, and investigated the functional divergence of genes using RNA-Seq. Of the 30 XylTs, one β-1,4-XylT IRX14-related, one β-1,4 XylT IRX10L-related, and one xyloglucan 6-XylT 1-related gene were identified in the Charophyta, showing strong similarities to their land plant descendants. This implied the ancient occurrence of xylan and xyloglucan biosynthetic machineries in Charophyta. The other 27 XylTs were identified as UDP-D-xylose: L-fucose-α-1,3-D-XylT (FucXylT) type that specifically transferred D-xylose to fucose. We propose that FucXylTs originated from the last eukaryotic common ancestor, rather than being plant specific, because they are also distributed in Choanoflagellatea and Echinodermata. Considering the evidence from many aspects, we hypothesize that the FucXylTs likely participated in fucoidan biosynthesis in brown algae. We provide the first insights into the evolutionary history and functional divergence of FucXylT in algal biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wentao Han
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
- Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes,, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Xiao Fan
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Linhong Teng
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- College of Life Science, Dezhou University, Dezhou, 253023, China
| | | | - Xiaowen Zhang
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Dong Xu
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Yanbin Yin
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Naihao Ye
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes,, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China.
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Gao Y, Wang W, Zhang T, Gong Z, Zhao H, Han GZ. Out of Water: The Origin and Early Diversification of Plant R-Genes. Plant Physiol 2018; 177:82-89. [PMID: 29563207 PMCID: PMC5933115 DOI: 10.1104/pp.18.00185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
During plant-pathogen interactions, plants use intracellular proteins with nucleotide-binding site and Leu-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) domains to detect pathogens. NBS-LRR proteins represent a major class of plant disease resistance genes (R-genes). Whereas R-genes have been well characterized in angiosperms, little is known about their origin and early diversification. Here, we perform comprehensive evolutionary analyses of R-genes in plants and report the identification of R-genes in basal-branching streptophytes, including charophytes, liverworts, and mosses. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that plant R-genes originated in charophytes and R-proteins diversified into TIR-NBS-LRR proteins and non-TIR-NBS-LRR proteins in charophytes. Moreover, we show that plant R-proteins evolved in a modular fashion through frequent gain or loss of protein domains. Most of the R-genes in basal-branching streptophytes underwent adaptive evolution, indicating an ancient involvement of R-genes in plant-pathogen interactions. Our findings provide novel insights into the origin and evolution of R-genes and the mechanisms underlying colonization of terrestrial environments by plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxia Gao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Wenqiang Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Tian Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Zhen Gong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Huayao Zhao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Guan-Zhu Han
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
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Jensen JK, Busse‐Wicher M, Poulsen CP, Fangel JU, Smith PJ, Yang J, Peña M, Dinesen MH, Martens HJ, Melkonian M, Wong GK, Moremen KW, Wilkerson CG, Scheller HV, Dupree P, Ulvskov P, Urbanowicz BR, Harholt J. Identification of an algal xylan synthase indicates that there is functional orthology between algal and plant cell wall biosynthesis. New Phytol 2018; 218:1049-1060. [PMID: 29460505 PMCID: PMC5902652 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Insights into the evolution of plant cell walls have important implications for comprehending these diverse and abundant biological structures. In order to understand the evolving structure-function relationships of the plant cell wall, it is imperative to trace the origin of its different components. The present study is focused on plant 1,4-β-xylan, tracing its evolutionary origin by genome and transcriptome mining followed by phylogenetic analysis, utilizing a large selection of plants and algae. It substantiates the findings by heterologous expression and biochemical characterization of a charophyte alga xylan synthase. Of the 12 known gene classes involved in 1,4-β-xylan formation, XYS1/IRX10 in plants, IRX7, IRX8, IRX9, IRX14 and GUX occurred for the first time in charophyte algae. An XYS1/IRX10 ortholog from Klebsormidium flaccidum, designated K. flaccidumXYLAN SYNTHASE-1 (KfXYS1), possesses 1,4-β-xylan synthase activity, and 1,4-β-xylan occurs in the K. flaccidum cell wall. These data suggest that plant 1,4-β-xylan originated in charophytes and shed light on the origin of one of the key cell wall innovations to occur in charophyte algae, facilitating terrestrialization and emergence of polysaccharide-based plant cell walls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Krüger Jensen
- Department of Plant BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48823USA
- DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research CenterMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48823USA
| | | | | | | | - Peter James Smith
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterUniversity of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
- BioEnergy Science CenterOak Ridge National Lab LaboratoryOak RidgeTN37831USA
| | - Jeong‐Yeh Yang
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterUniversity of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
| | - Maria‐Jesus Peña
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterUniversity of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
- BioEnergy Science CenterOak Ridge National Lab LaboratoryOak RidgeTN37831USA
| | | | - Helle Juel Martens
- Department of Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Copenhagen1971Frederiksberg CDenmark
| | - Michael Melkonian
- Botanical InstituteDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversität zu KölnKölnD‐50674Germany
| | - Gane Ka‐Shu Wong
- BGI‐ShenzhenBeishan Industrial ZoneYantian DistrictShenzhen518083China
| | - Kelley W. Moremen
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterUniversity of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
| | - Curtis Gene Wilkerson
- Department of Plant BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48823USA
- DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research CenterMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48823USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMI48824USA
| | - Henrik Vibe Scheller
- Joint BioEnergy InstituteEmeryvilleCA94608USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology DivisionLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeleyCA94720USA
| | - Paul Dupree
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeCB2 1QWUK
| | - Peter Ulvskov
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterUniversity of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
| | - Breeanna Rae Urbanowicz
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterUniversity of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
- BioEnergy Science CenterOak Ridge National Lab LaboratoryOak RidgeTN37831USA
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Rippin M, Becker B, Holzinger A. Enhanced Desiccation Tolerance in Mature Cultures of the Streptophytic Green Alga Zygnema circumcarinatum Revealed by Transcriptomics. Plant Cell Physiol 2017; 58:2067-2084. [PMID: 29036673 PMCID: PMC5722205 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcx136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Desiccation tolerance is commonly regarded as one of the key features for the colonization of terrestrial habitats by green algae and the evolution of land plants. Extensive studies, focused mostly on physiology, have been carried out assessing the desiccation tolerance and resilience of the streptophytic genera Klebsormidium and Zygnema. Here we present transcriptomic analyses of Zygnema circumcarinatum exposed to desiccation stress. Cultures of Z. circumcarinatum grown in liquid medium or on agar plates were desiccated at ∼86% relative air humidity until the effective quantum yield of PSII [Y(II)] ceased. In general, the response to dehydration was much more pronounced in Z. circumcarinatum cultured in liquid medium for 1 month compared with filaments grown on agar plates for 7 and 12 months. Culture on solid medium enables the alga to acclimate to dehydration much better and an increase in desiccation tolerance was clearly correlated to increased culture age. Moreover, gene expression analysis revealed that photosynthesis was strongly repressed upon desiccation treatment in the liquid culture while only minor effects were detected in filaments cultured on agar plates for 7 months. Otherwise, both samples showed induction of stress protection mechanisms such as reactive oxygen species scavenging (early light-induced proteins, glutathione metabolism) and DNA repair as well as the expression of chaperones and aquaporins. Additionally, Z. circumcarinatum cultured in liquid medium upregulated sucrose-synthesizing enzymes and strongly induced membrane modifications in response to desiccation stress. These results corroborate the previously described hardening and associated desiccation tolerance in Zygnema in response to seasonal fluctuations in water availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Rippin
- University of Cologne, Cologne Biocentre, Botanical Institute, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Burkhard Becker
- University of Cologne, Cologne Biocentre, Botanical Institute, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- University of Innsbruck, Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Ohtaka K, Hori K, Kanno Y, Seo M, Ohta H. Primitive Auxin Response without TIR1 and Aux/IAA in the Charophyte Alga Klebsormidium nitens. Plant Physiol 2017; 174:1621-1632. [PMID: 28533212 PMCID: PMC5490900 DOI: 10.1104/pp.17.00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The phytohormone auxin regulates many aspects of growth and development in land plants, but the origin and evolution of auxin signaling and response mechanisms remain largely unknown. Indeed, it remains to be investigated whether auxin-related pathways diverged before the emergence of land plants. To address this knowledge deficit, we analyzed auxin responses in the charophyte alga Klebsormidium nitens NIES-2285, whose ancestor diverged from a green algal ancestor during the evolution of land plants. This strain is the same as Klebsormidium flaccidum NIES-2285, for which the draft genome was sequenced in 2014, and was taxonomically reclassified as K. nitens This genome sequence revealed genes involved in auxin responses. Furthermore, the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was detected in cultures of K. nitens, but K. nitens lacks the central regulators of the canonical auxin-signaling pathway found in land plants. Exogenous IAA inhibited cell division and cell elongation in K. nitens Inhibitors of auxin biosynthesis and of polar auxin transport also inhibited cell division and elongation. Moreover, exogenous IAA rapidly induced expression of a LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES-DOMAIN transcription factor. These results suggest that K. nitens has acquired the part of the auxin system that regulates transcription and cell growth without the requirement for the central players that govern auxin signaling in land plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinuka Ohtaka
- Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan
| | - Koichi Hori
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan
| | - Yuri Kanno
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Mitsunori Seo
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Ohta
- Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology Program, Tokyo, 102-0076, Japan
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
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12
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Taujale R, Yin Y. Glycosyltransferase family 43 is also found in early eukaryotes and has three subfamilies in Charophycean green algae. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0128409. [PMID: 26023931 PMCID: PMC4449007 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The glycosyltransferase family 43 (GT43) has been suggested to be involved in the synthesis of xylans in plant cell walls and proteoglycans in animals. Very recently GT43 family was also found in Charophycean green algae (CGA), the closest relatives of extant land plants. Here we present evidence that non-plant and non-animal early eukaryotes such as fungi, Haptophyceae, Choanoflagellida, Ichthyosporea and Haptophyceae also have GT43-like genes, which are phylogenetically close to animal GT43 genes. By mining RNA sequencing data (RNA-Seq) of selected plants, we showed that CGA have evolved three major groups of GT43 genes, one orthologous to IRX14 (IRREGULAR XYLEM14), one orthologous to IRX9/IRX9L and the third one ancestral to all land plant GT43 genes. We confirmed that land plant GT43 has two major clades A and B, while in angiosperms, clade A further evolved into three subclades and the expression and motif pattern of A3 (containing IRX9) are fairly different from the other two clades likely due to rapid evolution. Our in-depth sequence analysis contributed to our overall understanding of the early evolution of GT43 family and could serve as an example for the study of other plant cell wall-related enzyme families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahil Taujale
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Yanbin Yin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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13
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Mikkelsen MD, Harholt J, Ulvskov P, Johansen IE, Fangel JU, Doblin MS, Bacic A, Willats WGT. Evidence for land plant cell wall biosynthetic mechanisms in charophyte green algae. Ann Bot 2014; 114:1217-36. [PMID: 25204387 PMCID: PMC4195564 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcu171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The charophyte green algae (CGA) are thought to be the closest living relatives to the land plants, and ancestral CGA were unique in giving rise to the land plant lineage. The cell wall has been suggested to be a defining structure that enabled the green algal ancestor to colonize land. These cell walls provide support and protection, are a source of signalling molecules, and provide developmental cues for cell differentiation and elongation. The cell wall of land plants is a highly complex fibre composite, characterized by cellulose cross-linked by non-cellulosic polysaccharides, such as xyloglucan, embedded in a matrix of pectic polysaccharides. How the land plant cell wall evolved is currently unknown: early-divergent chlorophyte and prasinophyte algae genomes contain a low number of glycosyl transferases (GTs), while land plants contain hundreds. The number of GTs in CGA is currently unknown, as no genomes are available, so this study sought to give insight into the evolution of the biosynthetic machinery of CGA through an analysis of available transcriptomes. METHODS Available CGA transcriptomes were mined for cell wall biosynthesis GTs and compared with GTs characterized in land plants. In addition, gene cloning was employed in two cases to answer important evolutionary questions. KEY RESULTS Genetic evidence was obtained indicating that many of the most important core cell wall polysaccharides have their evolutionary origins in the CGA, including cellulose, mannan, xyloglucan, xylan and pectin, as well as arabino-galactan protein. Moreover, two putative cellulose synthase-like D family genes (CSLDs) from the CGA species Coleochaete orbicularis and a fragment of a putative CSLA/K-like sequence from a CGA Spirogyra species were cloned, providing the first evidence that all the cellulose synthase/-like genes present in early-divergent land plants were already present in CGA. CONCLUSIONS The results provide new insights into the evolution of cell walls and support the notion that the CGA were pre-adapted to life on land by virtue of the their cell wall biosynthetic capacity. These findings are highly significant for understanding plant cell wall evolution as they imply that some features of land plant cell walls evolved prior to the transition to land, rather than having evolved as a result of selection pressures inherent in this transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria D Mikkelsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Jesper Harholt
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Peter Ulvskov
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Ida E Johansen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Jonatan U Fangel
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Monika S Doblin
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Antony Bacic
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - William G T Willats
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
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14
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Civáň P, Foster PG, Embley MT, Séneca A, Cox CJ. Analyses of charophyte chloroplast genomes help characterize the ancestral chloroplast genome of land plants. Genome Biol Evol 2014; 6:897-911. [PMID: 24682153 PMCID: PMC4007539 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evu061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the significance of the relationships between embryophytes and their charophyte algal ancestors in deciphering the origin and evolutionary success of land plants, few chloroplast genomes of the charophyte algae have been reconstructed to date. Here, we present new data for three chloroplast genomes of the freshwater charophytes Klebsormidium flaccidum (Klebsormidiophyceae), Mesotaenium endlicherianum (Zygnematophyceae), and Roya anglica (Zygnematophyceae). The chloroplast genome of Klebsormidium has a quadripartite organization with exceptionally large inverted repeat (IR) regions and, uniquely among streptophytes, has lost the rrn5 and rrn4.5 genes from the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene cluster operon. The chloroplast genome of Roya differs from other zygnematophycean chloroplasts, including the newly sequenced Mesotaenium, by having a quadripartite structure that is typical of other streptophytes. On the basis of the improbability of the novel gain of IR regions, we infer that the quadripartite structure has likely been lost independently in at least three zygnematophycean lineages, although the absence of the usual rRNA operonic synteny in the IR regions of Roya may indicate their de novo origin. Significantly, all zygnematophycean chloroplast genomes have undergone substantial genomic rearrangement, which may be the result of ancient retroelement activity evidenced by the presence of integrase-like and reverse transcriptase-like elements in the Roya chloroplast genome. Our results corroborate the close phylogenetic relationship between Zygnematophyceae and land plants and identify 89 protein-coding genes and 22 introns present in the chloroplast genome at the time of the evolutionary transition of plants to land, all of which can be found in the chloroplast genomes of extant charophytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Civáň
- Centro de Ciências do Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Peter G. Foster
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Martin T. Embley
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Séneca
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biology, Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Cymon J. Cox
- Centro de Ciências do Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
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15
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Petraglia A, De Benedictis M, Degola F, Pastore G, Calcagno M, Ruotolo R, Mengoni A, Sanità di Toppi L. The capability to synthesize phytochelatins and the presence of constitutive and functional phytochelatin synthases are ancestral (plesiomorphic) characters for basal land plants. J Exp Bot 2014; 65:1153-63. [PMID: 24449382 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Bryophytes, a paraphyletic group which includes liverworts, mosses, and hornworts, have been stated as land plants that under metal stress (particularly cadmium) do not synthesize metal-binding peptides such as phytochelatins. Moreover, very little information is available to date regarding phytochelatin synthesis in charophytes, postulated to be the direct ancestors of land plants, or in lycophytes, namely very basal tracheophytes. In this study, it was hypothesized that basal land plants and charophytes have the capability to produce phytochelatins and possess constitutive and functional phytochelatin synthases. To verify this hypothesis, twelve bryophyte species (six liverworts, four mosses, and two hornworts), three charophytes, and two lycophyte species were exposed to 0-36 μM cadmium for 72 h, and then assayed for: (i) glutathione and phytochelatin quali-quantitative content by HPLC and mass spectrometry; (ii) the presence of putative phytochelatin synthases by western blotting; and (iii) in vitro activity of phytochelatin synthases. Of all the species tested, ten produced phytochelatins in vivo, while the other seven did not. The presence of a constitutively expressed and functional phytochelatin synthase was demonstrated in all the bryophyte lineages and in the lycophyte Selaginella denticulata, but not in the charophytes. Hence, current knowledge according to phytochelatins have been stated as being absent in bryophytes was therefore confuted by this work. It is argued that the capability to synthesize phytochelatins, as well as the presence of active phytochelatin synthases, are ancestral (plesiomorphic) characters for basal land plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Petraglia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy
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16
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Sørensen I, Fei Z, Andreas A, Willats WGT, Domozych DS, Rose JKC. Stable transformation and reverse genetic analysis of Penium margaritaceum: a platform for studies of charophyte green algae, the immediate ancestors of land plants. Plant J 2014; 77:339-51. [PMID: 24308430 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2013] [Revised: 10/20/2013] [Accepted: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The charophyte green algae (CGA, Streptophyta, Viridiplantae) occupy a key phylogenetic position as the immediate ancestors of land plants but, paradoxically, are less well-studied than the other major plant lineages. This is particularly true in the context of functional genomic studies, where the lack of an efficient protocol for their stable genetic transformation has been a major obstacle. Observations of extant CGA species suggest the existence of some of the evolutionary adaptations that had to occur for land colonization; however, to date, there has been no robust experimental platform to address this genetically. We present a protocol for high-throughput Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of Penium margaritaceum, a unicellular CGA species. The versatility of Penium as a model for studying various aspects of plant cell biology and development was illustrated through non-invasive visualization of protein localization and dynamics in living cells. In addition, the utility of RNA interference (RNAi) for reverse genetic studies was demonstrated by targeting genes associated with cell wall modification (pectin methylesterase) and biosynthesis (cellulose synthase). This provided evidence supporting current models of cell wall assembly and inter-polymer interactions that were based on studies of land plants, but in this case using direct observation in vivo. This new functional genomics platform has broad potential applications, including studies of plant organismal biology and the evolutionary innovations required for transition from aquatic to terrestrial habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iben Sørensen
- Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
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17
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Hackenberg D, Pandey S. Heterotrimeric G proteins in green algae: an early innovation in the evolution of the plant lineage. Plant Signal Behav 2014; 9:e28457. [PMID: 24614119 PMCID: PMC4091182 DOI: 10.4161/psb.28457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Revised: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/06/2014] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Heterotrimeric G-proteins (G-proteins, hereafter) are important signaling components in all eukaryotes. The absence of these proteins in the sequenced genomes of Chlorophyaceaen green algae has raised questions about their evolutionary origin and prevalence in the plant lineage. The existence of G-proteins has often been correlated with the acquisition of embryophytic life-cycle and/or terrestrial habitats of plants which occurred around 450 million years ago. Our discovery of functional G-proteins in Chara braunii, a representative of the Charophycean green algae, establishes the existence of this conserved signaling pathway in the most basal plants and dates it even further back to 1-1.5 billion years ago. We have now identified the sequence homologs of G-proteins in additional algal families and propose that green algae represent a model system for one of the most basal forms of G-protein signaling known to exist to date. Given the possible differences that exist between plant and metazoan G-protein signaling mechanisms, such basal organisms will serve as important resources to trace the evolutionary origin of proposed mechanistic differences between the systems as well as their plant-specific functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sona Pandey
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; St. Louis, MO USA
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18
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Liang Z, Demko V, Wilson RC, Johnson KA, Ahmad R, Perroud PF, Quatrano R, Zhao S, Shalchian-Tabrizi K, Otegui MS, Olsen OA, Johansen W. The catalytic domain CysPc of the DEK1 calpain is functionally conserved in land plants. Plant J 2013; 75:742-54. [PMID: 23663131 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2013] [Revised: 03/26/2013] [Accepted: 05/08/2013] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
DEK1, the single calpain of land plants, is a member of the ancient membrane bound TML-CysPc-C2L calpain family that dates back 1.5 billion years. Here we show that the CysPc-C2L domains of land plant calpains form a separate sub-clade in the DEK1 clade of the phylogenetic tree of plants. The charophycean alga Mesostigma viride DEK1-like gene is clearly divergent from those in land plants, suggesting that a major evolutionary shift in DEK1 occurred during the transition to land plants. Based on genetic complementation of the Arabidopsis thaliana dek1-3 mutant using CysPc-C2L domains of various origins, we show that these two domains have been functionally conserved within land plants for at least 450 million years. This conclusion is based on the observation that the CysPc-C2L domains of DEK1 from the moss Physcomitrella patens complements the A. thaliana dek1-3 mutant phenotype. In contrast, neither the CysPc-C2L domains from M. viride nor chimeric animal-plant calpains complement this mutant. Co-evolution analysis identified differences in the interactions between the CysPc-C2L residues of DEK1 and classical calpains, supporting the view that the two enzymes are regulated by fundamentally different mechanisms. Using the A. thaliana dek1-3 complementation assay, we show that four conserved amino acid residues of two Ca²⁺-binding sites in the CysPc domain of classical calpains are conserved in land plants and functionally essential in A. thaliana DEK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Liang
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, N-1432, Norway
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19
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Huang NL, Huang MD, Chen TLL, Huang AH. Oleosin of subcellular lipid droplets evolved in green algae. Plant Physiol 2013; 161:1862-74. [PMID: 23391579 PMCID: PMC3613461 DOI: 10.1104/pp.112.212514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2012] [Accepted: 02/04/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In primitive and higher plants, intracellular storage lipid droplets (LDs) of triacylglycerols are stabilized with a surface layer of phospholipids and oleosin. In chlorophytes (green algae), a protein termed major lipid-droplet protein (MLDP) rather than oleosin on LDs was recently reported. We explored whether MLDP was present directly on algal LDs and whether algae had oleosin genes and oleosins. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that MLDP in the chlorophyte Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was associated with endoplasmic reticulum subdomains adjacent to but not directly on LDs. In C. reinhardtii, low levels of a transcript encoding an oleosin-like protein (oleolike) in zygotes-tetrads and a transcript encoding oleosin in vegetative cells transferred to an acetate-enriched medium were found in transcriptomes and by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The C. reinhardtii LD fraction contained minimal proteins with no detectable oleolike or oleosin. Several charophytes (advanced green algae) possessed low levels of transcripts encoding oleosin but not oleolike. In the charophyte Spirogyra grevilleana, levels of oleosin transcripts increased greatly in cells undergoing conjugation for zygote formation, and the LD fraction from these cells contained minimal proteins, two of which were oleosins identified via proteomics. Because the minimal oleolike and oleosins in algae were difficult to detect, we tested their subcellular locations in Physcomitrella patens transformed with the respective algal genes tagged with a Green Fluorescent Protein gene and localized the algal proteins on P. patens LDs. Overall, oleosin genes having weak and cell/development-specific expression were present in green algae. We present a hypothesis for the evolution of oleosins from algae to plants.
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20
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Bowman JL. Walkabout on the long branches of plant evolution. Curr Opin Plant Biol 2013; 16:70-7. [PMID: 23140608 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2012.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2012] [Revised: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2012] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The closest living relatives of land plants, the Charophytes, and early diverging land plant lineages, the bryophytes, reside in a phylogenetic grade. Recent analyses have resolved relationships and demonstrated that some components of the land plant developmental genetic toolkit have their origin in algal ancestors. Phylogenetic grades of taxa imply long independent evolutionary histories, with extant species diversity potentially relictual and highly derived morphologically, making reconstruction of ancestral states problematic. Incorporating data on the genetic bases of character states may be phylogenetically informative in elucidating ancestral states in cases where morphology is highly divergent.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Bowman
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia.
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21
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Sørensen I, Pettolino FA, Bacic A, Ralph J, Lu F, O'Neill MA, Fei Z, Rose JKC, Domozych DS, Willats WGT. The charophycean green algae provide insights into the early origins of plant cell walls. Plant J 2011; 68:201-11. [PMID: 21707800 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2011.04686.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Numerous evolutionary innovations were required to enable freshwater green algae to colonize terrestrial habitats and thereby initiate the evolution of land plants (embryophytes). These adaptations probably included changes in cell-wall composition and architecture that were to become essential for embryophyte development and radiation. However, it is not known to what extent the polymers that are characteristic of embryophyte cell walls, including pectins, hemicelluloses, glycoproteins and lignin, evolved in response to the demands of the terrestrial environment or whether they pre-existed in their algal ancestors. Here we show that members of the advanced charophycean green algae (CGA), including the Charales, Coleochaetales and Zygnematales, but not basal CGA (Klebsormidiales and Chlorokybales), have cell walls that are comparable in several respects to the primary walls of embryophytes. Moreover, we provide both chemical and immunocytochemical evidence that selected Coleochaete species have cell walls that contain small amounts of lignin or lignin-like polymers derived from radical coupling of hydroxycinnamyl alcohols. Thus, the ability to synthesize many of the components that characterize extant embryophyte walls evolved during divergence within CGA. Our study provides new insight into the evolutionary window during which the structurally complex walls of embryophytes originated, and the significance of the advanced CGA during these events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iben Sørensen
- Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Copenhagen, DK-1871 Copenhagen, Denmark
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