Characterization of the evolutionarily conserved iron–sulfur cluster of sirohydrochlorin ferrochelatase from Arabidopsis thaliana

2012 ◽  
Vol 444 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushik Saha ◽  
Michael E. Webb ◽  
Stephen E. J. Rigby ◽  
Helen K. Leech ◽  
Martin J. Warren ◽  
...  

Sirohaem is a cofactor of nitrite and sulfite reductases, essential for assimilation of nitrogen and sulfur. Sirohaem is synthesized from the central tetrapyrrole intermediate uroporphyrinogen III by methylation, oxidation and ferrochelation reactions. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the ferrochelation step is catalysed by sirohydrochlorin ferrochelatase (SirB), which, unlike its counterparts in bacteria, contains an [Fe–S] cluster. We determined the cluster to be a [4Fe–4S] type, which quickly oxidizes to a [2Fe–2S] form in the presence of oxygen. We also identified the cluster ligands as four conserved cysteine residues located at the C-terminus. A fifth conserved cysteine residue, Cys135, is not involved in ligating the cluster directly, but influences the oxygen-sensitivity of the [4Fe–4S] form, and possibly the affinity for the substrate metal. Substitution mutants of the enzyme lacking the Fe–S cluster or Cys135 retain the same specific activity in vitro and dimeric quaternary structure as the wild-type enzyme. The mutant variants also rescue a defined Escherichia coli sirohaem-deficient mutant. However, the mutant enzymes cannot complement Arabidopsis plants with a null AtSirB mutation, which exhibits post-germination arrest. These observations suggest an important physiological role for the Fe–S cluster in planta, highlighting the close association of iron, sulfur and tetrapyrrole metabolism.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédérique Van Gijsegem ◽  
Frédérique Bitton ◽  
Anne-Laure Laborie ◽  
Yvan Kraepiel ◽  
Jacques Pédron

AbstractTo draw a global view of plant responses to interactions with the phytopathogenic enterobacterale Dickeya dadantii, a causal agent of soft rot diseases on many plant species, we analysed the early Arabidopsis responses to D. dadantii infection. We performed a genome-wide analysis of the Arabidopsis thaliana transcriptome during D. dadantii infection and conducted a genetic study of identified responses.A limited set of genes related to plant defence or interactions with the environment were induced at an early stage of infection, with an over-representation of genes involved in both the metabolism of indole glucosinolates (IGs) and the jasmonate (JA) defence pathway. Bacterial type I and type II secretion systems are required to trigger the induction of IG and JA-related genes while the type III secretion system appears to partially inhibit these defence pathways. Using Arabidopsis mutants impaired in JA biosynthesis or perception, we showed that induction of some IG metabolism genes was COI1-dependent but, surprisingly, JA-independent. Moreover, characterisation of D. dadantii disease progression in Arabidopsis mutants impaired in JA or IG pathways showed that JA triggers an efficient plant defence response that does not involve IGs.The induction of the IG pathway by bacterial pathogens has been reported several times in vitro. This study shows for the first time, that this induction does indeed occur in planta, but also that this line of defence is ineffective against D. dadantii infection, in contrast to its role to counteract herbivorous or fungal pathogen attacks.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (14) ◽  
pp. 4171-4187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Berger ◽  
Florence Vignols ◽  
Jonathan Przybyla-Toscano ◽  
Mélanie Roland ◽  
Valérie Rofidal ◽  
...  

Abstract Iron–sulfur (Fe-S) proteins have critical functions in plastids, notably participating in photosynthetic electron transfer, sulfur and nitrogen assimilation, chlorophyll metabolism, and vitamin or amino acid biosynthesis. Their maturation relies on the so-called SUF (sulfur mobilization) assembly machinery. Fe-S clusters are synthesized de novo on a scaffold protein complex and then delivered to client proteins via several transfer proteins. However, the maturation pathways of most client proteins and their specificities for transfer proteins are mostly unknown. In order to decipher the proteins interacting with the Fe-S cluster transfer protein NFU2, one of the three plastidial representatives found in Arabidopsis thaliana, we performed a quantitative proteomic analysis of shoots, roots, and seedlings of nfu2 plants, combined with NFU2 co-immunoprecipitation and binary yeast two-hybrid experiments. We identified 14 new targets, among which nine were validated in planta using a binary bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay. These analyses also revealed a possible role for NFU2 in the plant response to desiccation. Altogether, this study better delineates the maturation pathways of many chloroplast Fe-S proteins, considerably extending the number of NFU2 clients. It also helps to clarify the respective roles of the three NFU paralogs NFU1, NFU2, and NFU3.


2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuy T. P. Doan ◽  
Anders S. Carlsson ◽  
Sten Stymne ◽  
Per Hofvander

Fatty alcohols and derivatives are important for proper deposition of a functional pollen wall. Mutations in specific genes encoding fatty acid reductases (FAR) responsible for fatty alcohol production cause abnormal development of pollen. A disrupted AtFAR2 (MS2) gene in Arabidopsis thaliana results in pollen developing an abnormal exine layer and a reduced fertility phenotype. AtFAR2 has been shown to be targeted to chloroplasts and in a purified form to be specific for acyl-ACP substrates. Here, we present data on the in vitro and in planta characterizations of AtFAR2 from A. thaliana and show that this enzyme has the ability to use both, C16:0-ACP and C16:0-CoA, as substrates to produce C16:0-alcohol. Our results further show that AtFAR2 is highly similar in properties and substrate specificity to AtFAR6 for which in vitro data has been published, and which is also a chloroplast localized enzyme. This suggests that although AtFAR2 is the major enzyme responsible for exine layer functionality, AtFAR6 might provide functional redundancy to AtFAR2.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1654
Author(s):  
Denis Coulon ◽  
Lionel Faure ◽  
Magali Grison ◽  
Stéphanie Pascal ◽  
Valérie Wattelet-Boyer ◽  
...  

Lyso-lipid acyltransferases are enzymes involved in various processes such as lipid synthesis and remodelling. Here, we characterized the activity of an acyltransferase from Arabidopsis thaliana (LPIAT). In vitro, this protein, expressed in Escherichia coli membrane, displayed a 2-lyso-phosphatidylinositol acyltransferase activity with a specificity towards saturated long chain acyl CoAs (C16:0- and C18:0-CoAs), allowing the remodelling of phosphatidylinositol. In planta, LPIAT gene was expressed in mature seeds and very transiently during seed imbibition, mostly in aleurone-like layer cells. Whereas the disruption of this gene did not alter the lipid composition of seed, its overexpression in leaves promoted a strong increase in the phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIP) level without affecting the PIP2 content. The spatial and temporal narrow expression of this gene as well as the modification of PIP metabolism led us to investigate its role in the control of seed germination. Seeds from the lpiat mutant germinated faster and were less sensitive to abscisic acid (ABA) than wild-type or overexpressing lines. We also showed that the protective effect of ABA on young seedlings against dryness was reduced for lpiat line. In addition, germination of lpiat mutant seeds was more sensitive to hyperosmotic stress. All these results suggest a link between phosphoinositides and ABA signalling in the control of seed germination


2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenqi Hu ◽  
Jing Yuan ◽  
Qiao-Ling Jin ◽  
Patrick Hart ◽  
Sheng Yang He

Hypersensitive reaction and pathogenicity (hrp) genes are required for Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 to cause disease in susceptible tomato and Arabidopsis thaliana plants and to elicit the hypersensitive response in resistant plants. The hrp genes encode a type III protein secretion system known as the Hrp system, which in Pst DC3000 secretes HrpA, HrpZ, HrpW, and AvrPto and assembles a surface appendage, named the Hrp pilus, in hrp-gene-inducing minimal medium. HrpA has been suggested to be the Hrp pilus structural protein on the basis of copurification and mutational analyses. In this study, we show that an antibody against HrpA efficiently labeled Hrp pili, whereas antibodies against HrpW and HrpZ did not. Immunogold labeling of bacteria-infected Arabidopsis thaliana leaf tissue with an Hrp pilus antibody revealed a characteristic lineup of gold particles around bacteria and/or at the bacterium-plant contact site. These results confirm that HrpA is the major structural protein of the Hrp pilus and provide evidence that Hrp pili are assembled in vitro and in planta.


2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (19) ◽  
pp. 3673-3693
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Liszka ◽  
Regina Schimpf ◽  
Krupskaya Ivannova Cartuche Zaruma ◽  
Annika Buhr ◽  
Thorsten Seidel ◽  
...  

In yeast and animal cells, mitochondrial disturbances resulting from imbalances in the respiratory chain require malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activities for re-directing fluxes of reducing equivalents. In plants, in addition to mitochondria, plastids use malate valves to counterbalance and maintain redox-homeostasis. Arabidopsis expresses three cytosolic MDH isoforms, namely cyMDH1, cyMDH2, and cyMDH3, the latter possessing an N-terminal extension carrying a unique cysteine residue C2. In this study, redox-effects on activity and structure of all three cyMDH isoforms were analyzed in vitro. cyMDH1 and cyMDH2 were reversibly inactivated by diamide treatment, accompanied by dimerization via disulfide-bridge formation. In contrast, cyMDH3 forms dimers and higher oligomers upon oxidation, but its low specific activity is redox-independent. In the presence of glutathione, cyMDH1 and cyMDH2 are protected from dimerization and inactivation. In contrast, cyMDH3 still dimerizes but does not form oligomers any longer. From analyses of single and double cysteine mutants and structural modeling of cyMDH3, we conclude that the presence of C2 and C336 allows for multiple cross-links in the higher molecular mass complexes comprising disulfides within the dimer as well as between monomers of two different dimers. Furthermore, nuclear localization of cyMDH isoforms was significantly increased under oxidizing conditions in isolated Arabidopsis protoplasts, in particular of isoform cyMDH3. The unique cyMDH3 C2–C2-linked dimer is, therefore, a good candidate as a redox-sensor taking over moonlighting functions upon disturbances of energy metabolism, as shown previously for the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) where oxidative modification of the sensitive catalytic cysteine residues induces nuclear translocation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Rondeau ◽  
Qassim Esmaeel ◽  
Jérôme Crouzet ◽  
Pauline Blin ◽  
Isabelle Gosselin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Members of the genus Burkholderia colonize diverse ecological niches. Among the plant-associated strains, Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN is an endophyte with a broad host range. In a spatially structured environment (unshaken broth cultures), biofilm-constructing specialists of P. phytofirmans PsJN colonizing the air-liquid interface arose at high frequency. In addition to forming a robust biofilm in vitro and in planta on Arabidopsis roots, those mucoid phenotypic variants display a reduced swimming ability and modulate the expression of several microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), including exopolysaccharides (EPS), flagellin, and GroEL. Interestingly, the variants induce low PR1 and PDF1.2 expression compared to that of the parental strain, suggesting a possible evasion of plant host immunity. We further demonstrated that switching from the planktonic to the sessile form did not involve quorum-sensing genes but arose from spontaneous mutations in two genes belonging to an iron-sulfur cluster: hscA (encoding a cochaperone protein) and iscS (encoding a cysteine desulfurase). A mutational approach validated the implication of these two genes in the appearance of variants. We showed for the first time that in a heterogeneous environment, P. phytofirmans strain PsJN is able to rapidly diversify and coexpress a variant that outcompete the wild-type form in free-living and static conditions but not in planta. IMPORTANCE Paraburkholderia phytofirmans strain PsJN is a well-studied plant-associated bacterium known to induce resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. In this work, we described the spontaneous appearance of mucoid variants in PsJN from static cultures. We showed that the conversion from the wild-type (WT) form to variants (V) correlates with an overproduction of EPS, an enhanced ability to form biofilm in vitro and in planta, and a reduced swimming motility. Our results revealed also that these phenotypes are in part associated with spontaneous mutations in an iron-sulfur cluster. Overall, the data provided here allow a better understanding of the adaptive mechanisms likely developed by P. phytofirmans PsJN in a heterogeneous environment.


Antioxidants ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavien Zannini ◽  
Thomas Roret ◽  
Jonathan Przybyla-Toscano ◽  
Tiphaine Dhalleine ◽  
Nicolas Rouhier ◽  
...  

In plants, the mitochondrial thioredoxin (TRX) system generally comprises only one or two isoforms belonging to the TRX h or o classes, being less well developed compared to the numerous isoforms found in chloroplasts. Unlike most other plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana possesses two TRXo isoforms whose physiological functions remain unclear. Here, we performed a structure–function analysis to unravel the respective properties of the duplicated TRXo1 and TRXo2 isoforms. Surprisingly, when expressed in Escherichia coli, both recombinant proteins existed in an apo-monomeric form and in a homodimeric iron–sulfur (Fe-S) cluster-bridged form. In TRXo2, the [4Fe-4S] cluster is likely ligated in by the usual catalytic cysteines present in the conserved Trp-Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys signature. Solving the three-dimensional structure of both TRXo apo-forms pointed to marked differences in the surface charge distribution, notably in some area usually participating to protein–protein interactions with partners. However, we could not detect a difference in their capacity to reduce nitrogen-fixation-subunit-U (NFU)-like proteins, NFU4 or NFU5, two proteins participating in the maturation of certain mitochondrial Fe-S proteins and previously isolated as putative TRXo1 partners. Altogether, these results suggest that a novel regulation mechanism may prevail for mitochondrial TRXs o, possibly existing as a redox-inactive Fe-S cluster-bound form that could be rapidly converted in a redox-active form upon cluster degradation in specific physiological conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Walter ◽  
Lorenzo Caputi ◽  
Sarah O’Connor ◽  
Karl-Heinz van Pée ◽  
Jutta Ludwig-Müller

Plant hormones have various functions in plants and play crucial roles in all developmental and differentiation stages. Auxins constitute one of the most important groups with the major representative indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). A halogenated derivate of IAA, 4-chloro-indole-3-acetic acid (4-Cl-IAA), has previously been identified in Pisum sativum and other legumes. While the enzymes responsible for the halogenation of compounds in bacteria and fungi are well studied, the metabolic pathways leading to the production of 4-Cl-IAA in plants, especially the halogenating reaction, are still unknown. Therefore, bacterial flavin-dependent tryptophan-halogenase genes were transformed into the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. The type of chlorinated indole derivatives that could be expected was determined by incubating wild type A. thaliana with different Cl-tryptophan derivatives. We showed that, in addition to chlorinated IAA, chlorinated IAA conjugates were synthesized. Concomitantly, we found that an auxin conjugate synthetase (GH3.3 protein) from A. thaliana was able to convert chlorinated IAAs to amino acid conjugates in vitro. In addition, we showed that the production of halogenated tryptophan (Trp), indole-3-acetonitrile (IAN) and IAA is possible in transgenic A. thaliana in planta with the help of the bacterial halogenating enzymes. Furthermore, it was investigated if there is an effect (i) of exogenously applied Cl-IAA and Cl-Trp and (ii) of endogenously chlorinated substances on the growth phenotype of the plants.


2000 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 456-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Tuori ◽  
Thomas J. Wolpert ◽  
Lynda M. Ciuffetti

Ptr ToxA, a proteinaceous host-selective toxin (HST) produced by the fungus Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified as a polyhistidine-tagged, fusion protein (NC-FP). NC-FP, consisting of both the N and C domains of the ToxA open reading frame (ORF), is produced as an insoluble protein in E. coli at approximately 10 to 16 mg per liter of culture. Following in vitro refolding, NC-FP elicits cultivar-specific necrosis in wheat, with a specific activity similar to that of native Ptr ToxA. A fusion protein consisting of only the C domain has approximately 10 to 20% of the activity of native Ptr ToxA. These data suggest that (i) the N domain is important for maximal activity of Ptr ToxA, (ii) the N domain does not function to eliminate activity of the protoxin, and (iii) post-translational modifications of Ptr ToxA are not essential for activity. A C domain construct with a cysteine residue mutated to glycine is inactive. This, plus the observation that toxin activity is sensitive to reducing agents, provides evidence that the two cysteine residues in Ptr ToxA are involved in a disulfide bond that is essential for activity. The heterologous expression of Ptr ToxA provides a valuable tool for addressing a number of issues such as receptor binding studies, structure/function studies, and screening wheat cultivars for disease resistance.


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