scholarly journals Chloroplast competition is controlled by lipid biosynthesis in evening primroses

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (12) ◽  
pp. 5665-5674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Sobanski ◽  
Patrick Giavalisco ◽  
Axel Fischer ◽  
Julia M. Kreiner ◽  
Dirk Walther ◽  
...  

In most eukaryotes, organellar genomes are transmitted preferentially by the mother, but molecular mechanisms and evolutionary forces underlying this fundamental biological principle are far from understood. It is believed that biparental inheritance promotes competition between the cytoplasmic organelles and allows the spread of so-called selfish cytoplasmic elements. Those can be, for example, fast-replicating or aggressive chloroplasts (plastids) that are incompatible with the hybrid nuclear genome and therefore maladaptive. Here we show that the ability of plastids to compete against each other is a metabolic phenotype determined by extremely rapidly evolving genes in the plastid genome of the evening primroseOenothera. Repeats in the regulatory region ofaccD(the plastid-encoded subunit of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase, which catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step of lipid biosynthesis), as well as inycf2(a giant reading frame of still unknown function), are responsible for the differences in competitive behavior of plastid genotypes. Polymorphisms in these genes influence lipid synthesis and most likely profiles of the plastid envelope membrane. These in turn determine plastid division and/or turnover rates and hence competitiveness. This work uncovers cytoplasmic drive loci controlling the outcome of biparental chloroplast transmission. Here, they define the mode of chloroplast inheritance, as plastid competitiveness can result in uniparental inheritance (through elimination of the “weak” plastid) or biparental inheritance (when two similarly “strong” plastids are transmitted).

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Sobanski ◽  
Patrick Giavalisco ◽  
Axel Fischer ◽  
Julia Kreiner ◽  
Dirk Walther ◽  
...  

AbstractIn most eukaryotes, organellar genomes are transmitted preferentially by the mother, but molecular mechanisms and evolutionary forces underlying this fundamental biological principle are far from understood. It is believed that biparental inheritance promotes competition between the cytoplasmic organelles and allows the spread of so-called selfish cytoplasmic elements. Those can be, for example, fast replicating or aggressive chloroplasts (plastids) that are incompatible with the hybrid nuclear genome and therefore maladaptive. Here we show that the ability of plastids to compete against each other is a metabolic phenotype determined by extremely rapidly evolving genes in the plastid genome of the evening primroseOenothera. Repeats in the regulatory region ofaccD(the plastid-encoded subunit of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase, which catalyzes the first and rate limiting step of lipid biosynthesis), as well as inycf2(a giant reading frame of still unknown function), are responsible for the differences in competitive behavior of plastid genotypes. Polymorphisms in these genes influence lipid synthesis and most likely profiles of the plastid envelope membrane. These in turn determine plastid division and/or turn-over rates and hence competitiveness. This work uncovers cytoplasmic drive loci controlling the outcome of biparental chloroplast transmission. Here, they define the mode of chloroplast inheritance, since plastid competitiveness can result in uniparental inheritance (through elimination of the “weak” plastid) or biparental inheritance (when two similarly “strong” plastids are transmitted).Significance statementPlastids and mitochondria are usually uniparentally inherited, typically maternally. When the DNA-containing organelles are transmitted to the progeny by both parents, evolutionary theory predicts that the maternal and paternal organelles will compete in the hybrid. As their genomes do not undergo sexual recombination, one organelle will “try” to outcompete the other, thus favoring the evolution and spread of aggressive cytoplasms. The investigations described here in the evening primrose, a model species for biparental plastid transmission, have discovered that chloroplast competition is a metabolic phenotype. It is conferred by rapidly evolving genes that are encoded on the chloroplast genome and control lipid biosynthesis. Due to their high mutation rate these loci can evolve and become fixed in a population very quickly.


Genome ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 423-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Breton ◽  
Donald T. Stewart

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is predominantly maternally inherited in eukaryotes. Diverse molecular mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of strict maternal inheritance (SMI) of mtDNA have been described, but the evolutionary forces responsible for its predominance in eukaryotes remain to be elucidated. Exceptions to SMI have been reported in diverse eukaryotic taxa, leading to the prediction that several distinct molecular mechanisms controlling mtDNA transmission are present among the eukaryotes. We propose that these mechanisms will be better understood by studying the deviations from the predominating pattern of SMI. This minireview summarizes studies on eukaryote species with unusual or rare mitochondrial inheritance patterns, i.e., other than the predominant SMI pattern, such as maternal inheritance of stable heteroplasmy, paternal leakage of mtDNA, biparental and strictly paternal inheritance, and doubly uniparental inheritance of mtDNA. The potential genes and mechanisms involved in controlling mitochondrial inheritance in these organisms are discussed. The linkage between mitochondrial inheritance and sex determination is also discussed, given that the atypical systems of mtDNA inheritance examined in this minireview are frequently found in organisms with uncommon sexual systems such as gynodioecy, monoecy, or andromonoecy. The potential of deviations from SMI for facilitating a better understanding of a number of fundamental questions in biology, such as the evolution of mtDNA inheritance, the coevolution of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and, perhaps, the role of mitochondria in sex determination, is considerable.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7390
Author(s):  
Nicole Wesch ◽  
Frank Löhr ◽  
Natalia Rogova ◽  
Volker Dötsch ◽  
Vladimir V. Rogov

Ubiquitin fold modifier 1 (UFM1) is a member of the ubiquitin-like protein family. UFM1 undergoes a cascade of enzymatic reactions including activation by UBA5 (E1), transfer to UFC1 (E2) and selective conjugation to a number of target proteins via UFL1 (E3) enzymes. Despite the importance of ufmylation in a variety of cellular processes and its role in the pathogenicity of many human diseases, the molecular mechanisms of the ufmylation cascade remains unclear. In this study we focused on the biophysical and biochemical characterization of the interaction between UBA5 and UFC1. We explored the hypothesis that the unstructured C-terminal region of UBA5 serves as a regulatory region, controlling cellular localization of the elements of the ufmylation cascade and effective interaction between them. We found that the last 20 residues in UBA5 are pivotal for binding to UFC1 and can accelerate the transfer of UFM1 to UFC1. We solved the structure of a complex of UFC1 and a peptide spanning the last 20 residues of UBA5 by NMR spectroscopy. This structure in combination with additional NMR titration and isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed the mechanism of interaction and confirmed the importance of the C-terminal unstructured region in UBA5 for the ufmylation cascade.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1574-1584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiu-ying Yang ◽  
Margaret C.L. Tse ◽  
Xiang Hu ◽  
Wei-hua Jia ◽  
Guan-hua Du ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), also known as irisin, is a myokine secreted from muscle in response to exercise. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate FNDC5 expression and the functional significance of irisn in skeletal muscle remain unknown. In this study, we explored the potential pathways that induce FNDC5 expression and delineated the metabolic effects of irisin on skeletal muscle. Methods: C2C12 myotubes were treated with drugs at various concentrations and durations. The expression and activation of genes were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. Oxidative phosphorylation was quantified by measuring the oxygen consumption rate (OCR). Results: We found that the exercise-mimicking treatment (cAMP, forskolin and isoproterenol) increased Fndc5 expression in C2C12 myotubes. CREB over-expressed C2C12 myotubes displayed higher Fndc5 expression. CREB over-expression also promoted peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) expression. PGC-1α-induced Fndc5 expression was blocked when the dominant negative form of CREB (S133A) was present. PGC-1α mutation (S570A) also decreased Fndc5 expression. Immunoprecipitation showed that overexpressed PGC-1α complexed with CREB in HEK293 cells. C2C12 myotubes treated with forskolin also increased endogenous CREB and PGC-1α binding. Functionally, irisin treatment increased mitochondrial respiration, enhanced ATP production, promoted fatty acid oxidation but decreased glycolysis in myotubes. Conclusion: Our observation indicates that cAMP-mediated PGC-1α/CREB interaction triggers Fndc5 expression, which acts as an autocrine/paracrine to shape the metabolic phenotype of myotubes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 3272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manel Benhassine ◽  
Sylvain Guérin

Because it accounts for 70% of all eye cancers, uveal melanoma (UM) is therefore the most common primary ocular malignancy. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms leading to the aberrant expression of the gene encoding the serotonin receptor 2B (HTR2B), one of the most discriminating among the candidates from the class II gene signature, in metastatic and non-metastatic UM cell lines. Transfection analyses revealed that the upstream regulatory region of the HTR2B gene contains a combination of alternative positive and negative regulatory elements functional in HTR2B− but not in HTR23B+ UM cells. We demonstrated that both the transcription factors nuclear factor I (NFI) and Runt-related transcription factor I (RUNX1) interact with regulatory elements from the HTR2B gene to either activate (NFI) or repress (RUNX1) HTR2B expression in UM cells. The results of this study will help understand better the molecular mechanisms accounting for the abnormal expression of the HTR2B gene in uveal melanoma.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie M. Tribble ◽  
Jesús Martínez-Gómez ◽  
Fernando Alzate-Guarin ◽  
Carl J. Rothfels ◽  
Chelsea D. Specht

AbstractMany species from across the vascular plant tree-of-life have modified standard plant tissues into tubers, bulbs, corms, and other underground storage organs (USOs), unique innovations which allow these plants to retreat underground. Our ability to understand the developmental and evolutionary forces that shape these morphologies is limited by a lack of studies on certain USOs and plant clades. Bomarea multiflora (Alstroemeriaceae) is a monocot with tuberous roots, filling a key gap in our understanding of USO development. We take a comparative transcriptomics approach to characterizing the molecular mechanisms of tuberous root formation in B. multiflora and compare these mechanisms to those identified in other USOs across diverse plant lineages. We sequenced transcriptomes from the growing tip of four tissue types (aerial shoot, rhizome, fibrous root, and root tuber) of three individuals of B. multiflora. We identify differentially expressed isoforms between tuberous and non-tuberous roots and test the expression of a priori candidate genes implicated in underground storage in other taxa. We identify 271 genes that are differentially expressed in root tubers versus non-tuberous roots, including genes implicated in cell wall modification, defense response, and starch biosynthesis. We also identify a phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP), which has been implicated in tuberization signalling in other taxa and, through gene-tree analysis, place this copy in a phylogenytic context. These findings suggest that some similar molecular processes underlie the formation of underground storage structures across flowering plants despite the long evolutionary distances among taxa and non-homologous morphologies (e.g., bulbs versus tubers).


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Jeandard ◽  
Anna Smirnova ◽  
Ivan Tarassov ◽  
Eric Barrey ◽  
Alexandre Smirnov ◽  
...  

Mitochondria harbor their own genetic system, yet critically depend on the import of a number of nuclear-encoded macromolecules to ensure their expression. In all eukaryotes, selected non-coding RNAs produced from the nuclear genome are partially redirected into the mitochondria, where they participate in gene expression. Therefore, the mitochondrial RNome represents an intricate mixture of the intrinsic transcriptome and the extrinsic RNA importome. In this review, we summarize and critically analyze data on the nuclear-encoded transcripts detected in human mitochondria and outline the proposed molecular mechanisms of their mitochondrial import. Special attention is given to the various experimental approaches used to study the mitochondrial RNome, including some recently developed genome-wide and in situ techniques.


1996 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 2703-2703 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Fredberg ◽  
K. A. Jones ◽  
M. Nathan ◽  
S. Raboudi ◽  
Y. S. Prakash ◽  
...  

Fredberg, J. J., K. A. Jones, M. Nathan, S. Raboudi, Y. S. Prakash, S. A. Shore, J. P. Butler, and G. C. Sieck. Friction in airway smooth muscle: mechanism, latch, and implications in asthma. J. Appl. Physiol. 81(6): 2703–2712, 1996.—In muscle, active force and stiffness reflect numbers of actin-myosin interactions and shortening velocity reflects their turnover rates, but the molecular basis of mechanical friction is somewhat less clear. To better characterize molecular mechanisms that govern mechanical friction, we measured the rate of mechanical energy dissipation and the rate of actomyosin ATP utilization simultaneously in activated canine airway smooth muscle subjected to small periodic stretches as occur in breathing. The amplitude of the frictional stress is proportional to ηE, where E is the tissue stiffness defined by the slope of the resulting force vs. displacement loop and η is the hysteresivity defined by the fatness of that loop. From contractile stimulus onset, the time course of frictional stress amplitude followed a biphasic pattern that tracked that of the rate of actomyosin ATP consumption. The time course of hysteresivity, however, followed a different biphasic pattern that tracked that of shortening velocity. Taken together with an analysis of mechanical energy storage and dissipation in the cross-bridge cycle, these results indicate, first, that like shortening velocity and the rate of actomyosin ATP utilization, mechanical friction in airway smooth muscle is also governed by the rate of cross-bridge cycling; second, that changes in cycling rate associated with conversion of rapidly cycling cross bridges to slowly cycling latch bridges can be assessed from changes of hysteresivity of the force vs. displacement loop; and third, that steady-state force maintenance (latch) is a low-friction contractile state. This last finding may account for the unique inability of asthmatic patients to reverse spontaneous airways obstruction with a deep inspiration.


2011 ◽  
Vol 300 (3) ◽  
pp. G494-G501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep B. Subramanya ◽  
Veedamali S. Subramanian ◽  
Jeyan S. Kumar ◽  
Robert Hoiness ◽  
Hamid M. Said

The water-soluble vitamin biotin is essential for normal cellular functions and its deficiency leads to a variety of clinical abnormalities. Mammals obtain biotin from exogenous sources via intestinal absorption, a process mediated by the sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter (SMVT). Chronic alcohol use in humans is associated with a significant reduction in plasma biotin levels, and animal studies have shown inhibition in intestinal biotin absorption by chronic alcohol feeding. Little, however, is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the inhibition in intestinal biotin transport by chronic alcohol use. These mechanisms were investigated in this study by using rats and transgenic mice carrying the human full-length SLC5A6 5′-regulatory region chronically fed alcohol liquid diets; human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells chronically exposed to alcohol were also used as models. The results showed chronic alcohol feeding of rats to lead to a significant inhibition in carrier-mediated biotin transport events across jejunal brush border and basolateral membrane domains. This inhibition was associated with a significant reduction in level of expression of the SMVT protein, mRNA, and heterogenous nuclear RNA. Chronic alcohol feeding also inhibited carrier-mediated biotin uptake in rat colon. Studies with transgenic mice confirmed the above findings and further showed chronic alcohol feeding significantly inhibited the activity of SLC5A6 5′-regulatory region. Finally, chronic exposure of Caco-2 cells to alcohol led to a significant decrease in the activity of both promoters P1 and P2 of the human SLC5A6 gene. These studies identify for the first time the cellular and molecular parameters of the intestinal biotin absorptive processes that are affected by chronic alcohol feeding.


2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (20) ◽  
pp. 7479-7491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Pereira ◽  
Fei Yi ◽  
Bradley J. Merrill

ABSTRACT The dual function of stem cells requires them not only to form new stem cells through self-renewal but also to form lineage-committed cells through differentiation. Embryonic stem cells (ESC), which are derived from the blastocyst inner cell mass, retain properties of self-renewal and the potential for lineage commitment. To balance self-renewal and differentiation, ESC must carefully control the levels of several transcription factors, including Nanog, Sox2, and Oct4. While molecular mechanisms promoting transcription of these genes have been described, mechanisms preventing excessive levels in self-renewing ESC remain unknown. By examining the function of the TCF family of transcription factors in ESC, we have found that Tcf3 is necessary to limit the steady-state levels of Nanog mRNA, protein, and promoter activity in self-renewing ESC. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and promoter reporter assays showed that Tcf3 bound to a promoter regulatory region of the Nanog gene and repressed its transcriptional activity in ESC through a Groucho interaction domain-dependent process. The absence of Tcf3 caused delayed differentiation of ESC in vitro as elevated Nanog levels persisted through 5 days of embryoid body formation. These new data support a model wherein Tcf3-mediated control of Nanog levels allows stem cells to balance the creation of lineage-committed and undifferentiated cells.


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