Photo-oxidative stress impacts the expression of genes encoding iron metabolism components in Chlamydomonas.

Chlamydomonas, like other organisms, regulates iron assimilation very tightly through differential expression of iron assimilation components. Nevertheless, in the presence of excess iron, cells do overaccumulate iron but without an evident phenotype. As iron toxicity is attributed to reactive oxygen species, we tested the impact of photon flux density (PFD) on cells with increased iron content. We noted that growth at > 500 micromol m(-2) s(-1) is inhibited as iron content of the medium is increased, suggesting that high light exacerbates the systems of iron toxicity and vice versa. Cells grown in high light selectively down-regulate the abundance of iron assimilation components, ferroxidase and FEA1, and storage protein ferritin1. At the RNA level, the abundance of ferroxidase (FOX1), iron reductase (FRE1), iron assimilatory protein (FEA1) and ferritin (FER1) mRNAs is also decreased. The time course of the response to high light compared to the response to Rose Bengal and H2O2 treatments suggests that both singlet oxygen and H2O2 may be implicated in the high light response. This hypothesis is supported by the recapitulation of some but not all of the high light responses in the carotenoid-deficient, high light-sensitive npq1lor1 strain. We conclude that responses to iron nutrition and PFD are connected, and the determination of an optimum for photosynthetic growth for each is dependent on the other. This work defines a fourth stage of iron nutrition in Chlamydomonas, the iron excess situation, which can be molecularly and physiologically distinguished from the iron-limited, iron-deficient and iron-replete stages, described previously.

FER1 and FER2 encoding two ferritin complexes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplasts are regulated by iron.

Two unlinked genes FER1 and FER2 encoding ferritin subunits were identified in the Chlamydomonas genome. An improved FER2 gene model, built on the basis of manual sequencing and incorporation of unplaced reads, indicated 49% identity between the ferritin subunits. Both FER1 and FER2 transcripts are increased in abundance as iron nutrition is decreased but the pattern for each gene is distinct. Using subunit-specific antibodies, we monitored expression at the protein level. In response to low iron, ferritin1 subunits and the ferritin1 complex are increased in parallel to the increase in FER1 mRNA. Nevertheless, the iron content of the ferritin1 complex is decreased. This suggests that increased expression results in increased capacity for iron binding in the chloroplast of iron-limited cells, which supports a role for ferritin1 as an iron buffer. On the other hand, ferritin2 abundance is decreased in iron-deprived cells, indicative of the operation of iron-nutrition-responsive regulation at the translational or post-translational level for FER2. Both ferritin subunits are plastid localized but ferritin1 is quantitatively recovered in soluble extracts of cells while ferritin2 is found in the particulate fraction. Partial purification of the ferritin1 complex indicates that the two ferritins are associated in distinct complexes and do not coassemble. The ratio of ferritin1 to ferritin2 is 70:1 in iron-replete cells, suggestive of a more dominant role of ferritin1 in iron homeostasis. The Volvox genome contains orthologs of each FER gene, indicating that the duplication of FER genes and potential diversification of function occurred prior to the divergence of species in the Volvocales.

Between a rock and a hard place: trace element nutrition in Chlamydomonas.

Photosynthetic organisms are among the earliest life forms on earth and their biochemistry is strictly dependent on a wide range of inorganic nutrients owing to the use of metal cofactor-dependent enzymes in photosynthesis, respiration, inorganic nitrogen and sulfur assimilation. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a photosynthetic eukaryotic model organism for the study of trace metal homeostasis. Chlamydomonas spp. are widely distributed and can be found in soil, glaciers, acid mines and sewage ponds, suggesting that the genus has significant capacity for acclimation to micronutrient availability. Analysis of the draft genome indicates that metal homeostasis mechanisms in Chlamydomonas represent a blend of mechanisms operating in animals, plants and microbes. A combination of classical genetics, differential expression and genomic analysis has led to the identification of homologues of components known to operate in fungi and animals (e.g., Fox1, Ftr1, Fre1, Fer1, Ctr1/2) as well as novel molecules involved in copper and iron nutrition (Crr1, Fea1/2). Besides activating iron assimilation pathways, iron-deficient Chlamydomonas cells re-adjust metabolism by reducing light delivery to photosystem I (to avoid photo-oxidative damage resulting from compromised FeS clusters) and by modifying the ferredoxin profile (perhaps to accommodate preferential allocation of reducing equivalents). Up-regulation of a MnSOD isoform may compensate for loss of FeSOD. Ferritin could function to buffer the iron released from programmed degradation of iron-containing enzymes in the chloroplast. Some metabolic adjustments are made in anticipation of deficiency while others occur only with sustained or severe deficiency. Copper-deficient Chlamydomonas cells induce a copper assimilation pathway consisting of a cell surface reductase and a Cu(+) transporter (presumed CTR homologue). There are metabolic adaptations in addition: the synthesis of "back-up" enzymes for plastocyanin in photosynthesis and the ferroxidase in iron assimilation plus activation of alternative oxidase to handle the electron "overflow" resulting from reduced cytochrome oxidase function. Oxygen-dependent enzymes in the tetrapyrrole pathway (coproporphyrinogen oxidase and aerobic oxidative cyclase) are also increased in expression and activity by as much as 10-fold but the connection between copper nutrition and tetrapyrroles is not understood. The copper-deficiency responses are mediated by copper response elements that are defined by a GTAC core sequence and a novel metalloregulator, Crr1, which uses a zinc-dependent SBP domain to bind to the CuRE. The Chlamydomonas model is ideal for future investigation of nutritional manganese deficiency and selenoenzyme function. It is also suited for studies of trace nutrient interactions, nutrition-dependent metabolic changes, the relationship between photo-oxidative stress and metal homeostasis, and the important questions of differential allocation of limiting metal nutrients (e.g., to respiration vs. photosynthesis).

Multiple, conserved iron-responsive elements in the 3'-untranslated region of transferrin receptor mRNA enhance binding of iron regulatory protein 2.

Synthesis of proteins for iron homeostasis is regulated by specific, combinatorial mRNA/protein interactions between RNA stem-loop structures (iron-responsive elements, IREs) and iron-regulatory proteins (IRP1 and IRP2), controlling either mRNA translation or stability. The transferrin receptor 3'-untranslated region (TfR-3'-UTR) mRNA is unique in having five IREs, linked by AU-rich elements. A C-bulge in the stem of each TfR-IRE folds into an IRE that has low IRP2 binding, whereas a loop/bulge in the stem of the ferritin-IRE allows equivalent IRP1 and IRP2 binding. Effects of multiple IRE interactions with IRP1 and IRP2 were compared between the native TfR-3'-UTR sequence (5xIRE) and RNA with only 3 or 2 IREs. We show 1) equivalent IRP1 and IRP2 binding to multiple TfR-IRE RNAs; 2) increased IRP-dependent nuclease resistance of 5xIRE compared with lower IRE copy-number RNAs; 3) distorted TfR-IRE helix structure within the context of 5xIRE, detected by Cu-(phen)(2) binding/cleavage, that coincides with ferritin-IRE conformation and enhanced IRP2 binding; and 4) variable IRP1 and IRP2 expression in human cells and during development (IRP2-mRNA predominated). Changes in TfR-IRE structure conferred by the full length TfR-3'-UTR mRNA explain in part evolutionary conservation of multiple IRE-RNA, which allows TfR mRNA stabilization and receptor synthesis when IRP activity varies, and ensures iron uptake for cell growth.

Gravity-stimulated changes in auxin and invertase gene expression in maize pulvinal cells.

Maize (Zea mays) stem gravitropism involves differential elongation of cells within a highly specialized region, the stem internodal pulvinus. In the present study, we investigated factors that control gravitropic responses in this system. In the graviresponding pulvinus, hexose sugars (D-Glc and D-Fru) accumulated asymmetrically across the pulvinus. This correlated well with an asymmetric increase in acid invertase activity across the pulvinus. Northern analyses revealed asymmetric induction of one maize acid invertase gene, Ivr2, consistent with transcriptional regulation by gravistimulation. Several lines of evidence indicated that auxin redistribution, as a result of polar auxin transport, is necessary for gravity-stimulated Ivr2 transcript accumulation and differential cell elongation across the maize pulvinus. First, the auxin transport inhibitor, N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid, inhibited gravistimulated curvature and Ivr2 transcript accumulation. Second, a transient gradient of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) across the pulvinus was apparent shortly after initiation of gravistimulation. This temporarily free IAA gradient appears to be important for differential cell elongation and Ivr2 transcript accumulation. This is based on the observation that N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid will not inhibit gravitropic responses when applied to pulvinus tissue after the free IAA gradient peak has occurred. Third, IAA alone can stimulate Ivr2 transcript accumulation in non-gravistimulated pulvini. The gravity- and IAA-stimulated increase in Ivr2 transcripts was sensitive to the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide. Based on these results, a two-phase model describing possible relationships between gravitropic curvature, IAA redistribution, and Ivr2 expression is presented.

UV and blue light signalling: pathways regulating chalcone synthase gene expression in Arabidopsis.

UV-B, UV-A and blue light control a variety of aspects of plant development via distinct photoreceptors and signalling pathways. The known photoreceptors for UV-A/blue light are cryptochrome (cry)1 and cry2, and the phototropism photoreceptor, phototropin. Redox processes are important in cry and phototropin signal transduction. A specific photoreceptor for UV-B has not been identified and there appear to be several possible UV-B signalling pathways. We are investigating the UV and blue light regulation of transcription of the chalcone synthase gene (CHS) in Arabidopsis. Experiments with photoreceptor mutants show that distinct UV-A/blue (cry mediated) and UV-B photoreception systems control CHS expression. Experiments with an Arabidopsis cell suspension culture show that the UV-B and cry1 signalling pathways differ kinetically and pharmacologically. In contrast to some other UV-B responses, the UV-B induction of CHS does not appear to involve oxidative stress signalling. Promoter elements and candidate transcription factors that effect CHS induction have been identified. Interactions within a network of UV-B, cry and phytochrome signalling pathways regulate CHS expression. Synergistic interactions between the UV-B pathway and distinct UV-A and blue-light pathways maximize the response. In addition, specific phytochromes positively control the cry1 pathway via distinct potentiation and coaction effects, and negatively regulate the UV-B pathway.