Starch granule initiation in Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts.

The initiation of starch granule formation and the mechanism controlling the number of granules per plastid have been some of the most elusive aspects of starch metabolism. This review covers the advances made in the study of these processes. The analyses presented herein depict a scenario in which starch synthase isoform 4 (SS4) provides the elongating activity necessary for the initiation of starch granule formation. However, this protein does not act alone; other polypeptides are required for the initiation of an appropriate number of starch granules per chloroplast. The functions of this group of polypeptides include providing suitable substrates (maltooligosaccharides) to SS4, the localization of the starch initiation machinery to the thylakoid membranes, and facilitating the correct folding of SS4. The number of starch granules per chloroplast is tightly regulated and depends on the developmental stage of the leaves and their metabolic status. Plastidial phosphorylase (PHS1) and other enzymes play an essential role in this process since they are necessary for the synthesis of the substrates used by the initiation machinery. The mechanism of starch granule formation initiation in Arabidopsis seems to be generalizable to other plants and also to the synthesis of long-term storage starch. The latter, however, shows specific features due to the presence of more isoforms, the absence of constantly recurring starch synthesis and degradation, and the metabolic characteristics of the storage sink organs.

Thioredoxins m are major players in the multifaceted light-adaptive response in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Thioredoxins (TRXs) are well-known redox signalling players, which carry out post-translational modifications in target proteins. Chloroplast TRXs are divided into different types and have central roles in light energy uptake and the regulation of primary metabolism. The isoforms TRX m1, m2, and m4 from Arabidopsis thaliana are considered functionally related. Knowing their key position in the hub of plant metabolism, we hypothesized that the impairment of the TRX m signalling would not only have harmful consequences on chloroplast metabolism but also at different levels of plant development. To uncover the physiological and developmental processes that depend on TRX m signalling, we carried out a comprehensive study of Arabidopsis single, double, and triple mutants defective in the TRX m1, m2, and m4 proteins. As light and redox signalling are closely linked, we investigated the response to high light (HL) of the plants that are gradually compromised in TRX m signalling. We provide experimental evidence relating the lack of TRX m and the appearance of novel phenotypic features concerning mesophyll structure, stomata biogenesis, and stomatal conductance. We also report new data indicating that the isoforms of TRX m fine-tune the response to HL, including the accumulation of the protective pigment anthocyanin. These results reveal novel signalling functions for the TRX m and underline their importance for plant growth and fulfilment of the acclimation/response to HL conditions.

Arabidopsis fibrillin 1-2 subfamily members exert their functions via specific protein-protein interactions.

Fibrillins (FBNs) are plastidial proteins found in photosynthetic organisms from cyanobacteria to higher plants. The function of most FBNs remains unknown. Here, we focused on members of the FBN subgroup comprising FBN1a, FBN1b, and FBN2. We show that these three polypeptides interact between each other, potentially forming a network around the plastoglobule surface. Both FBN2 and FBN1s interact with allene oxide synthase, and the elimination of any of these FBNs results in a delay in jasmonate-mediated anthocyanin accumulation in response to a combination of moderate high light and low temperature. Mutations in the genes encoding FBN1s or FBN2 also affect the protection of PSII under the combination of these stresses. Fully developed leaves of these mutants have lower maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) and higher oxidative stress than wild-type plants. These effects are additive, and the fbn1a-1b-2 triple mutant shows a stronger decrease in Fv/Fm and a greater increase in oxidative stress than fbn1a-1b or fbn2 mutants. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis indicated that FBN2 also interacts with other proteins involved in different metabolic processes. We propose that these fibrillins facilitate accurate positioning of different proteins involved in distinct metabolic processes, and that their elimination leads to dysfunction of those proteins.

The N-terminal Part of Arabidopsis thaliana Starch Synthase 4 Determines the Localization and Activity of the Enzyme.

Starch synthase 4 (SS4) plays a specific role in starch synthesis because it controls the number of starch granules synthesized in the chloroplast and is involved in the initiation of the starch granule. We showed previously that SS4 interacts with fibrillins 1 and is associated with plastoglobules, suborganelle compartments physically attached to the thylakoid membrane in chloroplasts. Both SS4 localization and its interaction with fibrillins 1 were mediated by the N-terminal part of SS4. Here we show that the coiled-coil region within the N-terminal portion of SS4 is involved in both processes. Elimination of this region prevents SS4 from binding to fibrillins 1 and alters SS4 localization in the chloroplast. We also show that SS4 forms dimers, which depends on a region located between the coiled-coil region and the glycosyltransferase domain of SS4. This region is highly conserved between all SS4 enzymes sequenced to date. We show that the dimerization seems to be necessary for the activity of the enzyme. Both dimerization and the functionality of the coiled-coil region are conserved among SS4 proteins from phylogenetically distant species, such as Arabidopsis and Brachypodium This finding suggests that the mechanism of action of SS4 is conserved among different plant species.

Starch synthase 4 is located in the thylakoid membrane and interacts with plastoglobule-associated proteins in Arabidopsis.

Starch synthesis requires the formation of a primer that can be subsequently elongated and branched. How this primer is produced, however, remains unknown. The control of the number of starch granules produced per chloroplast is also a matter of debate. We previously showed starch synthase 4 (SS4) to be involved in both processes, although the mechanisms involved are yet to be fully characterised. The present work shows that SS4 displays a specific localization different from other starch synthases. Thus, this protein is located in specific areas of the thylakoid membrane and interacts with the proteins fibrillin 1a (FBN1a) and 1b (FBN1b), which are mainly located in plastoglobules. SS4 would seem to be associated with plastoglobules attached to the thylakoids (or to that portion of the thylakoids where plastoglobules have originated), forming a complex that includes the FBN1s and other as-yet unidentified proteins. The present results also indicate that the localization pattern of SS4, and its interactions with the FBN1 proteins, are mediated through its N-terminal region, which contains two long coiled-coil motifs. The localization of SS4 in specific areas of the thylakoid membrane suggests that starch granules are originated at specific regions of the chloroplast.

Disruption of both chloroplastic and cytosolic FBPase genes results in a dwarf phenotype and important starch and metabolite changes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

In this study, evidence is provided for the role of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases (FBPases) in plant development and carbohydrate synthesis and distribution by analysing two Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA knockout mutant lines, cyfbp and cfbp1, and one double mutant cyfbp cfbp1 which affect each FBPase isoform, cytosolic and chloroplastic, respectively. cyFBP is involved in sucrose synthesis, whilst cFBP1 is a key enzyme in the Calvin-Benson cycle. In addition to the smaller rosette size and lower rate of photosynthesis, the lack of cFBP1 in the mutants cfbp1 and cyfbp cfbp1 leads to a lower content of soluble sugars, less starch accumulation, and a greater superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The mutants also had some developmental alterations, including stomatal opening defects and increased numbers of root vascular layers. Complementation also confirmed that the mutant phenotypes were caused by disruption of the cFBP1 gene. cyfbp mutant plants without cyFBP showed a higher starch content in the chloroplasts, but this did not greatly affect the phenotype. Notably, the sucrose content in cyfbp was close to that found in the wild type. The cyfbp cfbp1 double mutant displayed features of both parental lines but had the cfbp1 phenotype. All the mutants accumulated fructose-1,6-bisphosphate and triose-phosphate during the light period. These results prove that while the lack of cFBP1 induces important changes in a wide range of metabolites such as amino acids, sugars, and organic acids, the lack of cyFBP activity in Arabidopsis essentially provokes a carbon metabolism imbalance which does not compromise the viability of the double mutant cyfbp cfbp1.

Loss of starch granule initiation has a deleterious effect on the growth of arabidopsis plants due to an accumulation of ADP-glucose.

STARCH SYNTHASE4 (SS4) is required for proper starch granule initiation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), although SS3 can partially replace its function. Unlike other starch-deficient mutants, ss4 and ss3/ss4 mutants grow poorly even under long-day conditions. They have less chlorophyll and carotenoids than the wild type and lower maximal rates of photosynthesis. There is evidence of photooxidative damage of the photosynthetic apparatus in the mutants from chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters and their high levels of malondialdehyde. Metabolite profiling revealed that ss3/ss4 accumulates over 170 times more ADP-glucose (Glc) than wild-type plants. Restricting ADP-Glc synthesis, by introducing mutations in the plastidial phosphoglucomutase (pgm1) or the small subunit of ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (aps1), largely restored photosynthetic capacity and growth in pgm1/ss3/ss4 and aps1/ss3/ss4 triple mutants. It is proposed that the accumulation of ADP-Glc in the ss3/ss4 mutant sequesters a large part of the plastidial pools of adenine nucleotides, which limits photophosphorylation, leading to photooxidative stress, causing the chlorotic and stunted growth phenotypes of the plants.

Microbial volatile-induced accumulation of exceptionally high levels of starch in Arabidopsis leaves is a process involving NTRC and starch synthase classes III and IV.

Microbial volatiles promote the accumulation of exceptionally high levels of starch in leaves. Time-course analyses of starch accumulation in Arabidopsis leaves exposed to fungal volatiles (FV) emitted by Alternaria alternata revealed that a microbial volatile-induced starch accumulation process (MIVOISAP) is due to stimulation of starch biosynthesis during illumination. The increase of starch content in illuminated leaves of FV-treated hy1/cry1, hy1/cry2, and hy1/cry1/cry2 Arabidopsis mutants was many-fold lower than that of wild-type (WT) leaves, indicating that MIVOISAP is subjected to photoreceptor-mediated control. This phenomenon was inhibited by cordycepin and accompanied by drastic changes in the Arabidopsis transcriptome. MIVOISAP was also accompanied by enhancement of the total 3-phosphoglycerate/Pi ratio, and a two- to threefold increase of the levels of the reduced form of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. Using different Arabidopsis knockout mutants, we investigated the impact in MIVOISAP of downregulation of genes directly or indirectly related to starch metabolism. These analyses revealed that the magnitude of the FV-induced starch accumulation was low in mutants impaired in starch synthase (SS) classes III and IV and plastidial NADP-thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC). Thus, the overall data showed that Arabidopsis MIVOISAP involves a photocontrolled, transcriptionally and post-translationally regulated network wherein photoreceptor-, SSIII-, SSIV-, and NTRC-mediated changes in redox status of plastidial enzymes play important roles.

Enhancing the expression of starch synthase class IV results in increased levels of both transitory and long-term storage starch.

Starch is an important renewable raw material with an increasing number of applications. Several attempts have been made to obtain plants that produce modified versions of starch or higher starch yield. Most of the approaches designed to increase the levels of starch have focused on the increment of the amount of ADP-glucose or ATP available for starch biosynthesis. In this work, we show that the overexpression of starch synthase class IV (SSIV) increases the levels of starch accumulated in the leaves of Arabidopsis by 30%-40%. In addition, SSIV-overexpressing lines display a higher rate of growth. The increase in starch content as a consequence of enhanced SSIV expression is also observed in long-term storage starch organs such as potato tubers. Overexpression of SSIV in potato leads to increased tuber starch content on a dry weight basis and to increased yield of starch production in terms of tons of starch/hectare. These results identify SSIV as one of the regulatory steps involved in the control of the amount of starch accumulated in plastids.

Integrated functions among multiple starch synthases determine both amylopectin chain length and branch linkage location in Arabidopsis leaf starch.

This study assessed the impact on starch metabolism in Arabidopsis leaves of simultaneously eliminating multiple soluble starch synthases (SS) from among SS1, SS2, and SS3. Double mutant ss1- ss2- or ss1- ss3- lines were generated using confirmed null mutations. These were compared to the wild type, each single mutant, and ss1- ss2- ss3- triple mutant lines grown in standardized environments. Double mutant plants developed similarly to the wild type, although they accumulated less leaf starch in both short-day and long-day diurnal cycles. Despite the reduced levels in the double mutants, lines containing only SS2 and SS4, or SS3 and SS4, are able to produce substantial amounts of starch granules. In both double mutants the residual starch was structurally modified including higher ratios of amylose:amylopectin, altered glucan chain length distribution within amylopectin, abnormal granule morphology, and altered placement of α(1→6) branch linkages relative to the reducing end of each linear chain. The data demonstrate that SS activity affects not only chain elongation but also the net result of branch placement accomplished by the balanced activities of starch branching enzymes and starch debranching enzymes. SS3 was shown partially to overlap in function with SS1 for the generation of short glucan chains within amylopectin. Compensatory functions that, in some instances, allow continued residual starch production in the absence of specific SS classes were identified, probaby accomplished by the granule bound starch synthase GBSS1.

Interplay Between the N-Terminal Domains of Arabidopsis Starch Synthase 3 Determines the Interaction of the Enzyme With the Starch Granule.

The elongation of the linear chains of starch is undertaken by starch synthases. class 3 of starch synthase (SS3) has a specific feature: a long N-terminal region containing starch binding domains (SBDs). In this work, we analyze in vivo the contribution of these domains to the localization pattern of the enzyme. For this purpose, we divided the N-terminal region of Arabidopsis SS3 in three domains: D1, D2, and D3 (each of which contains an SBD and a coiled-coil site). Our analyses indicate that the N-terminal region is sufficient to determine the same localization pattern observed with the full-length protein. D2 binds tightly the polypeptide to the polymer and it is necessary the contribution of D1 and D3 to avoid the polypeptide to be trapped in the growing polymer. The localization pattern of Arabidopsis SS3 appears to be the result of the counterbalanced action of the different domains present in its N-terminal region.

The priming of storage glucan synthesis from bacteria to plants: current knowledge and new developments.

Starch is the main polymer in which carbon and energy are stored in land plants, algae and some cyanobacteria. It plays a crucial role in the physiology of these organisms and also represents an important polymer for humans, in terms of both diet and nonfood industry uses. Recent efforts have elucidated most of the steps involved in the synthesis of starch. However, the process that initiates the synthesis of the starch granule remains unclear. Here, we outline the similarities between the synthesis of starch and the synthesis of glycogen, the other widespread and abundant glucose-based polymer in living cells. We place special emphasis on the mechanisms of initiation of the glycogen granule and current knowledge concerning the initiation of the starch granule. We also discuss recent discoveries regarding the function of starch synthases in the priming of the starch granule and possible interactions with other elements of the starch synthesis machinery.

Arabidopsis thaliana plastoglobule-associated fibrillin 1a interacts with fibrillin 1b in vivo.

Plant fibrillins are a well-conserved protein family found in the plastids of all photosynthetic organisms, where they perform a wide range of functions. A number of these proteins have been suggested to be involved in the maintenance of thylakoids and the formation of plastoglobules, preventing their coalescence and favoring their clustering via an as-yet unidentified cross-linking mechanism. In this work we show that two members of this group, namely fibrillin 1a and 1b, interact with each other via a head-to-tail mechanism, thus raising the possibility that they form homo- or hetero-oligomers and providing a mechanism to understand the function of these proteins.

Starch granule initiation in Arabidopsis requires the presence of either class IV or class III starch synthases.

The mechanisms underlying starch granule initiation remain unknown. We have recently reported that mutation of soluble starch synthase IV (SSIV) in Arabidopsis thaliana results in restriction of the number of starch granules to a single, large, particle per plastid, thereby defining an important component of the starch priming machinery. In this work, we provide further evidence for the function of SSIV in the priming process of starch granule formation and show that SSIV is necessary and sufficient to establish the correct number of starch granules observed in wild-type chloroplasts. The role of SSIV in granule seeding can be replaced, in part, by the phylogenetically related SSIII. Indeed, the simultaneous elimination of both proteins prevents Arabidopsis from synthesizing starch, thus demonstrating that other starch synthases cannot support starch synthesis despite remaining enzymatically active. Herein, we describe the substrate specificity and kinetic properties of SSIV and its subchloroplastic localization in specific regions associated with the edges of starch granules. The data presented in this work point to a complex mechanism for starch granule formation and to the different abilities of SSIV and SSIII to support this process in Arabidopsis leaves.

The phenotype of soluble starch synthase IV defective mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana suggests a novel function of elongation enzymes in the control of starch granule formation.

All plants and green algae synthesize starch through the action of the same five classes of elongation enzymes: the starch synthases. Arabidopsis mutants defective for the synthesis of the soluble starch synthase IV (SSIV) type of elongation enzyme have now been characterized. The mutant plants displayed a severe growth defect but nonetheless accumulated near to normal levels of polysaccharide storage. Detailed structural analysis has failed to yield any change in starch granule structure. However, the number of granules per plastid has dramatically decreased leading to a large increase in their size. These results, which distinguish the SSIV mutants from all other mutants reported to date, suggest a specific function of this enzyme class in the control of granule numbers. We speculate therefore that SSIV could be selectively involved in the priming of starch granule formation.

Differential pattern of expression and sugar regulation of Arabidopsis thaliana ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase-encoding genes.

ADP-glucose pyrophoshorylase (ADP-Glc PPase) catalyzes the first and limiting step in starch biosynthesis. In plants, the enzyme is composed of two types of subunits (small and large) and is allosterically regulated by 3-phosphoglycerate and phosphate. The pattern of expression and sugar regulation of the six Arabidopsis thaliana ADP-Glc PPase-encoding genes (two small subunits, ApS1 and ApS2; and four large subunits, ApL1-ApL4) has been studied. Based on mRNA expression, ApS1 is the main small subunit or catalytic isoform responsible for ADP-Glc PPase activity in all tissues of the plant. Large subunits play a regulatory role, and the data presented define a clear functional distinction among them. ApL1 is the main large subunit in source tissues, whereas ApL3 and, to a lesser extent, ApL4 are the main isoforms present in sink tissues. Thus, in source tissues, ADP-Glc PPase would be finely regulated by the 3-phosphoglycerate/phosphate ratio, whereas in sink tissues, the enzyme would be dependent on the availability of substrates for starch synthesis. Sugar regulation of ADP-Glc PPase genes is restricted to ApL3 and ApL4 in leaves. Sugar induction of ApL3 and ApL4 transcription in leaves allows the establishment of heterotetramers less sensitive to the allosteric effectors, resembling the situation in sink tissues. The results presented on the expression pattern and sugar regulation allow us to propose a gene evolution model for the Arabidopsis ADP-Glc PPase gene family.

Soluble starch synthase I: a major determinant for the synthesis of amylopectin in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves.

A minimum of four soluble starch synthase families have been documented in all starch-storing green plants. These activities are involved in amylopectin synthesis and are extremely well conserved throughout the plant kingdom. Mutants or transgenic plants defective for SSII and SSIII isoforms have been previously shown to have a large and specific impact on the synthesis of amylopectin while the function of the SSI type of enzymes has remained elusive. We report here that Arabidopsis mutants, lacking a plastidial starch synthase isoform belonging to the SSI family, display a major and novel type of structural alteration within their amylopectin. Comparative analysis of beta-limit dextrins for both wild type and mutant amylopectins suggests a specific and crucial function of SSI during the synthesis of transient starch in Arabidopsis leaves. Considering our own characterization of SSI activity and the previously described kinetic properties of maize SSI, our results suggest that the function of SSI is mainly involved in the synthesis of small outer chains during amylopectin cluster synthesis.

Oscillation of mRNA level and activity of granule-bound starch synthase I in Arabidopsis leaves during the day/night cycle.

Granule-bound starch synthase (GBSSI) is one of the most extensively studied enzymes of the starch synthesis pathway and its role in the synthesis of amylose has been well established. However, few studies have been carried out to characterize the regulation of GBSSI gene. Regulation of starch synthesis genes is especially interesting in photosynthetic tissues, where starch is subjected to a periodical alternation of synthesis and degradation during the day/night cycle. In this report we show a circadian oscillation of GBSSI mRNA levels in leaves of Arabidopsis during the day/night cycle, and provide evidence that GBSSI expression is controlled by the transcription factors CCA1 and LHY. Over-expression of both CCA1 and LHY genes causes the elimination of GBSSI mRNA oscillation. Binding shift assays indicate that this control may be exerted through a direct interaction of those regulatory proteins with the GBSSI promoter. Oscillation is not observed on the GBSSI protein levels, which remains constant along the cycle. However, GBSSI activity shows a clear oscillation with a period of 24 h that is altered in transgenic plants over-expressing CCA1. Possible mechanisms controlling GBSSI activity during the day/night cycle are discussed.

The different large subunit isoforms of Arabidopsis thaliana ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase confer distinct kinetic and regulatory properties to the heterotetrameric enzyme.

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase catalyzes the first and limiting step in starch biosynthesis and is allosterically regulated by the levels of 3-phosphoglycerate and phosphate in plants. ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases from plants are heterotetramers composed of two types of subunits (small and large). In this study, the six Arabidopsis thaliana genes coding for ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase isoforms (two small and four large subunits) have been cloned and expressed in an Escherichia coli mutant deficient in ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase activity. The co-expression of the small subunit APS1 with the different Arabidopsis large subunits (APL1, APL2, APL3, and APL4) resulted in heterotetramers with different regulatory and kinetic properties. Heterotetramers composed of APS1 and APL1 showed the highest sensitivity to the allosteric effectors as well as the highest apparent affinity for the substrates (glucose-1-phosphate and ATP), whereas heterotetramers formed by APS1 and APL2 showed the lower response to allosteric effectors and the lower affinity for the substrates. No activity was detected for the second gene coding for a small subunit isoform (APS2) annotated in the Arabidopsis genome. This lack of activity is possibly due to the absence of essential amino acids involved in catalysis and/or in the binding of glucose-1-phosphate and 3-phosphoglycerate. Kinetic and regulatory properties of the different heterotetramers, together with sequence analysis has allowed us to make a distinction between sink and source enzymes, because the combination of different large subunits would provide a high plasticity to ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase activity and regulation. This is the first experimental data concerning the role that all the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase isoforms play in a single plant species. This phenomenon could have an important role in vivo, because different large subunits would confer distinct regulatory properties to ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase according to the necessities for starch synthesis in a given tissue.