The serine-glycine-one-carbon metabolic network orchestrates changes in nitrogen and sulfur metabolism and shapes plant development.

L-serine (Ser) and L-glycine (Gly) are critically important for the overall functioning of primary metabolism. We investigated the interaction of the phosphorylated pathway of Ser biosynthesis (PPSB) with the photorespiration-associated glycolate pathway of Ser biosynthesis (GPSB) using Arabidopsis thaliana PPSB-deficient lines, GPSB-deficient mutants, and crosses of PPSB with GPSB mutants. PPSB-deficient lines mainly showed retarded primary root growth. Mutation of the photorespiratory enzyme Ser-hydroxymethyltransferase 1 (SHMT1) in a PPSB-deficient background resumed primary root growth and induced a change in the plant metabolic pattern between roots and shoots. Grafting experiments demonstrated that metabolic changes in shoots were responsible for the changes in double mutant development. PPSB disruption led to a reduction in nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) contents in shoots and a general transcriptional response to nutrient deficiency. Disruption of SHMT1 boosted the Gly flux out of the photorespiratory cycle, which increased the levels of the one-carbon (1C) metabolite 5,10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate and S-adenosylmethionine. Furthermore, disrupting SHMT1 reverted the transcriptional response to N and S deprivation and increased N and S contents in shoots of PPSB-deficient lines. Our work provides genetic evidence of the biological relevance of the Ser-Gly-1C metabolic network in N and S metabolism and in interorgan metabolic homeostasis.

PGDH family genes differentially affect Arabidopsis tolerance to salt stress.

The first step in the Phosphorylated Pathway of serine (Ser) Biosynthesis (PPSB) is catalyzed by the enzyme Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase (PGDH), coded in Arabidopsis thaliana by three genes. Gene expression analysis indicated that PGDH1 and PGDH2 were induced, while PGDH3 was repressed, by salt-stress. Accordingly, PGDH3 overexpressing plants (Oex PGDH3) were more sensitive to salinity than wild type plants (WT), while plants overexpressing PGDH1 (Oex PGDH1) performed better than WT under salinity conditions. Oex PGDH1 lines displayed lower levels of the salt-stress markers proline and raffinose in roots than WT under salt-stress conditions. Besides, the ratio of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) without and with salt-stress was the highest in Oex PGDH1, and the lowest in Oex PGDH3 compared to WT. These results corroborated that PGDH3 activity could be detrimental, while PGDH1 activity could be beneficial for plant salt tolerance. Under salt-stress conditions, PGDH1 overexpression increased Ser content only in roots, while PGDH3 overexpression increased the amino acid level in both aerial parts and roots, compared to the WT. Our results indicate that the response of PGDH family genes to salt-stress depends on the specific gene studied and that increases in Ser content are not always correlated with enhanced plant salt tolerance.