The DUF579 domain containing proteins IRX15 and IRX15-L affect xylan synthesis in Arabidopsis.

Xylan is the principal hemicellulose in the secondary cell walls of eudicots and in the primary and secondary cell walls of grasses and cereals. The biosynthesis of this important cell wall component has yet to be fully determined although a number of proteins have been shown to be required for xylan synthesis. To discover new genes involved in xylan biosynthesis we explored the psyllium (Plantago ovata Forsk) seed mucilaginous layer through EST profiling. This tissue synthesizes large amounts of a complex heteroxylan over a short period of time. By comparing abundant transcripts in this tissue with abundant transcripts specifically present during secondary cell wall formation in Arabidopsis thaliana, where glucuronoxylan biosynthesis is pronounced, we identified two Arabidopsis genes likely involved in xylan biosynthesis. These genes encode proteins containing a Domain of Unknown Function (DUF) 579 and were designated IRREGULAR XYLEM (IRX) 15 and IRX15-LIKE (IRX15-L). We obtained Arabidopsis T-DNA knockout lines for the two genes and analyzed their lower stems for changes in neutral monosaccharide composition. No changes were observed in each of these mutants, although the irx15 irx15-L double mutant displayed a moderate reduction in stem xylose. Further characterization of the irx15 irx15-L mutant revealed irregular secondary cell wall margins in fiber cells and a lower xylan degree of polymerization. Through these studies we conclude that IRX15 and IRX15-L function in a redundant manner and are involved in xylan biosynthesis.

Porphyrins promote the association of GENOMES UNCOUPLED 4 and a Mg-chelatase subunit with chloroplast membranes.

In plants, chlorophylls and other tetrapyrroles are synthesized from a branched pathway that is located within chloroplasts. GUN4 (GENOMES UNCOUPLED 4) stimulates chlorophyll biosynthesis by activating Mg-chelatase, the enzyme that commits porphyrins to the chlorophyll branch. GUN4 stimulates Mg-chelatase by a mechanism that involves binding the ChlH subunit of Mg-chelatase, as well as a substrate (protoporphyrin IX) and product (Mg-protoporphyrin IX) of Mg-chelatase. We chose to test whether GUN4 might also affect interactions between Mg-chelatase and chloroplast membranes, the site of chlorophyll biosynthesis. To test this idea, we induced chlorophyll precursor levels in purified pea chloroplasts by feeding these chloroplasts with 5-aminolevulinic acid, determined the relative levels of GUN4 and Mg-chelatase subunits in soluble and membrane-containing fractions derived from these chloroplasts, and quantitated Mg-chelatase activity in membranes isolated from these chloroplasts. We also monitored GUN4 levels in the soluble and membrane-containing fractions derived from chloroplasts fed with various porphyrins. Our results indicate that 5-aminolevulinic acid feeding stimulates Mg-chelatase activity in chloroplast membranes and that the porphyrin-bound forms of GUN4 and possibly ChlH associate most stably with chloroplast membranes. These findings are consistent with GUN4 stimulating chlorophyll biosynthesis not only by activating Mg-chelatase but also by promoting interactions between ChlH and chloroplast membranes.