Jean Alric, Rick G. Kim, Claudia Catalanotti, Marko Boehm, Sarah D'Adamo, Shai Saroussi, Matthew C. Posewitz, Xiaobo Li, Christoph Benning, Pierre Richaud, Eva C. M. Nowack, Tyler M. Wittkopp, Wenqiang Yang, Xenie Johnson, Munevver Aksoy, Arthur R. Grossman, Luke C. M. Mackinder, Alexandra Dubini, Mark Dudley Page, Martin C. Jonikas, Sabeeha S. Merchant, Jaruswan Warakanont, Mark L. Heinnickel, Carnegie Institution for Science, Biologie végétale et microbiologie environnementale - UMR7265 (BVME), Institut de Biosciences et Biotechnologies d'Aix-Marseille (ex-IBEB) (BIAM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Environnement, Bioénergie, Microalgues et Plantes (EBMP), MIMS experiments (performed by J.A., X.J., and P.R.) were supported by HélioBiotec, EU Grant 1944-32670, Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur (PACA) DEB 09-621, and Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, Carnegie Institution for Science [Washington], Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Bioénergie et Microalgues (EBM) more...
International audience; Photosynthetic microorganisms typically have multiple isoforms of the electron transfer protein ferredoxin, although we know little about their exact functions. Surprisingly, a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant null for the ferredoxin-5 gene (FDX5) completely ceased growth in the dark, with both photosynthetic and respiratory functions severely compromised; growth in the light was unaffected. Thylakoid membranes in dark-maintained fdx5 mutant cells became severely disorganized concomitant with a marked decrease in the ratio of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol to digalactosyldiacylglycerol, major lipids in photosynthetic membranes, and the accumulation of triacylglycerol. Furthermore, FDX5 was shown to physically interact with the fatty acid desaturases CrΔ4FAD and CrFAD6, likely donating electrons for the desaturation of fatty acids that stabilize monogalactosyldiacylglycerol. Our results suggest that in photosynthetic organisms, specific redox reactions sustain dark metabolism, with little impact on daytime growth, likely reflecting the tailoring of electron carriers to unique intracellular metabolic circuits under these two very distinct redox conditions. more...