Search

Summary: In leaves of C4 plants, the reactions of photosynthesis become restricted between two compartments. Typically, this allows accumulation of C4 acids in mesophyll (M) cells and subsequent decarboxylation in the bundle sheath (BS). In C4 grasses, proliferation of plasmodesmata between these cell types is thought to increase cell‐to‐cell connectivity to allow efficient metabolite movement. However, it is not known whether C4 dicotyledons also show this enhanced plasmodesmal connectivity and so whether this is a general requirement for C4 photosynthesis is not clear. How M and BS cells in C4 leaves become highly connected is also not known.We investigated these questions using 3D‐ and 2D‐electron microscopy on the C4 dicotyledon Gynandropsis gynandra as well as phylogenetically close C3 relatives.The M–BS interface of C4G. gynandra showed higher plasmodesmal frequency compared with closely related C3 species. Formation of these plasmodesmata was induced by light. Pharmacological agents that perturbed photosynthesis reduced the number of plasmodesmata, but this inhibitory effect could be reversed by the provision of exogenous sucrose.We conclude that enhanced formation of plasmodesmata between M and BS cells is wired to the induction of photosynthesis in C4G. gynandra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To uncover components of the mechanism that adjusts the rate of leaf starch degradation to the length of the night, we devised a screen for mutant Arabidopsis thaliana plants in which starch reserves are prematurely exhausted. The mutation in one such mutant, named early starvation1 (esv1), eliminates a previously uncharacterized protein. Starch in mutant leaves is degraded rapidly and in a nonlinear fashion, so that reserves are exhausted 2 h prior to dawn. The ESV1 protein and a similar uncharacterized Arabidopsis protein (named Like ESV1 [LESV]) are located in the chloroplast stroma and are also bound into starch granules. The region of highest similarity between the two proteins contains a series of near-repeated motifs rich in tryptophan. Both proteins are conserved throughout starch-synthesizing organisms, from angiosperms and monocots to green algae. Analysis of transgenic plants lacking or overexpressing ESV1 or LESV, and of double mutants lacking ESV1 and another protein necessary for starch degradation, leads us to propose that these proteins function in the organization of the starch granule matrix. We argue that their misexpression affects starch degradation indirectly, by altering matrix organization and, thus, accessibility of starch polymers to starch-degrading enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the role of two starch-bound proteins, LESV and ESV1, in promoting the phase transition of amylopectin-like glucans, which are the main components of starch in plants. These proteins facilitate the alignment and crystallization of glucan double helices, leading to the formation of semi-crystalline granules.

In leaves of C 4 plants, the reactions of photosynthesis become restricted between two compartments. Typically, this allows accumulation of C 4 acids in mesophyll (M) cells and subsequent decarboxylation in the bundle sheath (BS). In C 4 grasses, proliferation of plasmodesmata between these cell types is thought to increase cell-to-cell connectivity to allow efficient metabolite movement. However, it is not known whether C 4 dicotyledons also show this enhanced plasmodesmal connectivity and so whether this is a general requirement for C 4 photosynthesis is not clear. How M and BS cells in C 4 leaves become highly connected is also not known. We investigated these questions using 3D- and 2D-electron microscopy on the C 4 dicotyledon Gynandropsis gynandra as well as phylogenetically close C 3 relatives. The M-BS interface of C 4 G. gynandra showed higher plasmodesmal frequency compared with closely related C 3 species. Formation of these plasmodesmata was induced by light. Pharmacological agents that perturbed photosynthesis reduced the number of plasmodesmata, but this inhibitory effect could be reversed by the provision of exogenous sucrose. We conclude that enhanced formation of plasmodesmata between M and BS cells is wired to the induction of photosynthesis in C 4 G. gynandra., (© 2023 The Authors New Phytologist © 2023 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Photosynthesis is a unique process that allows independent colonization of the land by plants and of the oceans by phytoplankton. Although the photosynthesis process is well understood in plants, we are still unlocking the mechanisms evolved by phytoplankton to achieve extremely efficient photosynthesis. Here, we combine biochemical, structural and in vivo physiological studies to unravel the structure of the plastid in diatoms, prominent marine eukaryotes. Biochemical and immunolocalization analyses reveal segregation of photosynthetic complexes in the loosely stacked thylakoid membranes typical of diatoms. Separation of photosystems within subdomains minimizes their physical contacts, as required for improved light utilization. Chloroplast 3D reconstruction and in vivo spectroscopy show that these subdomains are interconnected, ensuring fast equilibration of electron carriers for efficient optimum photosynthesis. Thus, diatoms and plants have converged towards a similar functional distribution of the photosystems although via different thylakoid architectures, which likely evolved independently in the land and the ocean.

Isoamylase-type debranching enzymes (ISAs) play an important role in determining starch structure. Amylopectin - a branched polymer of glucose - is the major component of starch granules and its architecture underlies the semi-crystalline nature of starch. Mutants of several species lacking the ISA1-subclass of isoamylase are impaired in amylopectin synthesis. Consequently, starch levels are decreased and an aberrant soluble glucan (phytoglycogen) with altered branch lengths and branching pattern accumulates. Here we use TAP (tandem affinity purification) tagging to provide direct evidence in Arabidopsis that ISA1 interacts with its homolog ISA2. No evidence for interaction with other starch biosynthetic enzymes was found. Analysis of the single mutants shows that each protein is destabilised in the absence of the other. Co-expression of both ISA1 and ISA2 Escherichia coli allowed the formation of the active recombinant enzyme and we show using site-directed mutagenesis that ISA1 is the catalytic subunit. The presence of the active isoamylase alters glycogen biosynthesis in E. coli, resulting in colonies that stain more starch-like with iodine. However, analysis of the glucans reveals that rather than producing an amylopectin like substance, cells expressing the active isoamylase still accumulate small amounts of glycogen together with a population of linear oligosaccharides that stain strongly with iodine. We conclude that for isoamylase to promote amylopectin synthesis it needs to act on a specific precursor (pre-amylopectin) generated by the combined actions of plant starch synthase and branching enzyme isoforms and when presented with an unsuitable substrate (i.e. E. coli glycogen) it simply degrades it.