Microalgae are regarded as promising organisms to develop innovative concepts based on their photosynthetic capacity that offers more sustainable production than heterotrophic hosts. However, to ...realize their potential as green cell factories, a major challenge is to make microalgae easier to engineer. A promising approach for rapid and predictable genetic manipulation is to use standardized synthetic biology tools and workflows. To this end we have developed a Modular Cloning toolkit for the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It is based on Golden Gate cloning with standard syntax, and comprises 119 openly distributed genetic parts, most of which have been functionally validated in several strains. It contains promoters, UTRs, terminators, tags, reporters, antibiotic resistance genes, and introns cloned in various positions to allow maximum modularity. The toolkit enables rapid building of engineered cells for both fundamental research and algal biotechnology. This work will make Chlamydomonas the next chassis for sustainable synthetic biology.
S-nitrosylation is a redox post-translational modification widely recognized to play an important role in cellular signaling as it can modulate protein function and conformation. At the physiological ...level, nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) is considered the major physiological NO-releasing compound due to its ability to transfer the NO moiety to protein thiols but the structural determinants regulating its redox specificity are not fully elucidated. In this study, we employed photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CrGAPA) to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying GSNO-dependent thiol oxidation. We first observed that GSNO causes reversible enzyme inhibition by inducing S-nitrosylation. While the cofactor NADP+ partially protects the enzyme from GSNO-mediated S-nitrosylation, protein inhibition is not observed in the presence of the substrate 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate, indicating that the S-nitrosylation of the catalytic Cys149 is responsible for CrGAPA inactivation. The crystal structures of CrGAPA in complex with NADP+ and NAD+ reveal a general structural similarity with other photosynthetic GAPDH. Starting from the 3D structure, we carried out molecular dynamics simulations to identify the protein residues involved in GSNO binding. The reaction mechanism of GSNO with CrGAPA Cys149 was investigated by quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations, which permitted to disclose the relative contribution of protein residues in modulating the activation barrier of the trans-nitrosylation reaction. Based on our findings, we provide functional and structural insights into the response of CrGAPA to GSNO-dependent regulation, possibly expanding the mechanistic features to other protein cysteines susceptible to be oxidatively modified by GSNO.
Protein S-nitrosylation plays a fundamental role in cell signaling and nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) is considered as the main nitrosylating signaling molecule. Enzymatic systems controlling GSNO ...homeostasis are thus crucial to indirectly control the formation of protein S-nitrosothiols. GSNO reductase (GSNOR) is the key enzyme controlling GSNO levels by catalyzing its degradation in the presence of NADH. Here, we found that protein extracts from the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii catabolize GSNO via two enzymatic systems having specific reliance on NADPH or NADH and different biochemical features. Scoring the Chlamydomonas genome for orthologs of known plant GSNORs, we found two genes encoding for putative and almost identical GSNOR isoenzymes. One of the two, here named CrGSNOR1, was heterologously expressed and purified. Its kinetic properties were determined and the three-dimensional structures of the apo-, NAD+- and NAD+/GSNO-forms were solved. These analyses revealed that CrGSNOR1 has a strict specificity towards GSNO and NADH, and a conserved folding with respect to other plant GSNORs. The catalytic zinc ion, however, showed an unexpected variability of the coordination environment. Furthermore, we evaluated the catalytic response of CrGSNOR1 to thermal denaturation, thiol-modifying agents and oxidative modifications as well as the reactivity and position of accessible cysteines. Despite being a cysteine-rich protein, CrGSNOR1 contains only two solvent-exposed/reactive cysteines. Oxidizing and nitrosylating treatments have null or limited effects on CrGSNOR1 activity and folding, highlighting a certain resistance of the algal enzyme to redox modifications. The molecular mechanisms and structural features underlying the response to thiol-based modifications are discussed.
•Chlamydomonas protein extracts catalyze NAD(P)H-dependent GSNO degradation.•Chlamydomonas GSNOR1 is a zinc-containing protein strictly relying on GSNO and NADH.•The 3D-structure of CrGSNOR1 revealed a conserved folding with other plant GSNORs.•CrGSNOR1 contains only two solvent-exposed/reactive cysteines.•Oxidizing and nitrosylating treatments have limited effects on CrGSNOR1 activity.
Many photosynthetic autotrophs have evolved responses that adjust their metabolism to limitations in nutrient availability. Here we report a detailed characterization of the remodeling of ...photosynthesis upon sulfur starvation under heterotrophy and photo-autotrophy in the green alga (
). Photosynthetic inactivation under low light and darkness is achieved through specific degradation of Rubisco and cytochrome
and occurs only in the presence of reduced carbon in the medium. The process is likely regulated by nitric oxide (NO), which is produced 24 h after the onset of starvation, as detected with NO-sensitive fluorescence probes visualized by fluorescence microscopy. We provide pharmacological evidence that intracellular NO levels govern this degradation pathway: the addition of a NO scavenger decreases the rate of cytochrome
and Rubisco degradation, whereas NO donors accelerate the degradation. Based on our analysis of the relative contribution of the different NO synthesis pathways, we conclude that the NO
-dependent nitrate reductase-independent pathway is crucial for NO production under sulfur starvation. Our data argue for an active role for NO in the remodeling of thylakoid protein complexes upon sulfur starvation.
Photosynthetic eukaryotes are challenged by a fluctuating light supply, demanding for a modulated expression of nucleus-encoded light-harvesting proteins associated with photosystem II (LHCII) to ...adjust light-harvesting capacity to the prevailing light conditions. Here, we provide clear evidence for a regulatory circuit that controls cytosolic LHCII translation in response to light quantity changes. In the green unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the cytosolic RNA-binding protein NAB1 represses translation of certain LHCII isoform mRNAs. Specific nitrosylation of Cys-226 decreases NAB1 activity and could be demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. The less active, nitrosylated form of NAB1 is found in cells acclimated to limiting light supply, which permits accumulation of light-harvesting proteins and efficient light capture. In contrast, elevated light supply causes its denitrosylation, thereby activating the repression of light-harvesting protein synthesis, which is needed to control excitation pressure at photosystem II. Denitrosylation of recombinant NAB1 is efficiently performed by the cytosolic thioredoxin system in vitro. To our knowledge, NAB1 is the first example of stimulus-induced denitrosylation in the context of photosynthetic acclimation. By identifying this novel redox cross-talk pathway between chloroplast and cytosol, we add a new key element required for drawing a precise blue print of the regulatory network of light harvesting.
Photosynthetic eukaryotes are challenged by a fluctuating light supply, demanding for a modulated expression of nucleus-encoded light-harvesting proteins associated with photosystem II (LHCII) to ...adjust light-harvesting capacity to the prevailing light conditions. Here, we provide clear evidence for a regulatory circuit that controls cytosolic LHCII translation in response to light quantity changes. In the green unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the cytosolic RNA-binding protein NAB1 represses translation of certain LHCII isoform mRNAs. Specific nitrosylation of Cys-226 decreases NAB1 activity and could be demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. The less active, nitrosylated form of NAB1 is found in cells acclimated to limiting light supply, which permits accumulation of light-harvesting proteins and efficient light capture. In contrast, elevated light supply causes its denitrosylation, thereby activating the repression of light-harvesting protein synthesis, which is needed to control excitation pressure at photosystem II. Denitrosylation of recombinant NAB1 is efficiently performed by the cytosolic thioredoxin system in vitro. To our knowledge, NAB1 is the first example of stimulus-induced denitrosylation in the context of photosynthetic acclimation. By identifying this novel redox cross-talk pathway between chloroplast and cytosol, we add a new key element required for drawing a precise blue print of the regulatory network of light harvesting.
In the green alga C. reinhardtii, reversible S-nitrosylation of a cytosolic translation repressor acts as a redox switch that fine-tunes light harvesting in response to a fluctuating light supply.
...Photosynthetic eukaryotes are challenged by a fluctuating light supply, demanding for a modulated expression of nucleus-encoded light-harvesting proteins associated with photosystem II (LHCII) to adjust light-harvesting capacity to the prevailing light conditions. Here, we provide clear evidence for a regulatory circuit that controls cytosolic LHCII translation in response to light quantity changes. In the green unicellular alga
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
, the cytosolic RNA-binding protein NAB1 represses translation of certain LHCII isoform mRNAs. Specific nitrosylation of Cys-226 decreases NAB1 activity and could be demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. The less active, nitrosylated form of NAB1 is found in cells acclimated to limiting light supply, which permits accumulation of light-harvesting proteins and efficient light capture. In contrast, elevated light supply causes its denitrosylation, thereby activating the repression of light-harvesting protein synthesis, which is needed to control excitation pressure at photosystem II. Denitrosylation of recombinant NAB1 is efficiently performed by the cytosolic thioredoxin system in vitro. To our knowledge, NAB1 is the first example of stimulus-induced denitrosylation in the context of photosynthetic acclimation. By identifying this novel redox cross-talk pathway between chloroplast and cytosol, we add a new key element required for drawing a precise blue print of the regulatory network of light harvesting.
La régulation de la photosynthèse est cruciale pour les organismes photoautotrophes et est habituellement opérée par la modulation de l'absorption de la lumière ou par la réorientation des électrons ...vers des puits alternatifs afin de redistribuer l'énergie entre plusieurs voies métaboliques. Parmi les différents mécanismes décrits, le remodelage de l'appareil photosynthétique est crucial dans des conditions de carences nutritives ou de fluctuations de la lumière. Il est bien connu que l'oxyde nitrique (NO) joue un rôle de signalisation dans de nombreuses réponses au stress abiotique, agissant comme second messager et / ou modifiant les protéines cibles par des modifications post-traductionnelles redox. Sa participation a été récemment décrite au cours de la carence en azote chez Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Ce travail se concentre sur le remodelage de l'appareil photosynthétique lors de la carence en soufre et lors des fluctuations de lumineuses chez Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, avec un intérêt particulier pour la voie de signalisation impliquée dans ces réponses. Tout d'abord, nous avons caractérisé la carence en soufre en conditions d’hétérotrophie ou de photo-autotrophie. En faible lumière ou à l’obscurité, l'inactivation photosynthétique est obtenue grâce à la dégradation spécifique de la Rubisco et du cytochrome b6f et ne se produit qu'en présence de carbone réduit dans le milieu. Nous avons également montré une forte production de NO après le début de la carence, avec des sondes fluorescentes sensibles au NO visualisées par microscopie confocale. Nous fournissons des preuves pharmacologiques que la production de NO intracellulaire régit cette voie de dégradation. En outre, ici, nous fournissons des preuves claires de l’existence d’un circuit régulateur qui contrôle la traduction cytosolique du LHCII en réponse à des changements de quantité de lumière. Ce circuit nécessite la protéine de liaison à l'ARN cytosolique NAB1 pour réprimer la traduction de certains ARNm de LHCII. La nitrosylation spécifique de la Cys-226 diminue l'activité de NAB1 et a été démontrée in vitro et in vivo. La forme moins active et nitrosylée de NAB1 se trouve dans les cellules acclimatées à un apport de lumière limité, ce qui permet l'accumulation de protéines des antennes et la capture efficace de la lumière. En revanche, une intensité lumineuse plus élevée provoque la dénitrosylation de NAB1, activant ainsi la répression de la synthèse des protéines LHCII et diminuant ainsi la pression de la lumière au niveau du PSII. La dénitrosylation de NAB1 est efficacement réalisée par le système thiorédoxine cytosolique in vitro. À notre connaissance, NAB1 est le premier exemple de dénitrosylation induite par un stimulus dans le contexte de l'acclimatation photosynthétique. Dans l’ensemble, nos données suggèrent un rôle pivot pour la signalisation NO dans le contrôle des réponses au stress environnemental.
The regulation of photosynthesis is crucial for photoautotrophic organisms and is usually operated by the modulation of light absorption or by redirection of electrons towards alternative sinks, in order to redistribute energy among several metabolic pathways. Between different mechanisms described, the remodeling of the photosynthetic apparatus is crucial under conditions of nutrient starvation or light fluctuations. It is well known that nitric oxide (NO) plays a signaling role in many abiotic stress responses, acting as a second messenger and/or modifying target proteins through redox post translational modifications. Its involvement has been recently described during nitrogen starvation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This work focuses on the remodeling of the photosynthetic apparatus upon sulfur starvation and light fluctuations in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, with particular interest for the signaling pathway involved in the responses. First we characterized sulfur starvation under heterotrophy and photo-autotrophy. Photosynthetic inactivation under low light and darkness is achieved through specific degradation of Rubisco and cytochrome b₆f and occurs only in the presence of reduced carbon in the medium. We have also shown a strong NO production after the onset of starvation, with NO-sensitive fluorescence probes visualized by confocal microscopy. We provide pharmacological evidence that intracellular NO production governs this degradation pathway using NO scavengers, NO synthesis inhibitors and NO donors. Furthermore, here, we provide clear evidence for a regulatory circuit that controls cytosolic LHCII translation in response to light quantity changes. This circuit requires the cytosolic RNA-binding protein NAB1 to repress translation of certain LHCII mRNAs. Specific nitrosylation of Cys-226 decreases NAB1 activity and could be demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. The less active, nitrosylated form of NAB1 is found in cells acclimated to limiting light supply, which permits accumulation of light harvesting proteins and efficient light capture. In contrast, elevated light supply causes NAB1 denitrosylation, thereby activating the repression of light-harvesting protein synthesis and decreasing the light pressure at the level of PSII. Denitrosylation of NAB1 is efficiently performed by the cytosolic thioredoxin system in vitro. To our knowledge, NAB1 is the first example of stimulus-induced denitrosylation in the context of photosynthetic acclimation. Taken together, our data suggest a pivotal role for NO-signaling in the control of environmental stress responses.
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