Enhanced levels of vitamin B(6) increase aerial organ size and positively affect stress tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Vitamin B6 is an essential nutrient in the human diet derived primarily from plant sources. While it is well established as a cofactor for numerous metabolic enzymes, more recently, vitamin B6 has been implicated as a potent antioxidant. The de novo vitamin B6 biosynthesis pathway in plants has recently been unraveled and involves only two proteins, PDX1 and PDX2. To provide more insight into the effect of the compound on plant development and its role as an antioxidant, we have overexpressed the PDX proteins in Arabidopsis, generating lines with considerably higher levels of the vitamin in comparison with other recent attempts to achieve this goal. Interestingly, it was possible to increase the level of only one of the two catalytically active PDX1 proteins at the protein level, providing insight into the mechanism of vitamin B6 homeostasis in planta. Vitamin B6 enhanced lines have considerably larger vegetative and floral organs and although delayed in pre-reproductive development, do not have an altered overall morphology. The vitamin was observed to accumulate in seeds and the enhancement of its levels was correlated with an increase in their size and weight. This phenotype is predominantly a consequence of embryo enlargement as reflected by larger cells. Furthermore, plants that overaccumulate the vitamin have an increased tolerance to oxidative stress providing in vivo evidence for the antioxidant functionality of vitamin B6. In particular, the plants show an increased resistance to paraquat and photoinhibition, and they attenuate the cell death response observed in the conditional flu mutant.

Mycorrhizal phosphate uptake pathway in tomato is phosphorus-repressible and transcriptionally regulated.

Plants colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi take up phosphate (Pi)via the mycorrhizal and the direct Pi uptake pathway. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of these pathways is just emerging.Here, we have analyzed the molecular physiology of mycorrhizal Pi uptake in the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) variety Micro-Tom and integrated the data obtained with studies on chemical signaling in mycorrhiza-inducible Pi transporter gene regulation.At high plant phosphorus (P) status, the mycorrhizal Pi uptake pathway was almost completely repressed and the mycorrhiza-inducible Pi transporter genes were down-regulated. A high plant P status also suppressed the activation of the mycorrhiza-specific StPT3 promoter fragment by phospholipid extracts containing the mycorrhiza signal lysophosphatidylcholine.Our results suggest that the mycorrhizal Pi uptake pathway is controlled at least partially by the plant host. This control involves components in common

Intersubunit cross-talk in pyridoxal 5'-phosphate synthase, coordinated by the C terminus of the synthase subunit.

Vitamin B(6) is essential in all organisms, due to its requirement as a cofactor in the form of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) for key metabolic enzymes. It can be synthesized de novo by either of two pathways known as deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate (DXP)-dependent and DXP-independent. The DXP-independent pathway is the predominant pathway and is found in most microorganisms and plants. A glutamine amidotransferase consisting of the synthase Pdx1 and its glutaminase partner, Pdx2, form a complex that directly synthesizes PLP from ribose 5-phosphate, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, and glutamine. The protein complex displays an ornate architecture consisting of 24 subunits, two hexameric rings of 12 Pdx1 subunits to which 12 Pdx2 subunits attach, with the glutaminase and synthase active sites remote from each other. The multiple catalytic ability of Pdx1, the remote glutaminase and synthase active sites, and the elaborate structure suggest regulation of activity on several levels. A missing piece in deciphering this intricate puzzle has been information on the Pdx1 C-terminal region that has thus far eluded structural characterization. Here we use fluorescence spectrophotometry and protein chemistry to demonstrate that the Pdx1 C terminus is indispensable for PLP synthase activity and mediates intersubunit cross-talk within the enzyme complex. We provide evidence that the C terminus can act as a flexible lid, bridging as well as shielding the active site of an adjacent protomer in Pdx1. We show that ribose 5-phosphate binding triggers strong cooperativity in Pdx1, and the affinity for this substrate is substantially enhanced upon interaction with the Michaelis complex of Pdx2 and glutamine.

A transgenic dTph1 insertional mutagenesis system for forward genetics in mycorrhizal phosphate transport of Petunia.

The active endogenous dTph1 system of the Petunia hybrida mutator line W138 has been used in several forward-genetic mutant screens that were based on visible phenotypes such as flower morphology and color. In contrast, defective symbiotic phosphate (P(i)) transport in mycorrhizal roots of Petunia is a hidden molecular phenotype as the symbiosis between plant roots and fungi takes place below ground, and, while fungal colonization can be visualized histochemically, P(i) transport and the activity of P(i) transporter proteins cannot be assessed visually. Here, we report on a molecular approach in which expression of a mycorrhiza-inducible bi-functional reporter transgene and insertional mutagenesis in Petunia are combined. Bi-directionalization of a mycorrhizal P(i) transporter promoter controlling the expression of two reporter genes encoding firefly luciferase and GUS allows visualization of mycorrhiza-specific P(i) transporter expression. A population of selectable transposon insertion mutants was established by crossing the transgenic reporter line with the mutator W138, from which the P(i)transporter downregulated (ptd1) mutant was identified, which exhibits strongly reduced expression of mycorrhiza-inducible P(i) transporters in mycorrhizal roots.

Vitamin B1 biosynthesis in plants requires the essential iron sulfur cluster protein, THIC.

Vitamin B1 (thiamin) is an essential compound in all organisms acting as a cofactor in key metabolic reactions and has furthermore been implicated in responses to DNA damage and pathogen attack in plants. Despite the fact that it was discovered almost a century ago and deficiency is a widespread health problem, much remains to be deciphered about its biosynthesis. The vitamin is composed of a thiazole and pyrimidine heterocycle, which can be synthesized by prokaryotes, fungi, and plants. Plants are the major source of the vitamin in the human diet, yet little is known about the biosynthesis of the compound therein. In particular, it has never been verified whether the pyrimidine heterocycle is derived from purine biosynthesis through the action of the THIC protein as in bacteria, rather than vitamin B6 and histidine as demonstrated for fungi. Here, we identify a homolog of THIC in Arabidopsis and demonstrate its essentiality not only for vitamin B1 biosynthesis, but also plant viability. This step takes place in the chloroplast and appears to be regulated at several levels, including through the presence of a riboswitch in the 3'-untranslated region of THIC. Strong evidence is provided for the involvement of an iron-sulfur cluster in the remarkable chemical rearrangement reaction catalyzed by the THIC protein for which there is no chemical precedent. The results suggest that vitamin B1 biosynthesis in plants is in fact more similar to prokaryotic counterparts and that the THIC protein is likely to be the key regulatory protein in the pathway.

Lyso-phosphatidylcholine is a signal in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis represents the most widely distributed mutualistic root symbiosis. We report that root extracts of mycorrhizal plants contain a lipophilic signal capable of inducing the phosphate transporter genes StPT3 and StPT4 of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), genes that are specifically induced in roots colonized by AM fungi. The same signal caused rapid extracellular alkalinization in suspension-cultured tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cells and induction of the mycorrhiza-specific phosphate transporter gene LePT4 in these cells. The active principle was characterized as the lysolipid lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC) via a combination of gene expression studies, alkalinization assays in cell cultures, and chromatographic and mass spectrometric analyses. Our results highlight the importance of lysophospholipids as signals in plants and in particular in the AM symbiosis.

Two independent routes of de novo vitamin B6 biosynthesis: not that different after all.

Vitamin B6 is well known in its biochemically active form as pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, an essential cofactor of numerous metabolic enzymes. The vitamin is also implicated in numerous human body functions ranging from modulation of hormone function to its recent discovery as a potent antioxidant. Its de novo biosynthesis occurs only in bacteria, fungi and plants, making it an essential nutrient in the human diet. Despite its paramount importance, its biosynthesis was predominantly investigated in Escherichia coli, where it is synthesized from the condensation of deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate and 4-phosphohydroxy-L-threonine catalysed by the concerted action of PdxA and PdxJ. However, it has now become clear that the majority of organisms capable of producing this vitamin do so via a different route, involving precursors from glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. This alternative pathway is characterized by the presence of two genes, Pdx1 and Pdx2. Their discovery has sparked renewed interest in vitamin B6, and numerous studies have been conducted over the last few years to characterize the new biosynthesis pathway. Indeed, enormous progress has been made in defining the nature of the enzymes involved in both pathways, and important insights have been provided into their mechanisms of action. In the present review, we summarize the recent advances in our knowledge of the biosynthesis of this versatile molecule and compare the two independent routes to the biosynthesis of vitamin B6. Surprisingly, this comparison reveals that the key biosynthetic enzymes of both pathways are, in fact, very similar both structurally and mechanistically.

Inorganic polyphosphate occurs in the cell wall of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and accumulates during cytokinesis.

BACKGROUND: Inorganic polyphosphate (poly P), linear chains of phosphate residues linked by energy rich phosphoanhydride bonds, is found in every cell and organelle and is abundant in algae. Depending on its localization and concentration, poly P is involved in various biological functions. It serves, for example, as a phosphate store and buffer against alkali, is involved in energy metabolism and regulates the activity of enzymes. Bacteria defective in poly P synthesis are impaired in biofilm development, motility and pathogenicity. PolyP has also been found in fungal cell walls and bacterial envelopes, but has so far not been measured directly or stained specifically in the cell wall of any plant or alga. RESULTS: Here, we demonstrate the presence of poly P in the cell wall of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by staining with specific poly P binding proteins. The specificity of the poly P signal was verified by various competition experiments, by staining with different poly P binding proteins and by correlation with biochemical quantification. Microscopical investigation at different time-points during growth revealed fluctuations of the poly P signal synchronous with the cell cycle: The poly P staining peaked during late cytokinesis and was independent of the high intracellular poly P content, which fluctuated only slightly during the cell cycle. CONCLUSION: The presented staining method provides a specific and sensitive tool for the study of poly P in the extracellular matrices of algae and could be used to describe the dynamic behaviour of cell wall poly P during the cell cycle. We assume that cell wall poly P and intracellular poly P are regulated by distinct mechanisms and it is suggested that cell wall bound poly P might have important protective functions against toxic compounds or pathogens during cytokinesis, when cells are more vulnerable.

Functional analysis of PDX2 from Arabidopsis, a glutaminase involved in vitamin B6 biosynthesis.

Vitamin B6 is an essential metabolite in all organisms, being required as a cofactor for a wide variety of biochemical reactions. De novo biosynthesis of the vitamin occurs in microorganisms and plants, but animals must obtain it from their diet. Two distinct and mutually exclusive de novo pathways have been identified to date, namely deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate dependent, which is restricted to a subset of eubacteria, and deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate independent, present in archaea, fungi, plants, protista, and most eubacteria. In these organisms, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) formation is catalyzed by a single glutamine amidotransferase (PLP synthase) composed of a glutaminase domain, PDX2, and a synthase domain, PDX1. Despite plants being an important source of vitamin B6, very little is known about its biosynthesis. Here, we provide information for Arabidopsis thaliana. The functionality of PDX2 is demonstrated, using both in vitro and in vivo analyses. The expression pattern of PDX2 is assessed at both the RNA and protein level, providing insight into the spatial and temporal pattern of vitamin B6 biosynthesis. We then provide a detailed biochemical analysis of the plant PLP synthase complex. While the active sites of PDX1 and PDX2 are remote from each other, coordination of catalysis is much more pronounced with the plant proteins than its bacterial counterpart, Bacillus subtilis. Based on a model of the PDX1/PDX2 complex, mutation of a single residue uncouples enzyme coordination and in turn provides tangible evidence for the existence of the recently proposed ammonia tunnel through the core of PDX1.

Specific localization of inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) in fungal cell walls by selective extraction and immunohistochemistry.

Inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) is a linear polymer of phosphoanhydride-linked phosphate residues that occurs in all organisms and cells. It was found in all organelles and is particularly abundant in fungal vacuoles. The fungal cell wall also contains poly P, but very little is known about the nature and functions of poly P in this compartment. Here, we describe a novel method for the specific quantification and visualization of poly P in fungal cell walls. Selective extraction in high salt buffer revealed large poly P stores in cell walls of Mucorales and lower amounts in most other fungi tested. Staining with specific poly P binding proteins (PBPs) enabled the visualization of poly P in cell walls of selected species from all fungal phyla. The presence of an extracellular phosphate pool in the form of a strongly negatively charged polymer is suggested to have important functions as a phosphate source in mycorrhizal interactions, an antimicrobial compound or protection against toxicity of heavy metals.

Inhibitors of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase: substituted derivatives of 2-aminoindane-2-phosphonic acid and 1-aminobenzylphosphonic acid.

Six derivatives of 2-aminoindane-2-phosphonic acid and 1-aminobenzylphosphonic acid were synthesized. The compounds were tested both as inhibitors of buckwheat phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (in vitro) and as inhibitors of anthocyanin biosynthesis (in vivo). (+/-)-2-Amino-4-bromoindane-2-phosphonic acid was found to be the strongest inhibitor from investigated compounds. The results obtained are a basis for design of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase inhibitors useful in the enzyme structure studies in photo labelling experiments.

Reaction mechanism of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate synthase. Detection of an enzyme-bound chromophoric intermediate.

Vitamin B6 is an essential metabolite in all organisms. De novo synthesis of the vitamin can occur through either of two mutually exclusive pathways referred to as deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate-dependent and deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate-independent. The latter pathway has only recently been discovered and is distinguished by the presence of two genes, Pdx1 and Pdx2, encoding the synthase and glutaminase subunit of PLP synthase, respectively. In the presence of ammonia, the synthase alone displays an exceptional polymorphic synthetic ability in carrying out a complex set of reactions, including pentose and triose isomerization, imine formation, ammonia addition, aldol-type condensation, cyclization, and aromatization, that convert C3 and C5 precursors into the cofactor B6 vitamer, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Here, employing the Bacillus subtilis proteins, we demonstrate key features along the catalytic path. We show that ribose 5-phosphate is the preferred C5 substrate and provide unequivocal evidence that the pent(ul)ose phosphate imine occurs at lysine 81 rather than lysine 149 as previously postulated. While this study was under review, corroborative crystallographic evidence has been provided for imine formation with the corresponding lysine group in the enzyme from Thermotoga maritima (Zein, F., Zhang, Y., Kang, Y.-N., Burns, K., Begley, T. P., and Ealick, S. E. (2006) Biochemistry 45, 14609-14620). We have detected an unanticipated covalent reaction intermediate that occurs subsequent to imine formation and is dependent on the presence of Pdx2 and glutamine. This step most likely primes the enzyme for acceptance of the triose sugar, ultimately leading to formation of the pyridine ring. Two alternative structures are proposed for the chromophoric intermediate, both of which require substantial modifications of the proposed mechanism.

Systematic screening of polyphosphate (poly P) levels in yeast mutant cells reveals strong interdependence with primary metabolism.

BACKGROUND: Inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) occurs universally in all organisms from bacteria to man. It functions, for example, as a phosphate and energy store, and is involved in the activation and regulation of proteins. Despite its ubiquitous occurrence and important functions, it is unclear how poly P is synthesized or how poly P metabolism is regulated in higher eukaryotes. This work describes a systematic analysis of poly P levels in yeast knockout strains mutated in almost every non-essential gene. RESULTS: After three consecutive screens, 255 genes (almost 4% of the yeast genome) were found to be involved in the maintenance of normal poly P content. Many of these genes encoded proteins functioning in the cytoplasm, the vacuole or in transport and transcription. Besides reduced poly P content, many strains also exhibited reduced total phosphate content, showed altered ATP and glycogen levels and were disturbed in the secretion of acid phosphatase. CONCLUSION: Cellular energy and phosphate homeostasis is suggested to result from the equilibrium between poly P, ATP and free phosphate within the cell. Poly P serves as a buffer for both ATP and free phosphate levels and is, therefore, the least essential and consequently most variable component in this network. However, strains with reduced poly P levels are not only affected in their ATP and phosphate content, but also in other components that depend on ATP or free phosphate content, such as glycogen or secreted phosphatase activity.

PDX1 is essential for vitamin B6 biosynthesis, development and stress tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Vitamin B6 is an essential coenzyme for numerous metabolic enzymes and is a potent antioxidant. In plants, very little is known about its contribution to viability, growth and development. The de novo pathway of vitamin B6 biosynthesis has only been described recently and involves the protein PDX1 (pyridoxal phosphate synthase protein). Arabidopsis thaliana has three homologs of PDX1, two of which, PDX1.1 and PDX1.3, have been demonstrated as functional in vitamin B6 biosynthesis in vitro and by yeast complementation. In this study, we show that the spatial and temporal expression patterns of PDX1.1 and PDX1.3, investigated at the transcript and protein level, largely overlap, but PDX1.3 is more abundant than PDX1.1. Development of single pdx1.1 and pdx1.3 mutants is partially affected, whereas disruption of both genes causes embryo lethality at the globular stage. Detailed examination of the single mutants, in addition to those that only have a single functional copy of either gene, indicates that although these genes are partially redundant in vitamin B6 synthesis, PDX1.3 is more requisite than PDX1.1. Developmental distinctions correlate with the vitamin B6 content. Furthermore, we provide evidence that in addition to being essential for plant growth and development, vitamin B6 also plays a role in stress tolerance and photoprotection of plants.

Novel method for the quantification of inorganic polyphosphate (iPoP) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae shows dependence of iPoP content on the growth phase.

Inorganic polyphosphate (iPoP)-linear chains of up to hundreds of phosphate residues-is ubiquitous in nature and appears to be involved in many different cellular processes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, iPoP has been detected in high concentrations, especially after transfer of phosphate-deprived cells to a high-phosphate medium. Here, the dynamics of iPoP synthesis in yeast as a function of the growth phase as well as glucose and phosphate availability have been investigated. To address this question, a simple, fast and novel method for the quantification of iPoP from yeast was developed. Both the iPoP content during growth and the iPoP "overplus" were highest towards the end of the exponential phase, when glucose became limiting. Accumulation of iPoP during growth required excess of free phosphate, while the iPoP "overplus" was only observed after the shift from low- to high-phosphate medium. The newly developed iPoP quantification method and the knowledge about the dynamics of iPoP content during growth made it possible to define specific growth conditions for the analysis of iPoP levels. These experimental procedures will be essential for the large-scale analysis of various mutant strains or the comparison of different growth conditions.