Sequence of the Gonium pectorale Mating Locus Reveals a Complex and Dynamic History of Changes in Volvocine Algal Mating Haplotypes.

Sex-determining regions (SDRs) or mating-type (MT) loci in two sequenced volvocine algal species, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Volvox carteri, exhibit major differences in size, structure, gene content, and gametolog differentiation. Understanding the origin of these differences requires investigation of MT loci from related species. Here, we determined the sequences of the minus and plus MT haplotypes of the isogamous 16-celled volvocine alga, Gonium pectorale, which is more closely related to the multicellular V. carteri than to C. reinhardtii Compared to C. reinhardtii MT, G. pectorale MT is moderately larger in size, and has a less complex structure, with only two major syntenic blocs of collinear gametologs. However, the gametolog content of G. pectorale MT has more overlap with that of V. carteri MT than with C. reinhardtii MT, while the allelic divergence between gametologs in G. pectorale is even lower than that in C. reinhardtii Three key sex-related genes are conserved in G. pectorale MT: GpMID and GpMTD1 in MT-, and GpFUS1 in MT+. GpFUS1 protein exhibited specific localization at the plus-gametic mating structure, indicating a conserved function in fertilization. Our results suggest that the G. pectorale-V. carteri common ancestral MT experienced at least one major reformation after the split from C. reinhardtii, and that the V. carteri ancestral MT underwent a subsequent expansion and loss of recombination after the divergence from G. pectorale These data begin to polarize important changes that occurred in volvocine MT loci, and highlight the potential for discontinuous and dynamic evolution in SDRs.

Translation-independent circadian control of the cell cycle in a unicellular photosynthetic eukaryote.

Circadian rhythms of cell division have been observed in several lineages of eukaryotes, especially photosynthetic unicellular eukaryotes. However, the mechanism underlying the circadian regulation of the cell cycle and the nature of the advantage conferred remain unknown. Here, using the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae, we show that the G1/S regulator RBR-E2F-DP complex links the G1/S transition to circadian rhythms. Time-dependent E2F phosphorylation promotes the G1/S transition during subjective night and this phosphorylation event occurs independently of cell cycle progression, even under continuous dark or when cytosolic translation is inhibited. Constitutive expression of a phospho-mimic of E2F or depletion of RBR unlinks cell cycle progression from circadian rhythms. These transgenic lines are exposed to higher oxidative stress than the wild type. Circadian inhibition of cell cycle progression during the daytime by RBR-E2F-DP pathway likely protects cells from photosynthetic oxidative stress by temporally compartmentalizing photosynthesis and cell cycle progression.

DipM is required for peptidoglycan hydrolysis during chloroplast division.

BACKGROUND: Chloroplasts have evolved from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont and their continuity has been maintained over time by chloroplast division, a process which is performed by the constriction of a ring-like division complex at the division site. The division complex has retained certain components of the cyanobacterial division complex, which function inside the chloroplast. It also contains components developed by the host cell, which function outside of the chloroplast and are believed to generate constrictive force from the cytosolic side, at least in red algae and Viridiplantae. In contrast to the chloroplasts in these lineages, those in glaucophyte algae possess a peptidoglycan layer between the two envelope membranes, as do cyanobacteria. RESULTS: In this study, we show that chloroplast division in the glaucophyte C. paradoxa does not involve any known chloroplast division proteins of the host eukaryotic origin, but rather, peptidoglycan spitting and probably the outer envelope division process rely on peptidoglycan hydrolyzing activity at the division site by the DipM protein, as in cyanobacterial cell division. In addition, we found that DipM is required for normal chloroplast division in the moss Physcomitrella patens. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the regulation of peptidoglycan splitting was essential for chloroplast division in the early evolution of chloroplasts and this activity is likely still involved in chloroplast division in Viridiplantae.

Chloroplast DNA replication is regulated by the redox state independently of chloroplast division in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Chloroplasts arose from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont and multiply by division. In algal cells, chloroplast division is regulated by the cell cycle so as to occur only once, in the S phase. Chloroplasts possess multiple copies of their own genome that must be replicated during chloroplast proliferation. In order to examine how chloroplast DNA replication is regulated in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we first asked whether it is regulated by the cell cycle, as is the case for chloroplast division. Chloroplast DNA is replicated in the light and not the dark phase, independent of the cell cycle or the timing of chloroplast division in photoautotrophic culture. Inhibition of photosynthetic electron transfer blocked chloroplast DNA replication. However, chloroplast DNA was replicated when the cells were grown heterotrophically in the dark, raising the possibility that chloroplast DNA replication is coupled with the reducing power supplied by photosynthesis or the uptake of acetate. When dimethylthiourea, a reactive oxygen species scavenger, was added to the photoautotrophic culture, chloroplast DNA was replicated even in the dark. In contrast, when methylviologen, a reactive oxygen species inducer, was added, chloroplast DNA was not replicated in the light. Moreover, the chloroplast DNA replication activity in both the isolated chloroplasts and nucleoids was increased by dithiothreitol, while it was repressed by diamide, a specific thiol-oxidizing reagent. These results suggest that chloroplast DNA replication is regulated by the redox state that is sensed by the nucleoids and that the disulfide bonds in nucleoid-associated proteins are involved in this regulatory activity.

Expression of the nucleus-encoded chloroplast division genes and proteins regulated by the algal cell cycle.

Chloroplasts have evolved from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont and their continuity has been maintained by chloroplast division, which is performed by the constriction of a ring-like division complex at the division site. It is believed that the synchronization of the endosymbiotic and host cell division events was a critical step in establishing a permanent endosymbiotic relationship, such as is commonly seen in existing algae. In the majority of algal species, chloroplasts divide once per specific period of the host cell division cycle. In order to understand both the regulation of the timing of chloroplast division in algal cells and how the system evolved, we examined the expression of chloroplast division genes and proteins in the cell cycle of algae containing chloroplasts of cyanobacterial primary endosymbiotic origin (glaucophyte, red, green, and streptophyte algae). The results show that the nucleus-encoded chloroplast division genes and proteins of both cyanobacterial and eukaryotic host origin are expressed specifically during the S phase, except for FtsZ in one graucophyte alga. In this glaucophyte alga, FtsZ is persistently expressed throughout the cell cycle, whereas the expression of the nucleus-encoded MinD and MinE as well as FtsZ ring formation are regulated by the phases of the cell cycle. In contrast to the nucleus-encoded division genes, it has been shown that the expression of chloroplast-encoded division genes is not regulated by the host cell cycle. The endosymbiotic gene transfer of minE and minD from the chloroplast to the nuclear genome occurred independently on multiple occasions in distinct lineages, whereas the expression of nucleus-encoded MIND and MINE is regulated by the cell cycle in all lineages examined in this study. These results suggest that the timing of chloroplast division in algal cell cycle is restricted by the cell cycle-regulated expression of some but not all of the chloroplast division genes. In addition, it is suggested that the regulation of each division-related gene was established shortly after the endosymbiotic gene transfer, and this event occurred multiple times independently in distinct genes and in distinct lineages.

EVIDENCE FOR TUBULAR MATING STRUCTURES INDUCED IN EACH MATING TYPE OF HETEROTHALLIC GONIUM PECTORALE (VOLVOCALES, CHLOROPHYTA)(1).

Gametes were induced separately in cultures of each mating type of the heterothallic, isogamous colonial volvocalean Gonium pectorale O. F. Müll. to examine the tubular mating structure (TMS) of both mating types plus and minus (plus and minus), referred to as "bilateral mating papillae." Addition of dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (DcAMP or db-cAMP) and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) to approximately 3-week-old cultures of each mating type induced immediate release of naked gametes from the cell walls. Both plus and minus gametes formed a TMS in the anterior region of the protoplasts. Accumulation of actin was visualized by antibody staining in the TMS of both mating types as occurs in the TMS (fertilization tubule) of the plus gametes of the unicellular volvocalean Chlamydomonas reinhardtii P. A. Dang. Induction of naked gametes with a TMS in each mating type will be useful for future cell biological and evolutionary studies of the isogametes of colonial volvocalean algae.

Structure, regulation, and evolution of the plastid division machinery.

Plastids have evolved from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont, and their continuity is maintained by the plastid division and segregation which is regulated by the eukaryotic host cell. Plastids divide by constriction of the inner- and outer-envelope membranes. Recent studies revealed that this constriction is performed by a large protein and glucan complex at the division site that spans the two envelope membranes. The division complex has retained certain components of the cyanobacterial division complex along with components developed by the host cell. Based on the information on the division complex at the molecular level, we are beginning to understand how the division complex has evolved and how it is assembled, constricted, and regulated in the host cell. This chapter reviews the current understanding of the plastid division machinery and some of the questions that will be addressed in the near future.

Chloroplast division: squeezing the photosynthetic captive.

Chloroplasts have evolved from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont and have been retained in eukaryotic cells for more than one billion years via chloroplast division and inheritance by daughter cells during cell division. Recent studies revealed that chloroplast division is performed by a large protein complex at the division site, encompassing both the inside and the outside of the two envelope membranes. The division complex has retained a few components of the cyanobacterial division complex to go along with other components supplied by the host cell. On the basis of the information about the division complex, we are beginning to understand how the division complex evolved, and how eukaryotic host cells regulate chloroplast division during proliferation and differentiation.

The YlmG protein has a conserved function related to the distribution of nucleoids in chloroplasts and cyanobacteria.

BACKGROUND: Reminiscent of their free-living cyanobacterial ancestor, chloroplasts proliferate by division coupled with the partition of nucleoids (DNA-protein complexes). Division of the chloroplast envelope membrane is performed by constriction of the ring structures at the division site. During division, nucleoids also change their shape and are distributed essentially equally to the daughter chloroplasts. Although several components of the envelope division machinery have been identified and characterized, little is known about the molecular components/mechanisms underlying the change of the nucleoid structure. RESULTS: In order to identify new factors that are involved in the chloroplast division, we isolated Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplast division mutants from a pool of random cDNA-overexpressed lines. We found that the overexpression of a previously uncharacterized gene (AtYLMG1-1) of cyanobacterial origin results in the formation of an irregular network of chloroplast nucleoids, along with a defect in chloroplast division. In contrast, knockdown of AtYLMG1-1 resulted in a concentration of the nucleoids into a few large structures, but did not affect chloroplast division. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that AtYLMG1-1 localizes in small puncta on thylakoid membranes, to which a subset of nucleoids colocalize. In addition, in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongates, overexpression and deletion of ylmG also displayed defects in nucleoid structure and cell division. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the proper distribution of nucleoids requires the YlmG protein, and the mechanism is conserved between cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. Given that ylmG exists in a cell division gene cluster downstream of ftsZ in gram-positive bacteria and that ylmG overexpression impaired the chloroplast division, the nucleoid partitioning by YlmG might be related to chloroplast and cyanobacterial division processes.

Conservation and differences of the Min system in the chloroplast and bacterial division site placement.

Chloroplasts are descended from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont and divide by binary fission. Reminiscent of the process in their bacterial ancestor, chloroplast division involves a part of cyanobacteria-derived division machineries in addition to those acquired during chloroplast evolution.1,2 In both bacterial and chloroplast division, formation of the FtsZ ring at the mid position is required for subsequent constriction and fission at the mid division site.1-4 As in bacteria, positioning of the FtsZ ring at the mid-chloroplast is mediated by the Min system.1,2 Recently, we identified the MCD1 protein, a plant-specific component of the Min system in Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts.5 Unlike other division components that have been acquired after endosymbiosis and function outside of the chloroplasts (i.e., in/on the outer envelope membrane),6-9 MCD1 functions inside the chloroplast. Since we already discussed about the function and significance of MCD1 as a division component of plant origin,5 here we focus on and discuss about the diversity and evolution of the Min system.

The PLASTID DIVISION1 and 2 components of the chloroplast division machinery determine the rate of chloroplast division in land plant cell differentiation.

In most algae, the chloroplast division rate is held constant to maintain the proper number of chloroplasts per cell. By contrast, land plants evolved cell and chloroplast differentiation systems in which the size and number of chloroplasts change along with their respective cellular function by regulation of the division rate. Here, we show that PLASTID DIVISION (PDV) proteins, land plant-specific components of the division apparatus, determine the rate of chloroplast division. Overexpression of PDV proteins in the angiosperm Arabidopsis thaliana and the moss Physcomitrella patens increased the number but decreased the size of chloroplasts; reduction of PDV levels resulted in the opposite effect. The level of PDV proteins, but not other division components, decreased during leaf development, during which the chloroplast division rate also decreased. Exogenous cytokinins or overexpression of the cytokinin-responsive transcription factor CYTOKININ RESPONSE FACTOR2 increased the chloroplast division rate, where PDV proteins, but not other components of the division apparatus, were upregulated. These results suggest that the integration of PDV proteins into the division machinery enabled land plant cells to change chloroplast size and number in accord with the fate of cell differentiation.

Plant-specific protein MCD1 determines the site of chloroplast division in concert with bacteria-derived MinD.

Chloroplasts evolved from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont, and chloroplast division requires the formation of an FtsZ division ring, which is descended from the cytokinetic machinery of cyanobacteria. As in bacteria, the positioning of the chloroplast FtsZ ring is regulated by the proteins MinD and MinE. However, chloroplast division also involves mechanisms invented by the eukaryotic host cell. Here we show that a plant-specific protein MULTIPLE CHLOROPLAST DIVISION SITE 1 (MCD1) regulates FtsZ ring positioning in Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts. Our analyses show that both MCD1 and MinD are required for chloroplast division, localizing at the division sites and punctate structures dispersed on the inner envelope. MinD overexpression inhibited FtsZ ring formation whereas MCD1 overexpression did not. Localization studies suggest that MCD1 is required for MinD localization to regulate FtsZ ring formation. Furthermore, the interaction between MCD1 and MinD in yeast two-hybrid assays suggests that MCD1 recruits MinD by direct interaction. These results point out differences in the MinD localization mechanism between chloroplasts and bacterial model systems and suggest that the plant cell evolved a component to modulate the cyanobacteria-derived Min system so as to regulate chloroplast FtsZ ring positioning.

Transcription of plastid genes is modulated by two nuclear-encoded alpha subunits of plastid RNA polymerase in the moss Physcomitrella patens.

In general, in higher plants, the core subunits of a bacterial-type plastid-encoded RNA polymerase (PEP) are encoded by the plastid rpoA, rpoB, rpoC1 and rpoC2 genes. However, an rpoA gene is absent from the moss Physcomitrella patens plastid genome, although the PpRpoA gene (renamed PpRpoA1) nuclear counterpart is present in the nuclear genome. In this study, we identified and characterized a second gene encoding the plastid-targeting alpha subunit (PpRpoA2). PpRpoA2 comprised 525 amino acids and showed 59% amino acid identity with PpRpoA1. Two PpRpoA proteins were present in the PEP active fractions separated from the moss chloroplast lysate, confirming that both proteins are alpha subunits of PEP. Northern blot analysis showed that PpRpoA2 was highly expressed in the light, but not in the dark, whereas PpRpoA1 was constitutively expressed. Disruption of the PpRpoA1 gene resulted in an increase in the PpRpoA2 transcript level, but most plastid gene transcript levels were not significantly altered. This indicates that transcription of most plastid genes depends on PpRpoA2-PEP rather than on PpRpoA1-PEP. In contrast, the transcript levels of petN, psbZ and ycf3 were altered in the PpRpoA1 gene disruptant, suggesting that these are PpRpoA1-PEP-dependent genes. These observations suggest that plastid genes are differentially transcribed by distinct PEP enzymes with either PpRpoA1 or PpRpoA2.

The mitochondrial genome of the moss Physcomitrella patens sheds new light on mitochondrial evolution in land plants.

The phylogenetic positions of bryophytes and charophytes, together with their genome features, are important for understanding early land plant evolution. Here we report the complete nucleotide sequence (105,340 bp) of the circular-mapping mitochondrial DNA of the moss Physcomitrella patens. Available evidence suggests that the multipartite structure of the mitochondrial genome in flowering plants does not occur in Physcomitrella. It contains genes for 3 rRNAs (rnl, rns, and rrn5), 24 tRNAs, and 42 conserved mitochondrial proteins (14 ribosomal proteins, 4 ccm proteins, 9 nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunits, 5 ATPase subunits, 2 succinate dehydrogenase subunits, apocytochrome b, 3 cytochrome oxidase subunits, and 4 other proteins). We estimate that 5 tRNA genes are missing that might be encoded by the nuclear genome. The overall mitochondrial genome structure is similar in Physcomitrella, Chara vulgaris, Chaetosphaeridium globosum, and Marchantia polymorpha, with easily identifiable inversions and translocations. Significant synteny with angiosperm and chlorophyte mitochondrial genomes was not detected. Phylogenetic analysis of 18 conserved proteins suggests that the moss-liverwort clade is sister to angiosperms, which is consistent with a previous analysis of chloroplast genes but is not consistent with some analyses using mitochondrial sequences. In Physcomitrella, 27 introns are present within 16 genes. Nine of its intron positions are shared with angiosperms and 4 with Marchantia, which in turn shares only one intron position with angiosperms. The phylogenetic analysis as well as the syntenic structure suggest that the mitochondrial genomes of Physcomitrella and Marchantia retain prototype features among land plant mitochondrial genomes.

Unique translation initiation at the second AUG codon determines mitochondrial localization of the phage-type RNA polymerases in the moss Physcomitrella patens.

The nuclear genome of the moss Physcomitrella patens contains two genes encoding phage-type RNA polymerases (PpRPOT1 and PpRPOT2). Each of the PpRPOT1 and PpRPOT2 transcripts possesses two in-frame AUG codons at the 5' terminus that could act as a translational initiation site. Observation of transient and stable Physcomitrella transformants expressing the 5' terminus of each PpRPOT cDNA fused with the green fluorescent protein gene suggested that both PpRPOT1 and PpRPOT2 are not translated from the first (upstream) AUG codon in the natural context but translated from the second (downstream) one, and that these enzymes are targeted only to mitochondria, although they are potentially targeted to plastids when translation is forced to start from the first AUG codon. The influence of the 5'-upstream sequence on the translation efficiency of the two AUG codons in PpRPOT1 and PpRPOT2 was quantitatively assessed using a beta-glucuronidase reporter. The results further supported that the second AUG codon is the sole translation initiation site in Physcomitrella cells. An Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) RPOT homolog AtRpoT;2 that possesses two initiation AUG codons in its transcripts, as do the RPOTs of P. patens, has been regarded as a dually targeted protein. When the localization of AtRpoT;2 was tested using green fluorescent protein in a similar way, AtRpoT;2 was also observed only in mitochondria in many Arabidopsis tissues. These results suggest that, despite the presence of two in-frame AUGs at the 5' termini of RPOTs in Physcomitrella and Arabidopsis, the second AUG is specifically recognized as the initiation site in these organisms, resulting in expression of a protein that is targeted to mitochondria. This finding may change the current framework of thinking about the transcription machinery of plastids in land plants.

Genome sequence of the ultrasmall unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae 10D.

Small, compact genomes of ultrasmall unicellular algae provide information on the basic and essential genes that support the lives of photosynthetic eukaryotes, including higher plants. Here we report the 16,520,305-base-pair sequence of the 20 chromosomes of the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae 10D as the first complete algal genome. We identified 5,331 genes in total, of which at least 86.3% were expressed. Unique characteristics of this genomic structure include: a lack of introns in all but 26 genes; only three copies of ribosomal DNA units that maintain the nucleolus; and two dynamin genes that are involved only in the division of mitochondria and plastids. The conserved mosaic origin of Calvin cycle enzymes in this red alga and in green plants supports the hypothesis of the existence of single primary plastid endosymbiosis. The lack of a myosin gene, in addition to the unexpressed actin gene, suggests a simpler system of cytokinesis. These results indicate that the C. merolae genome provides a model system with a simple gene composition for studying the origin, evolution and fundamental mechanisms of eukaryotic cells.

Cloning and characterization of glycine-rich RNA-binding protein cDNAs in the moss Physcomitrella patens.

We isolated three cDNAs for the genes PpGRP1, PpGRP2 and PpGRP3 that encode glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins (GRPs) from Physcomitrella patens. Three full-length cDNA clones were isolated from a cDNA library prepared from poly(A)(+) RNA from 7-day-old protonemata of P. patens. They were named PpGRP1, PpGRP2 and PpGRP3, which encode putative polypeptides of 162, 178 and 155 residues, respectively. Preliminary genomic sequencing suggested that the positions of the three introns in the PpGRP3 gene are similar to those of introns in Arabidopsis GRP genes. PpGRP3 had a putative transit sequence. The PpGRP1-sGFP and PpGRP2-sGFP fusions were targeted to the cell nucleus, while PpGRP3-sGFP fusion was targeted to mitochondria. The level of these PpGRP transcripts as well as that of PpGRP proteins increased after cold treatment. Homoribopolymer RNA assay revealed that PpGRP3 protein show high affinity for poly(U) and poly(G). Results of phylogenetic analysis suggest that the nuclear and mitochondrial forms of GRP have been established early during the evolution of green plants.

Organization, developmental dynamics, and evolution of plastid nucleoids.

The plastid is a semiautonomous organelle essential in photosynthesis and other metabolic activities of plants and algae. Plastid DNA is organized into the nucleoid with various proteins and RNA, and the nucleoid is subject to dynamic changes during the development of plant cells. Characterization of the major DNA-binding proteins of nucleoids revealed essential differences in the two lineages of photosynthetic eukaryotes, namely nucleoids of green plants contain sulfite reductase as a major DNA-binding protein that represses the genomic activity, whereas the prokaryotic DNA-binding protein HU is abundant in plastid nucleoids of the rhodophyte lineage. In addition, current knowledge on DNA-binding proteins, as well as the replication and transcription systems of plastids, is reviewed from comparative and evolutionary points of view. A revised hypothesis on the discontinuous evolution of plastid genomic machinery is presented: despite the cyanobacterial origin of plastids, the genomic machinery of the plastid genome is fundamentally different from its counterpart in cyanobacteria.

Identification and characterization of two phage-type RNA polymerase cDNAs in the moss Physcomitrella patens: implication of recent evolution of nuclear-encoded RNA polymerase of plastids in plants.

We isolated two cDNAs for the genes PpRPOT1 and PpRPOT2 that encode phage-type RNA polymerases (RPOTs) from Physcomitrella patens. Transcriptional activity of the encoded proteins was demonstrated by an in vitro transcription assay. Transiently expressed RPOT green fluorescent protein fusion proteins were both targeted to mitochondria. These results suggest that both PpRPOT1 and PpRPOT2 proteins function as mitochondrial RNA polymerases. Detailed phylogenetic analysis using neighbor-joining and maximum-likelihood methods with both DNA and protein sequences indicated that the two genes of P. patens form a sister group to all flowering plant genes. This suggests that the gene duplication leading to the production of plastid-type isozymes occurred after the separation of vascular plant lineage from bryophyte lineage. We therefore suggest that the generation of nuclear-encoded RNA polymerase of chloroplast is a rather recent event during the evolution of land plants.