Proteomic analysis of chloroplast biogenesis (clb) mutants uncovers novel proteins potentially involved in the development of Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts.

Plant cells outstand for their ability to generate biomass from inorganic sources, this phenomenon takes place within the chloroplasts. The enzymatic machinery and developmental processes of chloroplasts have been subject of research for several decades, and this has resulted in the identification of a plethora of proteins that are essential for their development and function. Mutant lines for the genes that code for those proteins, often display pigment-accumulation defects (e.g., albino phenotypes). Here, we present a comparative proteomic analysis of four chloroplast-biogenesis affected mutants (cla1-1, clb2, clb5, clb19) aiming to identify novel proteins involved in the regulation of chloroplast development in Arabidopsis thaliana. We performed 2D-PAGE separation of the protein samples. These samples were then analyzed by computational processing of gel images in order to select protein spots with abundance shifts of at least twofold, statistically significant according to Student's t-test (P<0.01). These spots were subjected to MALDI-TOF mass-spectrometry for protein identification. This process resulted in the discovery of three novel proteins potentially involved in the development of A. thaliana chloroplasts, as their associated mutant lines segregate pigment-deficient plants with abnormal chloroplasts, and altered mRNA accumulation of chloroplast-development marker genes. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This report highlights the potential of using a comparative proteomics strategy for the study of biological processes. Particularly, we compared the proteomes of wild-type seedlings and four mutant lines of A. thaliana affected in chloroplast biogenesis. From this proteomic analysis it was possible to detect common mechanisms in the mutants to respond to stress and cope with heterotrophy. Notably, it was possible to identify three novel proteins potentially involved in the development or functioning of chloroplasts, also it was demonstrated that plants annotated to carry T-DNA insertions in the cognate genes display pigment-deficient phenotypes, aberrant and underdeveloped chloroplasts, as well as altered mRNA accumulation of chloroplast biogenesis marker genes.

Data for a comparative proteomic analysis of chloroplast biogenesis (clb) mutants.

This data article contains data related to the research article titled Proteomic analysis of chloroplast biogenesis (clb) mutants uncovers novel proteins potentially involved in the development of Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts (de Luna-Valdez et al., 2014) [1]. This research article describes the 2-D PAGE-based proteomic analysis of wild-type and four mutant lines (cla1-1, clb2, clb5 and clb19) affected in the development of Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts. The report concludes with the discovery of three proteins potentially involved in chloroplast biogenesis. The information presented here represent the tables and figures that detail the processing of the raw data obtained from the image analysis of the 2-D PAGE gels.

Arabidopsis thaliana mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 is involved in seed formation and modulation of primary and lateral root development.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) cascades are signal transduction modules highly conserved in all eukaryotes regulating various aspects of plant biology, including stress responses and developmental programmes. In this study, we characterized the role of MAPK 6 (MPK6) in Arabidopsis embryo development and in post-embryonic root system architecture. We found that the mpk6 mutation caused altered embryo development giving rise to three seed phenotypes that, post-germination, correlated with alterations in root architecture. In the smaller seed class, mutant seedlings failed to develop the primary root, possibly as a result of an earlier defect in the division of the hypophysis cell during embryo development, but they had the capacity to develop adventitious roots to complete their life cycle. In the larger class, the MPK6 loss of function did not cause any evident alteration in seed morphology, but the embryo and the mature seed were bigger than the wild type. Seedlings developed from these bigger seeds were characterized by a primary root longer than that of the wild type, accompanied by significantly increased lateral root initiation and more and longer root hairs. Apparently, the increment in primary root growth resulted from an enhanced cell production and cell elongation. Our data demonstrated that MPK6 plays an important role during embryo development and acts as a repressor of primary and lateral root development.

Role of the 4-phosphopantetheinyl transferase of Trichoderma virens in secondary metabolism and induction of plant defense responses.

Trichoderma virens is a ubiquitous soil fungus successfully used in biological control due to its efficient colonization of plant roots. In fungi, 4-phosphopantetheinyl transferases (PPTases) activate enzymes involved in primary and secondary metabolism. Therefore, we cloned the PPTase gene ppt1 from T. virens and generated PPTase-deficient (?ppt1) and overexpressing strains to investigate the role of this enzyme in biocontrol and induction of plant defense responses. The ?ppt1 mutants were auxotrophic for lysine, produced nonpigmented conidia, and were unable to synthesize nonribosomal peptides. Although spore germination was severely compromised under both low and high iron availability, mycelial growth occurred faster than the wild type, and the mutants were able to efficiently colonize plant roots. The ?ppt1 mutants were unable of inhibiting growth of phytopathogenic fungi in vitro. Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings co-cultivated with wild-type T. virens showed increased expression of pPr1a:uidA and pLox2:uidA markers, which correlated with enhanced accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid, camalexin, and resistance to Botrytis cinerea. Co-cultivation of A. thaliana seedlings with ?ppt1 mutants compromised the SA and camalexin responses, resulting in decreased protection against the pathogen. Our data reveal an important role of T. virens PPT1 in antibiosis and induction of SA and camalexin-dependent plant defense responses.

Effect of co-inoculation with mycorrhiza and rhizobia on the nodule trehalose content of different bean genotypes.

Studies on Rhizobium-legume symbiosis show that trehalose content in nodules under drought stress correlates positively with an increase in plant tolerance to this stress. Fewer reports describe trehalose accumulation in mycorrhiza where, in contrast with rhizobia, there is no flux of carbohydrates from the microsymbiont to the plant. However, the trehalose dynamics in the Mycorrhiza-Rhizobium-Legume tripartite symbiosis is unknown. The present study explores the role of this tripartite symbiosis in the trehalose content of nodules grown under contrasting moisture conditions. Three wild genotypes (P. filiformis, P. acutifolis and P. vulgaris) and two commercial genotypes of Phaseolus vulgaris (Pinto villa and Flor de Mayo) were used. Co-inoculation treatments were conducted with Glomus intraradices and a mixture of seven native rhizobial strains, and trehalose content was determined by GC/MS. The results showed a negative effect of mycorrhizal inoculation on nodule development, as mycorrhized plants showed fewer nodules and lower nodule dry weight compared to plants inoculated only with Rhizobium. Mycorrhizal colonization was also higher in plants inoculated only with Glomus as compared to plants co-inoculated with both microsymbionts. In regard to trehalose, co-inoculation negatively affects its accumulation in the nodules of each genotype tested. However, the correlation analysis showed a significantly positive correlation between mycorrhizal colonization and nodule trehalose content.

Enhanced phosphorus uptake in transgenic tobacco plants that overproduce citrate.

Phosphorus (P) is one of the most important nutrients limiting agricultural production worldwide. In acid and alkaline soils, which make up over 70% of the world's arable land, P forms insoluble compounds that are not available for plant use. To reduce P deficiencies and ensure plant productivity, nearly 30 million tons of P fertilizer are applied every year. Up to 80% of the applied P fertilizer is lost because it becomes immobile and unavailable for plant uptake. Therefore, the development of novel plant varieties more efficient in the use of P represents the best alternative to reduce the use of P fertilizers and achieve a more sustainable agriculture. We show here that the ability to use insoluble P compounds can be significantly enhanced by engineering plants to produce more organic acids. Our results show that when compared to the controls, citrate-overproducing plants yield more leaf and fruit biomass when grown under P-limiting conditions and require less P fertilizer to achieve optimal growth.

Organic acid metabolism in plants: from adaptive physiology to transgenic varieties for cultivation in extreme soils.

During the last 20 years increasing experimental evidence has associated organic acid metabolism with plant tolerance to environmental stress. Current knowledge shows that organic acids not only act as intermediates in carbon metabolism but also as key components in mechanisms that some plants use to cope with nutrient deficiencies, metal tolerance and plant-microbe interactions operating at the root-soil interphase. In this review we summarize recent knowledge on the physiology and occurrence of organic acids in plants and their special relevance concerning nitrate reduction, phosphorus and iron acquisition, aluminum tolerance and soil ecology. We also discuss novel findings in relation to the biotechnological manipulation of organic acids in transgenic models ranging from cell cultures to whole plants. This novel perspective of organic acid metabolism and its potential manipulation may represent a way to understand fundamental aspects of plant physiology and lead to new strategies to obtain crop varieties better adapted to environmental and mineral stress.

The mannopine synthase promoter contains vectorial cis-regulatory elements that act as enhancers and silencers.

A 479-bp bi-directional promoter controls the expression of two genes (mas1' and mas2') that encode enzymes for the synthesis of the opine mannopine in plant tissues infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This 5' regulatory region (mas promoter) contains all the cis-acting elements involved in mediating the complex regulatory properties of these genes in plants. Using different mas promoter regions fused to a minimal 35S promoter (35Sdelta108), we found that the regulatory properties of these divergent promoters result from the presence of orientation-dependent negative and positive regulatory regions. Some of these elements have the unusual property of acting as enhancers in one orientation and as silencers in the other. Using electrophoretic mobility shift analysis (EMSA), we showed that the functional mas promoter regions identified by fluorometric and histochemical assays for reporter gene activity in transgenic plants have the ability specifically to bind nuclear protein factors from Nicotiana tabacum, Phaseolus vulgaris, Solanum tuberosum, and Arabidopsis thaliana.

A 42 bp fragment of the pmas1' promoter containing an ocs-like element confers a developmental, wound- and chemically inducible expression pattern.

Synthesis of mannopine in plant tissues infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens is controlled by a divergent promoter (pmas2' and pmas1') that in 479 bp contains all the cis-acting elements necessary to direct tissue-specific and wound-inducible expression. In this report, using transgenic tobacco plants harboring a pmas1'-beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene fusion, we investigated the developmental expression pattern directed by pmas1' in the early stages of development and the responses of pmas1' to different chemical inducers. It was found that this promoter can respond to auxins, cytokinins, methyl jasmonate (MJ), salicylic acid (SA) and its analogue 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid (iNA). Treatment with chemical inducers also showed that the effects of iNA are organ-dependent, that wound-induction is a complex response mediated by at least two different chemical signals, and that MJ stimulates changes in the tissue-specific and developmental expression pattern directed by the ptmas1' promoter. Using chimeric promoters we demonstrate that an ocs-like element (ocs+1) directs MJ responses in an orientation-dependent manner and that sequences around the ocs+1 are important to maintain the inducible and developmental properties of this cis-regulatory element.