Kruse, I. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2017

Genetic dissection of cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate biosynthesis in plant mitochondria

Mitochondria play a key role in the biosynthesis of two metal cofactors, iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters and molybdenum cofactor (Moco). The two pathways intersect at several points, but a scarcity of mutants has hindered studies to better understand these links. We screened a collection of sirtinol-resistant Arabidopsis thaliana mutants for lines with decreased activities of cytosolic FeS enzymes and Moco enzymes. We identified a new mutant allele of ATM3, encoding the ATP-binding cassette Transporter of the Mitochondria 3 (systematic name ABCB25), confirming the previously reported role of ATM3 in both FeS cluster and Moco biosynthesis. We also identified a mutant allele in CNX2, Cofactor of Nitrate reductase and Xanthine dehydrogenase 2, encoding GTP 3',8-cyclase, the first step in Moco biosynthesis which is localized in the mitochondria. A single nucleotide polymorphism in cnx2-2 leads to substitution of Arg88 with Gln in the N-terminal FeS cluster-binding motif. cnx2-2 plants are small and chlorotic, with severely decreased Moco enzyme activities, but they performed better than a cnx2-1 knockout mutant, which could only survive with ammonia as nitrogen source. Measurement of cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate (cPMP) levels by LC-MS/MS showed that this Moco intermediate was below the limit of detection in both cnx2-1 and cnx2-2, and accumulated more than 10-fold in seedlings mutated in the downstream gene CNX5. Interestingly, atm3-1 mutants had less cPMP than wild type, correlating with previous reports of a similar decrease in nitrate reductase activity. Taken together, our data functionally characterise CNX2 and suggest that ATM3 is indirectly required for cPMP synthesis.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2017

BRUTUS-LIKE proteins moderate the transcriptional response to iron deficiency in roots

Iron is an essential micronutrient but in excess is toxic inside cells. Under iron deficiency, the expression of iron uptake genes is increased, but it is not known how the transcriptional response is controlled to avoid uptake of too much iron. The hemerythrin E3 ligases BRUTUS (BTS) and BTS-LIKE (BTSL) have previously been identified as negative regulators of the iron deficiency response. Our phylogenetic analysis indicated that BTSL proteins are present in dicotyledonous plants only and form a separate clade from BTS homologs. BTSL1 and BTSL2 in Arabidopsis thaliana are in a network with nearly all iron uptake genes, whereas BTS is in a shoot-specific network. BTSL1 and BTSL2 are expressed predominantly in the root epidermis and cortex, separate from BTS in the root stele, shoot and embryos. Mutant analysis identified BTSL2 as the dominant paralog of the otherwise redundant BTSL genes. The btsl double mutant had increased protein levels of FIT, the FER-like Iron deficiency-induced Transcription factor, and failed to switch off the transcriptional response upon iron resupply, leading to dramatic iron accumulation in roots and shoots. Protein interaction between the C-terminus of BTSL proteins and FIT indicate that FIT is a direct target for degradation. Taken together, our studies show that BTSL1 and BTSL2 control iron uptake in the epidermis and cortex, upstream of BTS in the vasculature and leaves.

plant biology↗