Biology subjects

Storti, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Storti, M..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Thylakoids reorganization enables driving photosynthesis under far-red light in the microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana

O_LIOxygenic photosynthesis is driven by visible light in most photosynthetic organisms, with exceptions in few cyanobacteria and microalgae species, that can extend the light absorption to far-red wavelengths, by synthesizing new pigments or shifting the antennae absorption range beyond 700 nm. C_LIO_LIIn this work, we describe a novel mechanism of acclimation in the marine microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana, that resulted capable of growth relying solely on far-red light. Unexpectedly, the response did not involve the synthesis of red-shifted absorption forms, rather a peculiar reorganization of chloroplasts. C_LIO_LIThe abundance of photosynthetic complexes changed, with an increased accumulation of all pigment binding proteins and photosystem II. Chloroplasts became bigger and thylakoid membranes increased in number occupying almost all the organelle volume, showing also newly observed structures, composed of a central superstack with perpendicular electrondense interconnections, that we propose to name thylakoidal bodies. C_LIO_LITo the best of our knowledge, these results describe a novel acclimation strategy to far-red light, overall highlighting that the biodiversity of responses to far-red light is currently underestimated. C_LI Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=174 SRC="FIGDIR/small/665317v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (60K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@6d9038org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1178b53org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bc0e4corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@4eb999_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Photosynthesis regulation impacts carbon and nitrogen assimilation in the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120

O_LIDiazotrophic cyanobacteria fix both atmospheric carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) into biomass, but the two assimilation pathways are not compatible. Species like Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 physically separates C and N assimilation in different cell types. Even if separated, they are strongly intertwined, as N assimilation relies on the C skeletons and reducing power from photosynthesis, that in turn depends on N rich molecules as pigments and proteins. C_LIO_LIWhereas the two pathways have been extensively studied individually, here we investigate their interaction by analysing photosynthetic properties upon exposure to changes in light, CO2 and N availability, including the contribution of photosynthetic electron fluxes. C_LIO_LIGrowth depended on the availability of both light and CO2, while the N2 fixation activity mainly on the C supply. Upon diazotrophic conditions, the total photosynthetic electron transport activity increased, with a modified contribution of different electron pathways. A mutant strain affected in the vehiculation of fixed N between cell types showed that the modulation of photosynthesis depended on the metabolic connection between assimilation pathways. C_LIO_LIOverall, data showed that the regulation of photosynthetic electron fluxes is a major component of the synergic metabolic relationship between C and N assimilation pathways upon dynamic environmental conditions. C_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Tailoring confocal microscopy for in-cell photophysiology studies

Photoautotrophs environmental responses have been extensively studied at the organism and ecosystem level. However, less is known about their photosynthesis at the single cell level. This information is needed to understand photosynthetic acclimation processes, as light changes as it penetrates cells, layers of cells or organs. Furthermore, cells within the same tissue may behave differently, being at different developmental/physiological stages. Here we describe a new approach for single-cell and subcellular photophysiology based on the customisation of confocal microscopy to assess chlorophyll fluorescence quenching by the saturation pulse method. We exploit this setup to: i. reassess the specialisation of photosynthetic activities in developing tissues of non-vascular plants; ii. identify a specific subpopulation of phytoplankton cells in marine photosymbiosis, which are consolidating metabolic connections with their animal hosts, and iii. testify to the link between light penetration and photoprotection responses inside the different tissues that constitute a plant leaf anatomy. MotivationVisualising photosynthetic responses in 3D is essential for understanding most acclimation processes, as light changes within photosynthetic tissues as it penetrates the absorbing/diffusing layers of the cells. To achieve this goal, we developed a new imaging workflow merging confocal microscopy and saturating pulse chlorophyll fluorescence detection. This method applies to samples characterised by increasing complexity and its simplicity will contribute to its widespread use in plant and microalgae photoacclimation studies.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Impaired photoprotection in Phaeodactylum tricornutum KEA3 mutants reveals the proton regulatory circuit of diatoms light acclimation.

Diatoms are amongst the most successful clades of oceanic phytoplankton, significantly contributing to photosynthesis on Earth. Their ecological success likely stems from their ability to acclimate to changing environmental conditions, including e.g. variable light intensity. Diatoms are outstanding at dissipating light energy exceeding the maximum photosynthetic electron transfer (PET) capacity of via Non Photochemical Quenching (NPQ). While the molecular effectors of this process, as well as the role of the Proton Motive Force (PMF) in its regulation are known, the putative regulators of the PET/PMF relationship in diatoms remain unidentified. Here, we demonstrate that the H+/K+ antiporter KEA3 is the main regulator of the coupling between PMF and PET in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. By controlling the PMF, it modulates NPQ responses at the onset of illumination, during transients and in steady state conditions. Under intermittent light KEA3 absence results in reduced fitness. Using a parsimonious model including only two components, KEA3 and the diadinoxanthin de-epoxidase, we can describe most of the feedback loops observed between PET and NPQ. This two-components regulatory system allows for efficient responses to fast (minutes) or slow (e.g. diel) changes in light environment, thanks to the presence of a regulatory Ca2+-binding domain in KEA3 that controls its activity. This circuit is likely finely tuned by the NPQ effector proteins LHCX, providing diatoms with the required flexibility to thrive in different ocean provinces. One sentence summaryThe author(s) responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (https://academic.oup.com/plcell/pages/General-Instructions) is Giovanni Finazzi.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Inactivation of mitochondrial Complex I stimulates chloroplast ATPase in Physcomitrella (Physcomitrium patens).

While light is the ultimate source of energy for photosynthetic organisms, mitochondrial respiration is still fundamental for supporting metabolism demand during the night or in heterotrophic tissues. Respiration is also important for the metabolism of photosynthetically active cells, acting as a sink for excess reduced molecules and source of substrates for anabolic pathways. In this work, we isolated Physcomitrella (Physcomitrium patens) plants with altered respiration by inactivating Complex I of the mitochondrial electron transport chain by independent targeting of two essential subunits. Results show that the inactivation of Complex I causes a strong growth impairment even in fully autotrophic conditions in tissues where all cells are photosynthetically active. Complex I mutants show major alterations in the stoichiometry of respiratory complexes while the composition of photosynthetic apparatus was substantially unaffected. Complex I mutants showed altered photosynthesis with higher yields of both Photosystems I and II. These are the consequence of a higher chloroplast ATPase activity that also caused a smaller {Delta}pH formation across thylakoid membranes as well as decreased photosynthetic control on cytochrome b6f, possibly to compensate for a deficit in ATP supply relative to demand in Complex I mutants. These results demonstrate that alteration of respiratory activity directly impacts photosynthesis in P. patens and that metabolic interaction between organelles is essential in their ability to use light energy for growth.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

The activity of chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase-like complex influences the photosynthetic activity of the moss Physcomitrella patens

Alternative electron pathways contribute to the regulation of photosynthetic light reactions to meet metabolic demands in a dynamic environment. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of their activity is seminal to decipher their role in response to environmental cues and in plant adaptation. The chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase-like (NDH) complex mediates cyclic electron transport pathway around photosystem I (PSI) in different organisms like cyanobacteria, algae and various plant species but has a discontinuous distribution in the green lineage. In order to assess how its activity and physiological role changed during plant evolution, we isolated Physcomitrella patens lines knocked out of the gene NDHM which encodes for a subunit fundamental for the stability and activity of the whole complex. P. patens ndhm KO mosses showed high PSI acceptor side limitation upon illumination leading to PSI photoinhibition. Flavodiiron proteins (FLV) have similar and particularly important role in preventing PSI overreduction when plants are exposed to light fluctuations. The flva ndhm double KO mosses alteration in photosynthetic parameters leaded to a defect in plant growth under fluctuating light as compared to WT and single KO mutants. Results evidenced that, while FLV sustain strong electron transport after an abrupt change in light intensity, NDH contribution to electron transport is small. NDH still participate in modulating PSI activity and it is seminal to prevent PSI photoinhibition especially when FLV are inactive. In plants the functional overlap between NDH- and FLV-dependent electron transport systems sustains PSI activity and to prevent its photoinhibition.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Regulation of electron transport is essential for photosystem I stability and plant growth

Life depends on the ability of photosynthetic organisms to exploit sunlight to fix carbon dioxide into biomass. Photosynthesis is modulated by pathways such as cyclic and pseudocyclic electron flow (CEF and PCEF). CEF transfers electrons from photosystem I to the plastoquinone pool according to two mechanisms, one dependent on proton gradient regulators (PGR5/PGRL1) and the other on the type I NADH dehydrogenase (NDH) complex. PCEF uses electrons from photosystem I to reduce oxygen; in several groups of photosynthetic organisms but not in angiosperms, it is sustained by flavodiiron proteins (FLVs). PGR5/PGRL1, NDH and FLVs are all active in the moss Physcomitrella patens, and mutants depleted in these proteins show phenotypes under specific light regimes. Here, we demonstrated that CEF and PCEF exhibit strong functional overlap and that when one protein component is depleted, the others can compensate for most of the missing activity. When multiple mechanisms are simultaneously inactivated, however, plants show damage to photosystem I and strong growth reduction, demonstrating that mechanisms for the modulation of photosynthetic electron transport are indispensable.

plant biology↗