Characterization of an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA encoding an S-adenosylmethionine-sensitive threonine synthase Threonine synthase from higher plants

AbstractAn Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA encoding an Sadenosylmethionine-sensitive threonine synthase (EC 4.2.99.2) has been isolated by functional complementation of an Escherichia coli mutant devoid of threonine synthase activity. Threonine synthase from A. thaliana was shown to be synthesized with a transit peptide. The recombinant protein is activated by Sadenosylmethionine in the same range as the plant threonine synthase and evidence is presented for an involvement of the N-terminal part of the mature enzyme in the sensitivity to Sadenosylmethionine

Long Lasting Persistence of Bacillus thuringiensis Subsp. israelensis (Bti) in Mosquito Natural Habitats

Background: The detrimental effects of chemical insecticides on the environment and human health have lead to the call for biological alternatives. Today, one of the most promising solutions is the use of spray formulations based on Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) in insect control programs. As a result, the amounts of Bti spread in the environment are expected to increase worldwide, whilst the common belief that commercial Bti is easily cleared from the ecosystem has not yet been clearly established. Methodology/Main Findings: In this study, we aimed to determine the nature and origin of the high toxicity toward mosquito larvae found in decaying leaf litter collected in several natural mosquito breeding sites in the Rhône-Alpes region. From the toxic fraction of the leaf litter, we isolated B. cereus-like bacteria that were further characterized as B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis using PCR amplification of specific toxin genes. Immunological analysis of these Bti strains showed that they belong to the H14 group. We finally used amplified length polymorphism (AFLP) markers to show that the strains isolated from the leaf litter were closely related to those present in the commercial insecticide used for field application, and differed from natural worldwide genotypes. Conclusions/Significance: Our results raise the issue of the persistence, potential proliferation and environmental accumulation of human-spread Bti in natural mosquito habitats. Such Bti environmental persistence may lengthen th

Mitochondrial and plastidial COG0354 proteins have folate-dependent functions in iron–sulphur cluster metabolism

COG0354 proteins have been implicated in synthesis or repair of iron/sulfur (Fe/S) clusters in all domains of life, and those of bacteria, animals, and protists have been shown to require a tetrahydrofolate to function. Two COG0354 proteins were identified in Arabidopsis and many other plants, one (At4g12130) related to those of α-proteobacteria and predicted to be mitochondrial, the other (At1g60990) related to those of cyanobacteria and predicted to be plastidial. Grasses and poplar appear to lack the latter. The predicted subcellular locations of the Arabidopsis proteins were validated by in vitro import assays with purified pea organelles and by targeting assays in Arabidopsis and tobacco protoplasts using green fluorescent protein fusions. The At4g12130 protein was shown to be expressed mainly in flowers, siliques, and seeds, whereas the At1g60990 protein was expressed mainly in young leaves. The folate dependence of both Arabidopsis proteins was established by functional complementation of an Escherichia coli COG0354 (ygfZ) deletant; both plant genes restored in vivo activity of the Fe/S enzyme MiaB but restoration was abrogated when folates were eliminated by deleting folP. Insertional inactivation of At4g12130 was embryo lethal; this phenotype was reversed by genetic complementation of the mutant. These data establish that COG0354 proteins have a folate-dependent function in mitochondria and plastids, and that the mitochondrial protein is essential. That plants retain mitochondrial and plastidial COG0354 proteins with distinct phylogenetic origins emphasizes how deeply the extant Fe/S cluster assembly machinery still reflects the ancient endosymbioses that gave rise to plants

Metabolic Adaptation of Ralstonia solanacearum during Plant Infection: A Methionine Biosynthesis Case Study

MetE and MetH are two distinct enzymes that catalyze a similar biochemical reaction during the last step of methionine biosynthesis, MetH being a cobalamin-dependent enzyme whereas MetE activity is cobalamin-independent. In this work, we show that the last step of methionine synthesis in the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum is under the transcriptional control of the master pathogenicity regulator HrpG. This control is exerted essentially on metE expression through the intermediate regulator MetR. Expression of metE is strongly and specifically induced in the presence of plant cells in a hrpG- and metR-dependent manner. metE and metR mutants are not auxotrophic for methionine and not affected for growth inside the plant but produce significantly reduced disease symptoms on tomato whereas disruption of metH has no impact on pathogenicity. The finding that the pathogen preferentially induces metE expression rather than metH in the presence of plant cells is indicative of a probable metabolic adaptation to physiological host conditions since this induction of metE occurs in an environment in which cobalamin, the required co-factor for MetH, is absent. It also shows that MetE and MetH are not functionally redundant and are deployed during specific stages of the bacteria lifecycle, the expression of metE and metH being controlled by multiple and distinct signals

Etude de la régulation du métabolisme monocarboné chez Arabidopsis thaliana

Les dérivés du tétrahydrofolate (THF), plus connus sous le nom de folate(s) ou vitamine B9, sont des cofacteurs indispensables au métabolisme cellulaire puisqu'ils sont à la base des réactions de transfert d'unités monocarbonées, regroupées sous le terme de "métabolisme C1". Chez tous les organismes, ces réactions sont impliquées dans des processus cellulaires clés comme la synthèse des nucléotides (purines, thymidylate), la synthèse de certains acides aminés (sérine, glycine, méthionine) et, indirectement, dans la synthèse de S-adénosylméthionine. Cette dernière constitue le donneur universel de groupements méthyles et intervient donc dans l'ensemble des réactions de méthylation. Les plantes, les champignons et certains micro-organismes possèdent la capacité de réaliser la synthèse de novo de THF alors que les animaux en sont incapables et sont contraints de puiser cette vitamine dans leur alimentation. Lors du développement de la plante, la capacité de synthèse du THF, le pool global et la nature des folates ainsi que la demande en unités C1 varient de façon importante. Pourtant, la littérature reste succincte en ce qui concerne les mécanismes qui permettent de contrôler l'homéostasie en folates en fonction des besoins fluctuants en unités C1 de la plante et sur la manière dont sont distribuées ces unités entre les différentes voies utilisatrices. Le travail réalisé dans le cadre de cette thèse a permis de mettre en évidence différents niveaux de régulation du métabolisme C1 permettant à la plante de répondre à une diminution du pool de folates. Ainsi, l'étude transcriptomique de la réponse de cellules d'Arabidopsis à un traitement par un antifolate, le méthotrexate, a révélé une absence de processus de compensation de la baisse de la quantité de folates puisque les gènes impliqués dans la synthèse, le transport et la dégradation du THF ne présentent pas de modification de leur expression. La régulation transcriptionnelle mise en place suite à une limitation en folates concerne un nombre restreint de gènes qui vont influencer la composition en dérivés du THF et non l'abondance de ce cofacteur vitaminique. En effet, alors qu'en situation physiologique le flux d'unités C1 alimente majoritairement les réactions de méthylation, il se trouve que le déficit en folates provoque une réorientation de ce flux vers la synthèse des nucléotides. La diminution des méthylations cellulaires en situation de déficit en folates a été illustrée lors de l'étude d'une méthyltransférase particulière qui intervient dans la synthèse des chlorophylles, la Mg-protoporphyrine IX méthyltransférase. Des feuilles de pois déficientes en folates présentent une forte diminution de l'index de méthylation qui se traduit par une régulation métabolique de l'activité de la Mg-protoporphyrine IX méthyltransférase, conduisant ainsi à une baisse de la synthèse des chlorophylles. Cette étude démontre que le statut en folates influence, via les réactions de méthylations, des processus physiologiques essentiels comme la biogenèse de l'appareil photosynthétique. Ce travail de thèse a également mis en évidence un mécanisme de régulation post-traductionnelle de la synthèse de méthionine en situation de carence en folates. Ce mécanisme consiste en un clivage protéolytique de l'extrémité N-terminale de la première enzyme dédiée à la synthèse de méthionine, la cystathionine g-synthase. L'élimination de ce domaine régulateur de l'enzyme permet, par un mécanisme encore inconnu, d'accroître la biosynthèse de méthionine en situation de déficit en folates.Tetrahydrofolate (THF) derivatives, collectively termed folates or vitamin B9, are involved in almost all the metabolic processes that require the addition or removal of one-carbon units (C1 metabolism). C1-substituted folate coenzymes are thus involved in several major cellular processes, including the synthesis of nucleotides (purines and thymidylate) and amino acids (methionine, serine, glycine). Methionine serves as a methyl group donor through conversion to S-adenosylmethionine, the key biological methylating agent involved in dozens methyltransferase reactions. Plants, fungi and most micro-organisms are able to synthesize THF de novo whereas humans and animals in general lack this capacity and thus rely on dietary intake of vitamin B9. During plant development, the enzymatic capacity for THF synthesis, the pool of folates, and the demands for C1-units vary importantly. However, little is known about how folate homeostasis is controlled to match the supply of C1-units, and how C1-units are accurately distributed between the different anabolic routes. In this work, we identified different regulatory mechanisms that allow plants to respond to a limitation of the folate pool. First, we analyzed the genome-wide and metabolic response of Arabidopsis cells to folate depletion induced by the antifolate methotrexate. Surprisingly, no significant change in the expression of genes involved in cofactor synthesis, degradation or trafficking was observed. One major response to folate limitation concerned the composition of the cofactor pool. Thus, the transcriptional regulation of a limited number of genes coding enzymes manipulating C1-moieties in plastids was associated with a re-orientation of C1-units towards the synthesis of purines and thymidylate. These data suggest that the metabolic priority of Arabidopsis cells in response to folate limitation is to shuttle the available folate derivatives to the synthesis of nucleotides at the expense of methylation reactions. Second, because the efficiency of methylation reactions are likely affected by folate depletion, we investigated the relationships between the folate status, the methyl cycle activity, and the rate of chlorophyll synthesis, which relies at one step on a methylation reaction catalyzed by Mg protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase. Etiolated pea leaves treated with methotrexate displayed a reduced folate pool and a marked decrease in the methyl index. This resulted in a metabolic regulation (inhibition) of the Mg-protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase activity and to a decreased rate of chlorophyll synthesis. These results point out that an even moderate change in the folate status may affect essential physiological processes such as chloroplast biogenesis. Last, the analysis of Arabidopsis cells exposed to a long-term folate starvation revealed an original post-translational regulation of methionine synthesis. This process consists in the proteolytic cleavage of the N-terminal domain of cystathionine -synthase, the first specific enzyme for methionine synthesis. We suggest that an effector, to date unidentified, can modulate enzyme activity in vivo through an interaction with the N-terminal domain and that removal of this domain in folate-deficient cells can suppress this regulation.GRENOBLE1-BU Sciences (384212103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Tetrahydrofolate biosynthesis and distribution in higher plants

International audienc

Coenzyme synthesis in plant mitochondria

International audienc

Coenzyme Synthesis in Plant Mitochondria

Open Access article: http://4e.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=11&id=358The synthesis of many biological compounds and the regulation of several metabolic processes require the addition or removal of one-carbon units (C1-units). Tetrahydrofolate derivatives (vitamin B9) mediate most of these transfers of C1-units, directly or indirectly, via S-adenosylmethionine. Some enzymes involved in CO2 manipulation during carboxylation, decarboxylation, and transcarboxylation reactions utilize another essential cofactor, biotin (vitamin B8). Unlike plants and some fungi and bacteria, mammals cannot synthesize tetrahydrofolate or biotin de novo and depend entirely on their dietary supply. The aim of the present Essay is to summarize recent progress in elucidating the tetrahydrofolate and biotin biosynthetic pathways in plants, with an emphasis on the essential role of mitochondria in these complex networks