Exploring the three PIPs and three TIPs of grapevine for transport of water and atypical substrates through heterologous expression in aqy-null yeast

Aquaporins are membrane channels that facilitate the transport of water and other small molecules across the cellular membranes. We examined the role of six aquaporins of Vitis vinifera (cv. Touriga nacional) in the transport of water and atypical substrates (other than water) in an aqy-null strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Their functional characterization for water transport was performed by stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy. The evaluation of permeability coefficients (Pf) and activation energies (Ea) revealed that three aquaporins (VvTnPIP2;1, VvTnTIP1;1 and VvTnTIP2;2) are functional for water transport, while the other three (VvTnPIP1;4, VvTnPIP2;3 and VvTnTIP4;1) are non-functional. TIPs (VvTnTIP1;1 and VvTnTIP2;2) exhibited higher water permeability than VvTnPIP2;1. All functional aquaporins were found to be sensitive to HgCl2, since their water conductivity was reduced (24–38%) by the addition of 0.5 mM HgCl2. Expression of Vitis aquaporins caused different sensitive phenotypes to yeast strains when grown under hyperosmotic stress generated by KCl or sorbitol. Our results also indicate that Vitis aquaporins are putative transporters of other small molecules of physiological importance. Their sequence analyses revealed the presence of signature sequences for transport of ammonia, boron, CO2, H2O2 and urea. The phenotypic growth variations of yeast cells showed that heterologous expression of Vitis aquaporins increased susceptibility to externally applied boron and H2O2, suggesting the contribution of Vitis aquaporins in the transport of these speciesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aquaporines intracellulaires d'Arabidopsis thaliana : dynamique d'expression dans le pollen et dans la racine sous stress oxydatif

Les aquaporines sont des canaux hydriques qui contrôlent la perméabilité à l'eau des membranes cellulaires, au cours du développement ou en réponse à des stress. La dynamique de l'expression des aquaporines de plantes et leur rôle physiologique ont été examinés dans deux organes modèles, le pollen et la racine d'Arabidopsis. Le pollen mature contient une cellule végétative et deux cellules de sperme. Des analyses transcriptomiques ont récemment identifié AtTIP1;3 et AtTIP5;1 comme deux aquaporines spécifiques du pollen. Dans ce travail, des protéines reportrices fluorescentes ont permis d'établir que AtTIP1;3 et AtTIP5;1 s'expriment spécifiquement dans la membrane vacuolaire de, respectivement, la cellule végétative et les cellules de sperme. Ces études révèlent aussi la grande plasticité dynamique des vacuoles, de la maturation du pollen jusqu'à la fécondation. Des approches de génétique inverse suggèrent un rôle des deux aquaporines dans la reproduction de la plante. La seconde partie de ce travail concerne les effets concomitants des stress oxydants, inhibant la conductivité hydraulique des racines et provoquant une accumulation intracellulaire des aquaporines initialement sur les membranes plasmiques. Le dernier processus a été disséqué par des approches de biochimie, pharmacologie et microscopie. La co-expression avec des marqueurs des endomembranes a révélé que l'isoforme AtPIP2;1 subit une accumulation dans les endosomes tardifs en réponse à l'H2O2. Ce processus peut être bloqué par l'auxine synthétique 1-NAA, mais non par l'inhibiteur d'endocytose tyrphostine A23. La grande stabilité des aquaporines internalisées suggère que l'H2O2 déclenche un mécanisme de séquestration réversible de celles-ci. Au-delà de données originales sur la régulation cellulaire des aquaporines, ce travail apporte un éclairage nouveau sur la dynamique des membranes intracellulaires des plantes, au cours du développement ou en réponse à des stressAquaporins are membrane water channel proteins that mediate the fine-tuning of cell membrane water permeability during development or in response to environmental stresses. The dynamic expression of aquaporins in planta, as well as their role in plant water relations, were investigated in two representative model organs, the pollen and roots of Arabidopsis. Mature pollen consists of a vegetative cell and two sperm cells. Transcriptomics recently identified AtTIP1;3 and AtTIP5;1 as two pollen exclusive aquaporins. Here, we investigated their in vivo temporal and spatial expression pattern. Fluorescently-tagged chimeras revealed that AtTIP1;3 and AtTIP5;1 have a distinct and specific localisation in the vacuolar membrane of the vegetative and sperm cells, respectively. The two aquaporins also revealed the dynamic plasticity of vacuoles from pollen maturation to embryo fecundation. Loss of function approaches suggest an implication of both proteins in plant reproduction. The second part of this work focused on the oxidative stress-induced internalisation of root plasma membrane aquaporins and its concomitant drop in root hydraulic conductivity. The former process was described in great detail by combined biochemical, pharmacological and microscopic approaches. Co-expression analyses of the AtPIP2;1 isoform with endomembrane markers revealed that H2O2 triggers AtPIP2;1 accumulation in late endosomal compartments. This process could be antagonized by the auxin analog 1-NAA, but not by the endocytosis blocker tyrphostin A23. Life-time analyses established the high stability of the internalised protein suggesting that H2O2 triggers a mechanism for intracellular and reversible sequestration of plasma membrane aquaporins. Besides information on cell regulation of aquaporins, the overall work gives novel and complementary insights into the dynamic remodelling of plant internal membranes during development and stress responses

Signaling with Ions: The Keystone for Apical Cell Growth and Morphogenesis in Pollen Tubes

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mapping of tonoplast intrinsic proteins in maturing and germinating Arabidopsis seeds reveals dual localization of embryonic TIPs to the tonoplast and plasma membrane

We have mapped the expression of the tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP) gene family members in Arabidopsis seeds by fluorescent protein tagging of their genomic sequences and confocal microscopy. Three isoforms (TIP1;1, TIP2;1, and TIP2;2) have distinct patterns of expression in maternal tissues (outer integument and placento-chalazal region). Two isoforms, TIP3;1 and the previously uncharacterized TIP3;2, are the only detectable TIPs in embryos during seed maturation and the early stages of seed germination. Throughout these developmental stages, both isoforms co-locate to the tonoplast of the protein storage vacuoles, but also appear to label the plasma membrane. Plasma membrane labeling is specific to TIP3;1 and TIP3;2, is independent of the position of the fluorescent protein tag, and appears to be specific to early seed maturation and early germination stages. We discuss these results in the context of the predicted distribution of aquaporins in Arabidopsis seeds

A look inside: localization patterns and functions of intracellular plant aquaporins.

International audienceAquaporins form a superfamily of intrinsic channel proteins in the plasma and intracellular membranes of plant cells. While a lot of research effort has substantiated the importance of plasma membrane aquaporins for the regulation of plant water homeostasis, comparably little is known about the function of intracellular aquaporins. Yet, various low-molecular-weight compounds, in addition to water, were recently shown to permeate some of these aquaporins. In this review, we examine the diversity of transport properties and localization patterns of intracellular aquaporins. The discussed profiles include, for example, water and ammonia transport across the tonoplast or CO2 transport through the chloroplast envelope. Furthermore, we try to assess to what extent the diverse aquaporin distribution patterns, in relation to the high degree of compartmentation of plant cells, can be linked to a wide range of cellular functions

Tonoplast intrinsic proteins and vacuolar identity

TIPs (tonoplast intrinsic proteins) have been traditionally used as markers for vacuolar identity in a variety of plant species and tissues. In the present article, we review recent attempts to compile a detailed map of TIP expression in Arabidopsis, in order to understand vacuolar identity and distribution in this model species. We discuss the general applicability of these findings. We also review the issue of the intracellular targeting of TIPs and propose key emerging questions relative to the cell biology of this protein family

The cellular dynamics of plant aquaporin expression and functions.

International audienceAquaporins are channel proteins that facilitate the transport of water and small neutral molecules, including gases, across cell membranes of most of the living organisms. Integrative studies have stressed the role of aquaporins in maintaining the whole plant water and nutrient status. Cellular aspects of plant aquaporin functions and regulations are also extensively investigated. The present review provides a glance at recent progresses in this area. One first direction concerns the mechanisms that determine aquaporin targeting to specific subcellular membranes and a dynamic and stimulus-dependent control of their density in these membranes. The regulation of aquaporin opening and closing and its links to cell signalling cascades are also discussed. Multiple cellular functions are now attributed to plant aquaporins. They include the dynamic equilibration and subcellular partitioning of their various substrates and a contribution to cell expansion and possibly cell division

Vegetative and sperm cell-specific aquaporins of Arabidopsis thaliana highlight the vacuolar equipment of pollen and contribute to plant reproduction.

International audience: The water and nutrient status of pollen is crucial to plant reproduction. Pollen grains of Arabidopsis thaliana contain a large vegetative cell and two smaller sperm cells. Pollen grains express AtTIP1;3 and AtTIP5;1, two members of the Tonoplast Intrinsic Protein sub-family of aquaporins. To address the spatial and temporal expression pattern of the two homologues, C-terminal fusions of AtTIP1;3 and AtTIP5;1 with GFP and mCherry, respectively, were expressed in transgenic Arabidopsis under the control of their native promoter. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that AtTIP1;3 and AtTIP5;1 are specific for the vacuoles of the vegetative and sperm cells, respectively. The tonoplast localization of AtTIP5;1 was established by reference to fluorescent protein markers for the mitochondria and vacuoles of sperm and vegetative cells and is at variance with a recent work (Soto et al., 2010, Plant J 64: 1038-1047) which localized AtTIP5;1 in vegetative cell mitochondria. AtTIP1;3-GFP and AtTIP5;1-mCherry showed concomitant expression, from first pollen mitosis up to pollen tube penetration in the ovule, thereby revealing the dynamics of vacuole morphology in maturating and germinating pollen. T-DNA insertion mutants for either AtTIP1;3 or AtTIP5;1 showed no apparent growth phenotype and had no significant defect in male transmission of the mutated alleles. By contrast, a double knock-out displayed an abnormal rate of barren siliques, this phenotype being more pronounced under limiting water or nutrient supply. The overall data indicate that vacuoles of vegetative and sperm cells functionally interact and contribute to male fertility in adverse environmental conditions