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Impact of oxidative stress on ascorbate biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas via regulation of the VTC2 gene encoding a GDP-l-galactose phosphorylase

ABSTRACT: The l-galactose (Smirnoff-Wheeler) pathway represents the major route to l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) biosynthesis in plants. Arabidopsis thaliana VTC2 and its paralogue VTC5 function as GDP-l-galactose phosphorylases converting GDP-l-galactose to l-galactose-1-P, thus catalyzing the first committed step in the biosynthesis of l-ascorbate. Here we report that the l-galactose pathway of ascorbate biosynthesis described in higher plants is conserved in green algae. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii genome encodes all the enzymes required for vitamin C biosynthesis via the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway. We have characterized recombinant C. reinhardtii VTC2 as an active GDP-l-galactose phosphorylase. C. reinhardtii cells exposed to oxidative stress show increased VTC2 mRNA and l-ascorbate levels. We have also shown that enzymatic components of the ascorbate-glutathione system (e.g. ascorbate peroxidase, Mn superoxide dismutase, dehydroascorbate reductase) are up-regulated in response to increased oxidative stress. These results indicate that C. reinhardtii VTC2, like its plant homologs, is a key enzyme in ascorbate biosynthesis in green algae and together with components of the ascorbate recycling system represents the major route in providing protective levels of ascorbate in oxidatively stressed algal cells. Our results suggest that C. reinhardtii cells exposed to oxidative stress conditions produce more ascorbate both by de novo synthesis (Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway) and by recycling via the ascorbate-glutathione cycle.

ORGANISM(S): Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

PROVIDER: GSE34826 | GEO | 2012/05/03

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA150239

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Ascorbate (vitamin C) is an important antioxidant in leaves with multiple functions in photosynthesis and its levels are tightly regulated by light quality. The majority of work to date has focussed on regulation of ascorbate levels via biosynthesis. However, the pathway of ascorbate degradation, which is localised in the apoplast may additionally play a significant role. The degradative pathway begins with ascorbate oxidation by the enzyme ascorbate oxidase (AO) and hence we have examined the impact of manipulation of ascorbate oxidase activity on the content of ascorbate and the acclimation of photosynthesis to changing light levels. Leaf ascorbate content was highly light dependent in Nicotiana tobaccum being double in high compared with low light conditions. In contrast ascorbate oxidase activity was not altered by changing light levels. Transgenic tobacco lines with reduced or enhanced AO activity exhibited no morphological phenotype and photosynthesis under high light was similarly impaired irrespective of the measured AO activity. However further investigation between AO activity and leaf acclimation to changing light intensity revealed a suite of metabolic and transcriptome changes indicating a role for the apoplastic ascorbate pool in chloroplast to nucleus communication. In all genotypes, transcripts associated with ascorbate synthesis and recycling were less abundant following transition from high to low light. However transcripts associated with glutathione recycling, light harvesting, reaction centre function and the Calvin cycle were all increased in abundance. Following the transition from high to low light increases in leaf threonate, an ascorbate degradation product, were proportional to AO activity. A number of chloroplast synthesised amino acids were significantly increased both during high light and following transfer back to LL for 12 h. Similarly, several primary carbohydrates and TCA intermediates were significantly enhanced following high light treatment. In addition to light effects, AO activity had a significant impact on ï¢-alanine, aspartate and threonine. Intriguingly, a large number of fatty acids were reduced in antisense AO and wild-type plants immediately after high light stress however the content of these compounds were significantly increased in overexpressing sense lines. We conclude that AO mediated turnover plays an important role in adjusting cellular ascorbate content to photosynthetic need in a fluctuating light environment and that light mediated signals rapidly adjust that the apoplastic ascorbate pool.

Dataset Information

Impact of oxidative stress on ascorbate biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas via regulation of the VTC2 gene encoding a GDP-l-galactose phosphorylase

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