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Transcriptional and post-translational control of chlorophyll biosynthesis by dark-operative protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase in Norway spruce

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An Erratum to this article was published on 13 March 2017

Abstract

Unlike angiosperms, gymnosperms use two different enzymes for the reduction of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide: the light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (LPOR) and the dark-operative protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (DPOR). In this study, we examined the specific role of both enzymes for chlorophyll synthesis in response to different light/dark and temperature conditions at different developmental stages (cotyledons and needles) of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.). The accumulation of chlorophyll and chlorophyll-binding proteins strongly decreased during dark growth in secondary needles at room temperature as well as in cotyledons at low temperature (7 °C) indicating suppression of DPOR activity. The levels of the three DPOR subunits ChlL, ChlN, and ChlB and the transcripts of their encoding genes were diminished in dark-grown secondary needles. The low temperature had minor effects on the transcription and translation of these genes in cotyledons, which is suggestive for post-translational control in chlorophyll biosynthesis. Taking into account the higher solubility of oxygen at low temperature and oxygen sensitivity of DPOR, we mimicked low-temperature condition by the exposure of seedlings to higher oxygen content (33%). The treatment resulted in an etiolated phenotype of dark-grown seedlings, confirming an oxygen-dependent control of DPOR activity in spruce cotyledons. Moreover, light-dependent suppression of mRNA and protein level of DPOR subunits indicates that more efficiently operating LPOR takes over the DPOR function under light conditions, especially in secondary needles.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Program of Sustainability I [Grant LO1204] of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. We thank prof. Yuichi Fujita (Nagoya, Japan) for kindly providing antibodies against subunits of DPOR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Department of Biophysics, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Palacký University in Olomouc, Šlechtitelů 27, 783 71, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Tibor Stolárik, Petr Ilík & Andrej Pavlovič

  2. Institute of Biology/Plant Physiology, Humboldt-University Berlin, Philippstrasse13, Building 12, 10115, Berlin, Germany

    Boris Hedtke & Bernhard Grimm

  3. Faculty of Science, Department of Experimental Plant Biology, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Jiří Šantrůček

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  1. Tibor Stolárik
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  2. Boris Hedtke
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  4. Petr Ilík
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Correspondence to Andrej Pavlovič.

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The original version of this article has been revised: The author names have been corrected.

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11120-017-0368-9.

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Stolárik, T., Hedtke, B., Šantrůček, J. et al. Transcriptional and post-translational control of chlorophyll biosynthesis by dark-operative protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase in Norway spruce. Photosynth Res 132, 165–179 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-017-0354-2

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