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Contribution of plastocyanin isoforms to photosynthesis and copper homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana grown at different copper regimes

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Abstract

In land plants plastocyanin is indispensable and therefore copper (Cu) availability is a prerequisite for growth. When Cu supply is limited, higher plants prioritize the Cu delivery to plastocyanin by down-regulation of other Cu proteins. Arabidopsis has two plastocyanin genes (PETE1 and PETE2). PETE2 is the predominant isoform in soil-grown plants and in hydroponic cultures it is accumulated in response to Cu addition. It functions as a Cu sink when more Cu is available, in addition to its role as an electron carrier. PETE1 is not affected by Cu feeding and it is the isoform that drives electron transport under Cu-deficiency. Cu feeding rescued the defect in photosystem II electron flux (ΦPSII) in the pete1 mutant whereas ΦPSII was not changed in the pete2 mutant as Cu was added. Plants with mutations in the plastocyanin genes had altered Cu homeostasis. The pete2 mutant accumulated more Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (CSD2 and CSD1) and Cu chaperone (CCS) whereas the pete1 mutant accumulated less. On the other hand, less iron superoxide dismutase (FeSOD) and microRNA398b were observed in the pete2 mutant, whereas more were accumulated in the pete1 mutant. Our data suggest that plastocyanin isoforms are different in their response to Cu and the absence of either one changes the Cu homeostasis. Also a small amount of plastocyanin is enough to support efficient electron transport and more PETE2 is accumulated as more Cu is added, presumably, to buffer the excess Cu.

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Abbreviations

CCS:

Copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase

CSD1:

Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1

CSD2:

Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 2

FeSOD:

Iron superoxide dismutase

ΦPSII :

Electron flux through photosystem II

miRNA:

MicroRNA

NPQ:

Non-photochemical quenching

PETE1:

Plastocyanin 1

PETE2:

Plastocyanin 2

PQ:

Plastoquinone

PSI:

Photosystem I

Rbc-L:

Large subunit of the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase

Rbc-S:

Small subunit of the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase

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Acknowledgment

I am grateful to Dr. Marinus Pilon and Dr. Elizabeth Pilon-Smits (Biology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA) for their advice, critical discussion, reading of the original and revised manuscripts and the use of resources and facilities in their laboratories. We thank Dr. Martin Weigel (Abteilung für Pflanzenzü chtung und Genetik, Max-Planck-Institut für Zühtungsforschung, Germany) for providing plastocyanin mutants. Chris Cohu (Biology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA) is acknowledged for his help in hydroponics setup and fluorescence analysis. This work was supported by United States National Science Foundation Grant NSF-IBN-0418993 to Marinus Pilon.

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  1. Biology Department, Program in Molecular Plant Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Salah Esmat Abdel-Ghany

  2. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt

    Salah Esmat Abdel-Ghany

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  1. Salah Esmat Abdel-Ghany
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Correspondence to Salah Esmat Abdel-Ghany.

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Abdel-Ghany, S.E. Contribution of plastocyanin isoforms to photosynthesis and copper homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana grown at different copper regimes. Planta 229, 767–779 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-008-0869-z

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