Synthetic conversion of leaf chloroplasts into carotenoid-rich plastids reveals mechanistic basis of natural chromoplast development
Llorente, Briardo (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)
Torres Montilla, Salvador (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)
Morelli, Luca (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)
Florez-Sarasa, Igor (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)
Matus, José Tomás (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)
Ezquerro, Miguel (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)
D'Andrea, Lucio (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)
Houhou, Fakhreddine (Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas)
Majer, Eszter (Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas)
Picó, Belén (Universitat Politècnica de València. Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana)
Cebolla, Jaime (Universitat Politècnica de València. Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana)
Troncoso, Adrian (Sorbonne Universités. Université de Technologie de Compiègne, Génie Enzymatique et Cellulaire. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France))
Fernie, Alisdair (Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie (Germany))
Daròs, José-Antonio (Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas)
Rodríguez Concepción, Manuel (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)

Date:	2020
Abstract:	Plastids, the defining organelles of plant cells, undergo physiological and morphological changes to fulfill distinct biological functions. In particular, the differentiation of chloroplasts into chromoplasts results in an enhanced storage capacity for carotenoids with industrial and nutritional value such as beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A). Here, we show that synthetically inducing a burst in the production of phytoene, the first committed intermediate of the carotenoid pathway, elicits an artificial chloroplast-to-chromoplast differentiation in leaves. Phytoene overproduction initially interferes with photosynthesis, acting as a metabolic threshold switch mechanism that weakens chloroplast identity. In a second stage, phytoene conversion into downstream carotenoids is required for the differentiation of chromoplasts, a process that involves a concurrent reprogramming of nuclear gene expression and plastid morphology for improved carotenoid storage. We hence demonstrate that loss of photosynthetic competence and enhanced production of carotenoids are not just consequences but requirements for chloroplasts to differentiate into chromoplasts.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación BIO2017-84041-P Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación BIO2017-83184-R Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación BIO2017-90877-REDT Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación BES-2017-080652 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación AGL2017-85563-C2-1-R Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte AP2012-3751 Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte FPU16/04054 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-710 European Commission 753301 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad SEV-2015-0533 European Commission 713673
Note:	Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya; COST Action CA15136 (EuroCaroten)
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Carotenoid ; Chromoplat ; Differentiation ; Phytoene ; Synthetic
Published in:	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 117, Issue 35 (September 2020) , p. 21796-21803, ISSN 1091-6490

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004405117
PMID: 32817419

Postprint 21 p, 1.4 MB

Supplementary Information 14 p, 1.3 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CRAG (Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles