Biology subjects

Pecani, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Pecani, K..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Systems-wide Analysis Revealed Shared and Unique Responses to Moderate and Acute High Temperatures in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Different intensities of high temperatures affect the growth of photosynthetic cells in nature. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, we cultivated the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under highly controlled photobioreactor conditions and revealed systems-wide shared and unique responses to 24-hour moderate (35{degrees}C) and acute (40{degrees}C) high temperatures and subsequent recovery at 25{degrees}C. We identified previously overlooked unique elements in response to moderate high temperature. Heat at 35{degrees}C transiently arrested the cell cycle followed by partial synchronization, up-regulated transcripts/proteins involved in gluconeogenesis/glyoxylate-cycle for carbon uptake, promoted growth, and increased starch accumulation. Heat at 40{degrees}C arrested the cell cycle, inhibited growth, resulting in carbon uptake over usage and increased starch accumulation. Both high temperatures induced photoprotection, while 40{degrees}C decreased photosynthetic efficiency, distorted thylakoid/pyrenoid ultrastructure, and affected the carbon concentrating mechanism. We demonstrated increased transcript/protein correlation during both heat treatments, suggesting reduced post-transcriptional regulation during heat may help coordinate heat tolerance activities efficiently. During recovery after both heat treatments, transcripts/proteins related to DNA synthesis increased while those involved in photosynthetic light reactions decreased. We propose down-regulating photosynthetic light reactions during DNA replication benefits cell cycle resumption by reducing ROS production. Our results provide potential targets to increase thermotolerance in algae and crops.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Control of division and microtubule dynamics in Chlamydomonas by cyclin B/CDKB1 and the anaphase-promoting complex

In yeast and animals, cyclin B binds and activates the cyclin-dependent kinase ( CDK) CDK1 to drive entry into mitosis. We show that CYCB1, the sole cyclin B in Chlamydomonas, activates the plant-specific CDKB1 rather than the CDK1 ortholog CDKA1. Time-lapse microscopy shows that CYCB1 is synthesized before each division in the multiple fission cycle, then is rapidly degraded 3-5 minutes before division occurs. CYCB1 degradation is dependent on the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). Like CYCB1, CDKB1 is not synthesized until late G1; however, CDKB1 is not degraded with each division within the multiple fission cycle. The microtubule plus-end-binding protein EB1 labeled with mNeonGreen (EB1-NG) allowed detection of mitotic events in live cells. The earliest detectable step in mitosis, splitting of polar EB1-NG signal into two foci, likely associated with future spindle poles, was dependent on CYCB1. CYCB1-GFP localized close to these foci immediately before spindle formation. Spindle breakdown, cleavage furrow formation and accumulation of EB1 in the furrow were dependent on the APC. In interphase, rapidly growing microtubules are marked by comets of EB1; comets are absent in the absence of APC function. Thus CYCB1/CDKB1 and the APC mitosis modulate microtubule dynamics while regulating mitotic progression.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Conservation and divergence of DNA replication control in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

We recently isolated temperature-sensitive cell cycle mutants in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii for which the causative mutations were located in genes annotated for potential involvement in DNA replication. Chlamydomonas has a very long G1 period during which cells grow up to ~10-fold without division, followed by rapid cycles of DNA replication and mitosis ( multiple fission). All of the candidate DNA replication mutants tested were defective in completion of the first round of DNA replication, and also failed to produce mitotic spindles. For a subset of the mutants, we rescued temperature-sensitive lethality with tagged transgenes and used the resulting strains to analyze abundance and localization control of the tagged protein. All of the DNA replication proteins tested were essentially undetectable until late G1, accumulated during the period of multiple fission and then were degraded as cells completed their terminal divisions. MCM4 and MCM6 were localized to the nucleus during the division cycle except for transient cytoplasmic localization during mitosis. CDC45 showed strict protein location to the nucleus and co-localized to spindles during mitosis. In contrast, CDC6 was detected in the nucleus only transiently during early divisions within the overall multiple fission cycle. Cdc6 protein levels were very low, but increased upon treatment with MG132, a proteasome inhibitor. We also tested if these DNA replication proteins are regulated by cyclin dependent kinase (CDK). There are two main CDKs in Chlamydomonas, CDKA1 and CDKB1. We found that CDC6 protein level was severely reduced in a cdka1 mutant, but not in a cdkb1 mutant. MG132 did not detectably increase CDC6 levels in the cdka1 mutant, suggesting that CDKA1 upregulates CDC6 at the transcription level. Since MCM4, MCM6 and CDC6 were all essentially undetectable during the long G1 before DNA replication cycles began, we speculate that loading of origins with the MCM helicase may not occur until the end of the long G1, unlike in the budding yeast system. These results provide a microbial framework for approaching replication control in the plant kingdom.

plant biology↗