Biology subjects

Vallon, O.

Publications and source records attributed to Vallon, O..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

OHP2 is not required for psbA translation in Chlamydomonas

In land plants and cyanobacteria, co-translational association of chlorophyll (Chl) to the nascent D1 polypeptide, a reaction center protein of photosystem II (PSII), requires a Chl binding complex consisting of a short-chain dehydrogenase (HCF244/Ycf39) and One-Helix Proteins of the LHC superfamily (OHP1 and OHP2 in chloroplasts). Here, we show that an ohp2 mutant of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii fails to accumulate core PSII subunits, in particular D1. Extragenic suppressors arise at high frequency, suggesting the existence of another route for Chl association to PSII. The ohp2 mutant can be complemented by the Arabidopsis ortholog. In contrast to land plants, where psbA translation is prevented in the absence of OHP2, ribosome profiling experiments show that the Chlamydomonas mutant translates the psbA transcript over its full length. Pulse labelling suggests that D1 is degraded during or immediately after translation. The translation of other PSII subunits is affected by assembly-controlled translational regulation (the CES process). Proteomics show that HCF244, a translation factor which associates with and is stabilized by OHP2 in land plants, still partly accumulates in the Chlamydomonas ohp2 mutant, explaining the persistence of psbA translation. Several Chl biosynthesis enzymes overaccumulate in the mutant membranes. Partial inactivation of the D1-degrading FtsH protease restores a low level of PSII activity in an ohp2 background, but not photoautotrophy. Taken together, our data suggest that OHP2 is not required for psbAD1 translation in Chlamydomonas, but necessary for its stabilization.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Proteomics unveil a central role for peroxisomes in butyrate assimilation of the heterotrophic Chlorophyte alga Polytomella sp.

Volatile fatty acids found in effluents of the dark fermentation of biowastes can be used for mixotrophic growth of microalgae, improving productivity and reducing the cost of the feedstock. Microalgae can use the acetate in the effluents very well, but butyrate is poorly assimilated and can inhibit growth above 1 gC.L-1. The non-photosynthetic chlorophyte alga Polytomella sp. SAG 198.80 was found to be able to assimilate butyrate fast. To decipher the metabolic pathways implicated in butyrate assimilation, quantitative proteomics study was developed comparing Polytomella sp. cells grown on acetate and butyrate at 1 gC.L-1. After statistical analysis, a total of 1772 proteins were retained, of which 119 proteins were found to be overaccumulated on butyrate vs. only 46 on acetate, indicating that butyrate assimilation necessitates additional metabolic steps. The data show that butyrate assimilation occurs in the peroxisome via the {beta}-oxidation pathway to produce acetyl-CoA and further tri/dicarboxylic acids in the glyoxylate cycle. Concomitantly, reactive oxygen species defense enzymes as well as the branched amino acid degradation pathway were strongly induced.Although no clear dedicated butyrate transport mechanism could be inferred, several membrane transporters induced on butyrate are identified as potential condidates. Metabolic responses correspond globally to the increased needs for central cofactors NAD, ATP and CoA, especially in the peroxisome and the cytosol.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

The Chlamydomonas Genome Project, version 6: reference assemblies for mating type plus and minus strains reveal extensive structural mutation in the laboratory

Five versions of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii reference genome have been produced over the last two decades. Here we present version 6, bringing significant advances in assembly quality and structural annotations. PacBio-based chromosome-level assemblies for two laboratory strains, CC-503 and CC-4532, provide resources for the plus and minus mating type alleles. We corrected major misassemblies in previous versions and validated our assemblies via linkage analyses. Contiguity increased over ten-fold and >80% of filled gaps are within genes. We used Iso-Seq and deep RNA-seq datasets to improve structural annotations, and updated gene symbols and textual annotation of functionally characterized genes via extensive curation. We discovered that the cell wall-less classical reference strain CC-503 exhibits genomic instability potentially caused by deletion of RECQ3 helicase, with major structural mutations identified that affect >100 genes. We therefore present the CC-4532 assembly as the primary reference, although this strain also carries unique structural mutations and is experiencing rapid proliferation of a Gypsy retrotransposon. We expect all laboratory strains to harbor gene-disrupting mutations, which should be considered when interpreting and comparing experimental results across laboratories and over time. Collectively, the resources presented here herald a new era of Chlamydomonas genomics and will provide the foundation for continued research in this important reference.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

The cryo-EM structure of the chloroplast ClpP complex reveals an interaction with the co-chaperonin complex that inhibits ClpP proteolytic activity

Protein homeostasis in plastids is strategically regulated by the protein quality control system involving multiple chaperones and proteases, among them the Clp protease. We determined the structure of the chloroplast ClpP complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtiiby cryo-EM. ClpP contains two heptameric catalytic rings without any symmetry. The top ring contains one ClpR6, three ClpP4 and three ClpP5 subunits while the bottom ring is composed of three ClpP1C subunits and one each of the ClpR1-4 subunits. ClpR3, ClpR4 and ClpT4 subunits connect the two rings and stabilize the complex. The chloroplast Cpn11/20/23 co-chaperonin, a co-factor of Cpn60, forms a cap on the top of ClpP by protruding mobile loops into hydrophobic clefts at the surface of the top ring. The co-chaperonin repressed ClpP proteolytic activity in vitro. By regulating Cpn60 chaperone and ClpP protease activity, the co-chaperonin may play a role in coordinating protein folding and degradation in the chloroplast.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Architecture and evolution of subtelomeres in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

In most eukaryotes, subtelomeres are dynamic genomic regions populated by multi-copy sequences of different origins, which can promote segmental duplications and chromosomal rearrangements. However, their repetitive nature has complicated the efforts to sequence them, analyze their structure and infer how they evolved. Here, we use recent and forthcoming genome assemblies of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii based on long-read sequencing to comprehensively describe the subtelomere architecture of the 17 chromosomes of this model unicellular green alga. We identify three main repeated elements present at subtelomeres, which we call Sultan, Subtile and Suber, alongside three chromosome extremities with ribosomal DNA as the only identified component of their subtelomeres. The most common architecture, present in 27 out of 34 subtelomeres, is an array of 1 to 46 tandem copies of Sultan elements adjacent to the telomere and followed by a transcribed centromere-proximal Spacer sequence, a G-rich microsatellite and a region rich in transposable elements. Sequence similarity analyses suggest that Sultan elements underwent segmental duplications within each subtelomere and rearranged between subtelomeres at a much lower frequency. Comparison of genomic sequences of three laboratory strains and a wild isolate of C. reinhardtii shows that the overall subtelomeric architecture was already present in their last common ancestor, although subtelomeric rearrangements are on-going at the species level. Analysis of other green algae reveals the presence of species-specific repeated elements, highly conserved across subtelomeres and unrelated to the Sultan element, but with a subtelomere structure similar to C. reinhardtii. Overall, our work uncovers the complexity and evolution of subtelomere architecture in green algae.

genomics↗