QB Protein Research Articles

A Ser–Gly substitution in plastid-encoded photosystem II D1 protein is responsible for atrazine resistance in foxtail millet (Setaria italica)

A foxtail millet (Setaria italica L. Beauv.) line resistant to atrazine was obtained through interspecific hybridization between wild S. viridis L. Beauv. and cultivated S. italica. The resistance was proved to be controlled by a chloroplast-inherited gene and it has further been utilized in foxtail millet production. However, the sequence information of the putative atrazine resistance gene, psbA in foxtail millet’s chloroplast genome encoding photosystem II D1 protein (32 kDa thylakoid membrane protein) (photosystem QB protein) and the mutation site responsible for the resistance are not known. In this paper the psbA sequences of six atrazine susceptible/resistant foxtail millet varieties were obtained and compared. The results indicated that there was only one amino acid difference between susceptible and resistance gene, resulting from a single base substitution. It was concluded that a mutant allele of photosystem II protein D1 encoding a Gly residue instead of a Ser residue at position 264 is a major gene of resistance to atrazine. Moreover, the phylogenetic tree based on the psbA coding region of thirty-five plant species was carried out. The phylogenetic relationship between S. italica and other plants and the related evolutionary issues were discussed and it was suggested that psbA sequences could be used in phylogenetic studies in plants.

A Serine-to-Threonine Substitution in the Triazine Herbicide-Binding Protein in Potato Cells Results in Atrazine Resistance without Impairing Productivity

A mutation of the psbA gene was identified in photoautotrophic potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv Superior x U.S. Department of Agriculture line 66-142) cells selected for resistance to 6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (atrazine). Photoaffinity labeling with 6-azido-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine detected a thylakoid membrane protein with a M(r) of 32,000 in susceptible, but not in resistant, cells. This protein was identified as the secondary quinone acceptor of photosystem II (QB) protein. Atrazine resistance in selected cells was attributable to a mutation from AGT (serine) to ACT (threonine) in codon 264 of the psbA gene that encodes the QB protein. Although the mutant cells exhibited extreme levels of resistance to atrazine, no concomitant reductions in photosynthetic electron transport or cell growth rates compared to the unselected cells were detected. This is in contrast with the losses in productivity observed in atrazine-resistant mutants that contain a glycine-264 alteration.

The Mechanism of Herbicide Resistance in Tobacco Cells with a New Mutation in the QB Protein

A new mutant of the psbA gene conferring resistance to 2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine (atrazine) was obtained by selection of photomixotrophic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv Samsun NN) cells. The 264th codon AGT (serine) in the wild psbA gene was changed to ACT (threonine) in these mutant tobacco cells. All other higher plants resistant to atrazine exhibit a change to GGT (glycine) in this codon. Measurements of Hill reaction activity and chlorophyll fluorescence showed that the threonine 264-containing plastoquinone serving as secondary stable electron acceptor of PSII (Q(B) protein) had not only strong resistance to triazine-type herbicides but also moderate resistance to substituted urea-type herbicides. Threonine-type Q(B) protein showed especially strong resistance to methoxylamino derivatives of the substituted urea herbicides. The projected secondary structures of the mutant Q(B) proteins indicate that the cross-resistance of threonine 264 Q(B) protein to triazine and urea herbicides is mainly due to a conformational change of the binding site for the herbicides. However, the glycine 264 Q(B) protein is resistant to only triazine herbicides because of the absence of an hydroxyl group and not because of a conformational change.

In Vitro Synthesis, Assembly and Function of a Photosynthetic Membrane Protein

Cell-free translation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii RNA in the presence of photosynthetic membranes resulted in association of the herbicide binding (Qb) protein with membranes. Incubation of recovered membranes with high salt did not extract the polypeptide from membranes. Tryptic digestion of in vivo labeled membranes or membranes recovered from in vitro translation mixtures showed that Qb had similar orientation. In vitro translation in the presence of chloroplast membranes from cells exposed to high light intensity restored the membrane associated kinase activity lost by photoinhibition. Thus, in vitro synthesis resulted in functional integration of the Qb protein within the photosynthetic membrane.

DNA methylation as a mechanism of transcriptional regulation in nonphotosynthetic plastids in plant cells.

Transcription of amyloplast DNA in a heterotrophic line of cultured cells of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) appeared to be greatly suppressed. A mutant cell line obtained from the heterotrophic line is green and autotrophic. Heavy modification of amyloplast DNA with a variety of methylated bases was demonstrated by analysis of the acid hydrolysate of DNA by high-performance liquid chromatography, but little modification of chloroplast DNA from the green line was detected. When plastid DNAs from the original and green cell lines were digested with methyl-sensitive restriction enzymes, DNA methylation was detected in regions containing the genes for the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL), subunits of chloroplast coupling factor 1 (atpA, -B, and -E), the apoprotein of P700 (psaA), and ribosomal protein S4 (rps4) but not the genes for 16S rRNA and the 32-kDa QB protein (psbA) in the original line, whereas no methylation was observed in the green line. The genes for which methylation was not detectable were found to be active as templates for in vitro transcription by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, but the methylated genes were apparently inactive. Methylation of DNA is a likely mechanism for the regulation of expression of amyloplast DNA in sycamore cells.

Fractional control of photosynthesis by the QB protein, the cytochrome f/b 6 complex and other components of the photosynthesic apparatus

In order to obtain information on fractional control of photosynthesis by individual catalysts, catalytic activities in photosynthetic electron transport and carbon metabolism were modified by the addition of inhibitors, and the effect on photosynthetic flux was measured using chloroplasts of Spinacia oleracea L. In thylakoids with coupled electron transport, light-limited electron flow to ferricyanide was largely controlled by the QB protein of the electron-transport chain. Fractional control by the cytochrome f/b 6 complex was insignificant under these conditions. Control by the cytochrome f/b 6 complex dominated at high energy fluence rates where the contribution to control of the QB protein was very small. Uncoupling shifted control from the cytochrome f/b 6 complex to the QB protein. Control of electron flow was more complex in assimilating chloroplasts than in thylakoids. The contributions of the cytochrome f/b 6 complex and of the QB protein to control were smaller in intact chloroplasts than in thylakoids. Thus, even though the transit time for an electron through the electron-transport chain may be below 5 ms in leaves, oxidation of plastohydroquinone was only partially responsible for limiting photosynthesis under conditions of light and CO2 saturation. The energy fluence rate influenced control coefficients. Fractional control of photosynthesis by the ATP synthetase, the cytochrome f/b 6 complex and by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase increased with increasing fluence rates, whereas the contributions of the QB protein and of enzymes sensitive to SH-blocking agents decreased. The results show that the burdens of control are borne by several components of the photosynthetic apparatus, and that burdens are shifted as conditions for photosynthesis change.

Effects of light on the electrical output of bioelectrochemical fuel‐cells containing Anabaena variabilis M‐2: Mechanism of the post‐illumination burst

AbstractBioelectrochemical fuel‐cells containing Anabaena variabilis M‐2 and 2‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinone (HNQ) produced electricity in the dark. The current output was increased substantially in the light and a burst of the output current occurred upon darkening. There is a linear relationship between the coulombic output in the burst and the preceding light period. Photosynthetic O2 evolution with HNQ as an electron acceptor and the light‐induced generation of the output current were completely inhibited by 1 × 10−4 mol dm−3 carbonyl cyanide m‐chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) but 4 × 10−5 mol dm−3 3‐(3,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐1,1‐dimethylurea (DCMU) inhibited these activities only by 30–40%. Thus, HNQ accepts electrons mainly at the site between photosystem 2 reaction center and QB protein. In the presence of CCCP, the current output was decreased upon illumination and the burst occurred upon darkening. These results suggested that the source of electrons in the burst is a substance(s) accumulated within the Anabaena cells during the light period as a result of inactivation of an enzyme involved in the metabolism of producing output current in the dark.

Nucleotide sequence of the barley chloroplast psbA gene for the QB protein of photosystem II.

Nucleotide sequence of the barley chloroplast psbA gene for the QB protein of photosystem II.

The psbA gene of DCMU-resistant Euglena gracilis has an amino acid substitution at serine codon 265.

The psbA gene coding for the herbicide binding QB protein of photosystem II has been sequenced previously (Karabin et al. 1984). A herbicide resistant mutant of Euglena, Euglena gracilis ZR, was studied by sequencing part of the psbA gene and its corresponding mRNA. Sequencing reactions were done by annealing a psbA specific, end-labeled DNA-oligomer to total chloroplast DNA or RNA and extending this primer with reverse transcriptase in the presence of the four dideoxynucleotides. An amino acid substitution from serine to alanine at position 265 was detected. All known herbicide resistant higher plants sequenced to date and the Chlamydomonas mutant DCMU-4 show a change at exactly this same position, but the substitution in higher plants is from serine to glycine.

Correlation between thylakoid protein phosphorylation and molecular organization of the photosynthetic apparatus in a dynamic system

In-vitro thylakoid protein phosphorylation has been studied in synchronized cells of Scenedesmus obliquus at the 8- and 16-h of the life cycle, stages which are characterized by the maximum and minimum photosynthetic activities, respectively. The stage of maximum photosynthetic activity (8-h) is characterized by the highest protein phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo, by the largest proportion of the heavy subfraction of thylakoids, and by maximum oligomerization of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex, altogether creating the highest energy charge of the thylakoid membranes. Protein phosphorylation in vitro decreases the amount of the heavy subfraction and increases the amount of oligomerization of the antenna of photosystem I (PSI) (increase of chlorophyll b in the light fraction). Concomittantly, PSII units become smaller (longer time for the rise in fluorescence induction) and photosynthetic efficiency increases (decrease of fluorescence yield). In-vivo protein phosphorylation is controlled mainly endogenously during the 8-h of the life cycle but is exogenously modulated by light to optimize the photosynthetic activity by redistribution of pigment-protein complexes. In-vitro protein phosphorylation seems to restore partially the conditions prevalent in vivo and lost during the preparation of membranes. The effect is greater in 16-h cells which have less-stable membranes. The regulatory mechanism between membrane stabilization and oligomerization on the one hand and redistribution of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex from PSII to PSI on the other hand remains unexplained. We have confirmed that the mechanism of protein phosphorylation is regulated via plastohydroquinone, but experiments with the plastohydroquinone analogue 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-p-benzoquinone demonstrated that plastohydroquinone is not solely responsible for the differences in protein phosphorylation of 8- and 16-h thylakoids. The inhibitory effect of ADP and the distinct rates of kinase reaction indicate that the adenylate energy charge and changes in the organization of the photosynthetic apparatus also contribute to the observed differences in protein phosphorylation. Phosphorylation in the presence of 3-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea indicated that the 32-kDa phosphoprotein and the herbicide-binding QB protein may be the same. These experiments also indicated that 3-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea-binding reduces kinase activity directly and not only by inhibiting electron transport.

Structure of the chloroplast psbA gene encoding the QB protein from Oryza sativa L.

AbstractThe light‐regulated chloroplast psbA gene encoding the QB protein has been cloned from rice (Oryza sativa L.), and the nucleotide sequence has been determined. Comparison of nucleotide sequences and derived amino acid sequences between species indicates a high degree of conservation of the primary structure. Comparison of promoter regions from the light‐inducible chloroplast psbA, rbcL, and psaA genes indicates conservation of the prokaryotic‐like promoter elements in all three genes and of a —21 box common only to psbA and rbcL promoter regions. No other putative regulatory signals were found based on nucleotide sequences.

Expression of a family of psbA genes encoding a photosystem II polypeptide in the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans R2.

The genome of the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans R2 contains three genes (psbA) for the QB protein of photosystem II. This protein is essential for oxygenic photosynthetic electron tansport, and is the target for several herbicides which act by binding directly to the photosynthetic apparatus. Transcripts from the three Anacystis psbA genes are present in wild-type cells at different steady-state levels. The nucleotide sequences of two of the genes, psbAII and psbAIII, predict a protein having the same amino acid sequence which differs from that of the psbAI gene by 25 (out of 360) residues. Inactivation of each of the psbA genes in the Anacystis chromosome, singly or in pairs, shows that each of the genes is capable of producing sufficient functional QB protein to support normal photoautotrophic growth.

Transient inactivation of the thylakoid photosystem II light-harvesting protein kinase system and concomitant changes in intramembrane particle size during photoinhibition of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Light-dependent reduction of the plastoquinone pool regulates the activity of the thylakoid-bound protein kinase which phosphorylates the light harvesting chlorophyll a,b-protein complex (LHC II) and regulates energy distribution between photosystems II (PS II) and I (Staehelin, L. A., and C. J. Arntzen, 1983, J. Cell Biol., 97:1327-1337). Since reduction of plastoquinone by PS II is abolished in photoinhibited thylakoids due to loss of the secondary electron acceptor QB protein (Kyle, D. J., I. Ohad, and C. J. Arntzen, 1984, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 81:4070-4074), it was of interest to examine the activity of the LHC II protein kinase system during photoinhibition and recovery of PS II activity. The kinase activity was assessed both in vivo and in vitro in Chlamydomonas cells exposed to high light intensity (photoinhibition) and recovery at low light intensity. The kinase activity was progressively reduced during photoinhibition and became undetectable after 90 min. The inactive LHC II-kinase system could not be reactivated in vitro either by light or by reduction of the plastoquinone pool following addition of reduced duroquinone (TMQH2). The LHC II polypeptides were dephosphorylated in vivo when cells, prelabeled with [32P]orthophosphate before exposure to high light intensity, were transferred to photoinhibiting light in the presence of [32P]orthophosphate. In vivo recovery of the LHC II-kinase activity, elicited by the addition of TMQH2 to the assay system, did not require restoration of QB-dependent electron flow or de novo protein synthesis, either in the cytoplasm or in the chloroplast. Mild sonication of thylakoids isolated from photoinhibited cells restored the ability of the LHC II protein kinase system to be activated in vitro by addition to TMQH2. Restoration of the light-activated LHC-II kinase required recovery of QB-dependent electron flow. At the structural level, photoinhibition did not affect the ratio of grana/stroma thylakoids. A reduction of approximately 20% of the 11-17-nm intramembrane particles and an equivalent increase in the number of 6-10.5-nm particles was observed on the E-fracture faces of stacked thylakoid membranes. Similar but smaller changes were observed also on the E-fracture faces of unstacked thylakoid membranes (more 10-14-nm and less 6-9-nm particles) and P-fracture faces of stacked thylakoid membranes (more 6-8- and less 9.5-13-nm particles). All these structural changes were reversed to normal values during recovery of PS II activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Molecular biology of herbicides

AbstractOne of the most dynamic areas of plant molecular biology is the investigation of the actions of three classes of herbicides: s‐triazines (atrazine, simazine), glyphosate, and sulfonylureas (chlorsulfuron, sulfometuron methyl) (Figure 1). The results of this work are expected to provide the first significant applications of plant biotechnology: directly, in the genetic engineering of crop plants resistant to specific herbicides and, indirectly, in providing a molecular basis for the rational design of new herbicides for specific biological targets.s‐Triazines affect photosynthesis by inhibiting the binding of quinones to the chloroplast membrane QB protein. An s‐triazine resistant QB protein isolated from weeds in fields consistently treated with the herbicide has a serine in place of a glycine in this highly conserved protein. Glyphosate inhibits 5‐enolpyruvyl‐shikimate‐3‐phosphate synthase (EPSP synthase), an enzyme in the aromatic amino acid biosynthetic pathway. Mutagenized bacteria produce a resistant EPSP synthase with a substitution of serine for proline. Sulfonylureas inhibit the acetolactate synthase (ALS) of bacteria, yeast, and higher plants; this enzyme catalyzes the first step in the synthesis of branched chain amino acids. Resistant ALS has been found in bacteria, yeast and tobacco with a proline substituted by serine in yeast ALS. These findings provide a strong basis for developing projected plant biotechnology applications.

Membrane protein damage and repair: removal and replacement of inactivated 32-kilodalton polypeptides in chloroplast membranes.

Incubation of Chlamydomonas reinhardii cells at light levels that are several times more intense than those at which the cells were grown results in a loss of photosystem II function (termed photoinhibition). The loss of activity corresponded to the disappearance from the chloroplast membranes of a lysine-deficient, herbicide-binding protein of 32,000 daltons which is thought to be the apoprotein of the secondary quinone electron acceptor of photosystem II (the QB protein). In vivo recovery from the damage only occurred following de novo synthesis (replacement) of the chloroplast-encoded QB protein. We believe that the turnover of this protein is a normal consequence of its enzymatic function in vivo and is a physiological process that is necessary to maintain the photosynthetic integrity of the thylakoid membrane. Photoinhibition occurs when the rate of inactivation and subsequent removal exceeds the rate of resynthesis of the QB protein.

In vitro expression and characterization of the translation start site of the psbA gene product (QB protein) from higher plants.

The psbA gene from higher plants, which codes for the atrazine herbicide binding protein of photosystem II (QB protein), has been recently sequenced by various laboratories. From these data there are two potential translation sites, one yielding a protein of 38,500 kd and another a protein of 34,500 kd. In the present study, cloned psbA gene sequences from maize, tobacco, and pea have been expressed in a highly defined E. coli in vitro transcription/translation system. In order to determine the start site of translation, we also have employed a simplified E. coli system designed to synthesize the first di- or tripeptide of the gene product. From these results, it is clear that the first ATG of the longest open reading frame of the psbA gene, that begins fMet-Thr, is not recognized in vitro. Instead, the next downstream Met at position 37 is the initiation site, since the expected dipeptide fMet-Ile is synthesized from all psbA clones. These data are in accord with the in vivo results that the gene product is a precursor protein of 34,500 kd.