The phytochelatin synthase from Nitella mucronata (Charophyta) plays a role in the homeostatic control of iron(II)/(III)

Fontanini, Debora; Andreucci, Andrea; Castiglione, Monica Ruffini; Basile, Adriana; Sorbo, Sergio; Petraglia, Alessandro; Degola, Francesca; Bellini, Erika; Bruno, Laura; Varotto, Claudio; Toppi, Luigi Sanità di

doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2018.03.014

Cited by 23 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Decades of studies have shown that PC n are constitutively present in various plant lineages and play critical roles for detoxification/homeostasis of a wide range of heavy metals ( Degola et al , 2014 ; Kühnlenz et al , 2016 ; Fontanini et al , 2018 ). Till now, however, only the genes encoding PCS proteins in higher plant species have been isolated and functionally characterized (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancestral function of the phytochelatin synthase C-terminal domain in inhibition of heavy metal-mediated enzyme overactivation

Barbaro

Bellini

et al. 2020

Journal of Experimental Botany

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Phytochelatin synthases (PCSs) play essential roles in detoxification of a broad range of heavy metals in plants and other organisms. Until now, however, no PCS gene from liverworts, the earliest branch of land plants and possibly the first one to acquire a PCS with a C-terminal domain, has been characterized. In this study, we isolated and functionally characterized the first PCS gene from a liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha (MpPCS). MpPCS is constitutively expressed in all organs examined, with stronger expression in thallus midrib. The gene expression is repressed by Cd2+ and Zn2+. The ability of MpPCS to increase heavy metal resistance in yeast and to complement cad1-3 (the null mutant of the Arabidopsis ortholog AtPCS1) proves its function as the only PCS from M. polymorpha. Site-directed mutagenesis of the most conserved cysteines of the C-terminus of the enzyme further uncovered that two twin-cysteine motifs repress, to different extents, enzyme activation by heavy metal exposure. These results highlight an ancestral function of the PCS elusive C-terminus as a regulatory domain inhibiting enzyme overactivation by essential and non-essential heavy metals. The latter finding may be relevant for obtaining crops with decreased root to shoot mobility of cadmium, thus preventing its accumulation in the food chain.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancestral function of the phytochelatin synthase C-terminal domain in inhibition of heavy metal-mediated enzyme overactivation

Barbaro

Bellini

et al. 2020

Journal of Experimental Botany

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“…Phytochelatin synthase (PCS) is a γ-glutamylcysteine-dipeptidyl-(trans)peptidase (EC 2.3.2.15) belonging to the “Clan CA” of papain-like cysteine proteases [ 1 , 2 ]. In eukaryotes, PCSs are expressed in the vast majority of land plants [ 2 , 3 , 4 ] and algal groups [ 5 , 6 , 7 ], as well as in a number of Fungi (including lichens), Animalia, Amoebozoa, Stramenopila, Alveolata, Rhizaria, and Excavata [ 2 , 3 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Phytochelatin Synthases Differ Less in Functional Terms Than Previously Thought: A Comparative Analysis of Marchantia polymorpha and Geitlerinema sp. PCC 7407

Bellini

Varotto

Borsò

et al. 2020

Plants

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This paper reports functional studies on the enzyme phytochelatin synthase in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha and the cyanobacterium Geitlerinema sp. strain PCC 7407. In vitro activity assays in control samples (cadmium-untreated) showed that phytochelatin synthase was constitutively expressed in both organisms. In the presence of 100 µM cadmium, in both the liverwort and the cyanobacterium, the enzyme was promptly activated in vitro, and produced phytochelatins up to the oligomer PC4. Likewise, in vivo exposure to 10–36 µM cadmium for 6-120 h induced in both organisms phytochelatin synthesis up to PC4. Furthermore, the glutathione (GSH) levels in M. polymorpha were constitutively low (compared with the average content in higher plants), but increased considerably under cadmium stress. Conversely, the GSH levels in Geitlerinema sp. PCC 7407 were constitutively high, but were halved under metal treatments. At odds with former papers, our results demonstrate that, as in M. polymorpha and other plants, the cyanobacterial phytochelatin synthase exposed to cadmium possesses manifest transpeptidasic activity, being able to synthesize phytochelatins with a degree of oligomerization higher than PC2. Therefore, prokaryotic and eukaryotic phytochelatin synthases differ less in functional terms than previously thought.

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“…It is worth noting that Kuźnica pond was poor in nutrients, and enhanced water turbidity was not a result from the increased chlorophyll a content or phytoplankton biomass but iron hydroxides had a significant influence on water transparency and turbidity. The findings of Fontanini et al 39 showed that N. mucronata is perfectly suited for environments with increased iron content. The research showed that not only the light availability, but also the factors which determine the penetration of light in the water can affect the expansion of the charophyte.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A new charophyte habitat with a stabilized good ecological potential of mine water

Napiórkowska‐Krzebietke

Skrzypczak

2021

Sci Rep

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Each newly-created pond which is supplied with mine water gives the opportunity to study a unique ecosystem in context of possible conditions for biotic live. Therefore, this research aimed to assess a phytoplankton-based ecological potential against the trophic conditions and the risk of contamination with trace elements, and demonstrate the possibility to stabilize at least good water quality of a clarification pond. The gradual decrease in turbidity-related variables (including suspended solids and iron) and nutrients, on the one hand, and an increase in phytoplankton-related indicators, on the other hand, were the most evident. Besides, relative stability in trace elements (the best water quality class), trophic level (slightly eutrophic level) and ecological potential (maximum potential), and relative instability in sulfates and calcium were also recorded. The final stabilization of water habitat resulted in abundant growth of charophyte Nitella mucronata. This all suggested a new ecological opportunity for settlement of a rare species and important for biodiversity enhancement. Furthermore, the study revealed that a clarification pond did not pose any toxic risk from the elevated content of trace elements or the growth of toxic or potentially toxic cyanobacteria which is essential for proper functioning and management of water ecosystems.

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The phytochelatin synthase from Nitella mucronata (Charophyta) plays a role in the homeostatic control of iron(II)/(III)

Cited by 23 publications

References 54 publications

Ancestral function of the phytochelatin synthase C-terminal domain in inhibition of heavy metal-mediated enzyme overactivation

Ancestral function of the phytochelatin synthase C-terminal domain in inhibition of heavy metal-mediated enzyme overactivation

Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Phytochelatin Synthases Differ Less in Functional Terms Than Previously Thought: A Comparative Analysis of Marchantia polymorpha and Geitlerinema sp. PCC 7407

A new charophyte habitat with a stabilized good ecological potential of mine water

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