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At least 883 records · Page 49Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Mutagenesis by random cloning of an Escherichia coli kanamycin resistance gene into the genome of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803: selection of mutants defective in photosynthesis.

Photosynthetic mutants of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 were produced by a random cartridge mutagenesis method leading to gene inactivation. This procedure relies on random ligation of an Escherichia coli kanamycin resistance (Kmr) gene to restriction fragments of genomic DNA from the host. Then recombination occurring during transformation promotes integration of the marker gene into the genome of the recipient cells. Several mutants impaired in photosynthesis were obtained by this procedure. All are partially or totally defective in photosystem II activity and some of them also harbour a functionally modified photosystem I. Restriction and recombination data showed that one mutant (AK1) is best explained as an insertion of the Kmr gene into an AvaII restriction site of the gene psbD-1. All others harbour a deletion, ranging from at least 1.15 kb (AK3) to more than 50 kb (AK9), which partly or fully overlaps the genes psbB and/or psbD-1, depending on the mutant. A genetic-physical map of the more than 60 kb region of the cyanobacterial genome harbouring the genes psbB, psbC and psbD-1 was constructed by combining published sequence data on these genes with the results of recombination and restriction mapping.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1976

The incorporation of nitrogen into products of recent photosynthesis in Anabaena cylindrica Lemm.

In vivo tracer studies with 14C have been performed to help determine pathways of incorporation of newly assimilated nitrogen into N2-fixing cells of Anabaena cylindrica. After photosynthesis in Ar: O2:14CO2 for 30 min, the addition of N2 or NH+4 resulted in increased rates of 14CO2-incorporation both in the light and dark, and in increased incorporation of 14C into amino acids at the expense of sucrose and sugar phosphates. Evidence of enhanced sucrose catabolism and increased pyruvate kinase activity was obtained on adding nitrogen, and, of the 14C-labelling entering the tricarboxylic acid cycle, more appeared in citrate and 2-oxoglutarate than in malate and oxaloacetate. The kinetics of 14C-incorporation into various amino acids suggest that in the light and dark the most important route of primary ammonia assimilation involves glutamine synthetase and that glutamate, aspartate, glycine and probably alanine are formed secondarily from glutamine.

Alanine↗
PubMed1980

Effects of halogenated organic compounds on photosynthesis in estuarine phytoplankton.

Chlorine oxidants (chlorine gas, sodium hypochlorite, and calcium hypochlorite) are used as biocides to control fouling in seawater cooled power generating plants and to kill pathogens in sewage effluents entering estuarine waters. Organisms killed include algae, fungi, bacteria, barnacles, oysters, and clams. Use of these chemicals in saline waters results in the formation of halogenated by-products (JOHANNESSON 1958, DUURSAM & PARSI 1976, DOVE 1973). BEAN et al, (1978), in a study of chlorinated seawater, identified eighteen organic compounds generated by chlorination. Due to rapid substitution of bromine for chlorine, brominated rather than chlorinated by-products are formed (FARKAS et al. 1949, GALAL-GORCHEV & MORRIS 1965, MACALADY et al. )977, SUGAM & HELZ 1977). The effects of these chlorinated by-products on estuarine phytoplankton are not known. Experiments in this study examined singly the effects of fifteen commercially available compounds on photosynthesis by estuarine phytoplankton.

Hydrocarbons, Halogenated↗
PubMed2000

Degradation and de novo synthesis of D1 protein and psbA transcript levels in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii during UV-B inactivation of photosynthesis and its reactivation.

UV-B induces intensity and time dependent inhibition of photosynthetic O2 evolution and PS II electron transport activity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The D1 and D2 proteins of chloroplast membranes are rapidly and specifically degraded in the course of irradiation of cells to UV-B. Continuous synthesis of the two proteins was essential for the repair of damaged PS II as chloramphenicol accelerated UV-B inactivation of photosynthesis and prevented photoreactivation. Northern analysis revealed that UV-B also affected the expression of psbA gene coding for the D1 protein. Cells showing 72% inhibition of PS II activity, revealed a modest net loss of 25% in the level of D1 protein. This shows that synthesis of D1 protein is not the only component involved in the recovery process. Our results indicate that besides affecting the synthesis of the D1 protein UV-B may impair certain post-translational events, which in turn may limit the repair of damaged PS II.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Control of carbon partitioning and photosynthesis by the triose phosphate/phosphate translocator in transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L.). I. Comparative physiological analysis of tobacco plants with antisense repression and overexpression of the triose phosphate/phosphate translocator.

The physiological properties of transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L.) with decreased or increased transport capacities of the chloroplast triose phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT) were compared in order to investigate the extent to which the TPT controls metabolic fluxes in wild-type tobacco. For this purpose, tobacco lines with an antisense repression of the endogenous TPT (alphaTPT) and tobacco lines overexpressing the TPT gene isolated from the C4 plant Flaveria trinervia (FtTPT) were used. The F. trinervia TPT expressed in yeast cells exhibited transport characteristics identical to the TPT from C3 plants. Neither antisense TPT plants nor FtTPT overexpressors showed a phenotype when grown in a greenhouse in air. Contents of starch and soluble sugars in upper source leaves were similar in TPT underexpressors and FtTPT overexpressors compared to the wild type at the end of the photoperiod. The FtTPT overexpressors incorporated more 14CO2 in sucrose than the wild type, indicating that the TPT limits sucrose biosynthesis in the wild type. There were only small effects on labelling of amino acids and organic acids. The mobilisation of starch was enhanced in alphaTPT lines but decreased in FtTPT overexpressors compared to the wild type. Enzymes involved in starch mobilisation or utilisation, such as alpha-amylase or hexokinase were increased in alphaTPT plants and, in the case of amylases, decreased in FtTPT overexpressors. Moreover, alpha-amylase activity exhibited a pronounced diurnal variation in alphaTPT lines with a maximum activity after 8 h in the light. These changes in starch hydrolytic activities were confirmed by activity staining of native gels. Activities of glucan phosphorylases were unaffected by either a decrease or an increase in TPT activity. There were also effects of TPT activities on steady-state levels of phosphorylated intermediates as well as total amino acids and malate. In air, there was no or little effect of altered TPT transport activity on either rates of photosynthetic electron transport and/or CO2 assimilation. However, in elevated CO2 (1500 microl x l(-1)) and low O2 (2%) the rate of CO2 assimilation was decreased in the alphaTPT lines and was slightly higher in FtTPT lines. This shows that the TPT limits maximum rates of photosynthesis in the wild type.

Carbon Dioxide↗
PubMed2005

Multiple independent losses of photosynthesis and differing evolutionary rates in the genus Cryptomonas (Cryptophyceae): combined phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences of the nuclear and the nucleomorph ribosomal operons.

In this study, evidence for at least three independent losses of photosynthesis in the freshwater cryptophyte genus Cryptomonas is presented. The phylogeny of the genus was inferred by molecular phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (nuclear ITS2), partial nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA), and nucleomorph small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA, NM). Both concatenated and single data sets were used. In all data sets, the colorless Cryptomonas strains formed three different lineages, always supported by high bootstrap values (maximum parsimony, neighbor joining and maximum likelihood) and posterior probabilities (Bayesian analyses). The three leukoplast-bearing lineages displayed differing degrees of accelerated evolutionary rates in nuclear and nucleomorph rDNA. Also an increase in A + T-content in highly variable regions of the nucleomorph SSU rDNA was observed in one of the leukoplast-bearing lineages.

Base Composition↗
PubMed2006

Incorporation of different N sources and light response curves of nitrogenase and photosynthesis by cyanobacterial blooms from rice fields.

In this work, we estimate the contributions of the different sources of N incorporated by two N(2)-fixing cyanobacterial blooms (Anabaena sp. and Microchaete sp.) in the rice fields of Valencia (Spain) during the crop cycles of 1999 and 2000, and evaluate the response of nitrogenase and C assimilation activities to changing irradiances. Our results show that, far from the generally assumed idea that the largest part of the N incorporated by N(2)-fixing cyanobacterial blooms in rice fields comes from N(2) fixation, both cyanobacterial blooms incorporated about three times more N from dissolved combined compounds than from N(2) fixation (only about 33-41% of the N incorporated came from N(2) fixation). Our results on the photodependence of C and N(2) fixation indicate that in both cyanobacterial blooms, N(2) fixation showed a steeper initial slope (alpha) and was saturated with less irradiance than C fixation, suggesting that N(2) fixation was more efficient than photosynthesis under conditions of light limitation. At saturating light, N(2) fixation and C fixation differed depending on the bloom and on the environmental conditions created by rice plant growth. Carbon assimilation but not nitrogenase activity appeared photoinhibited in the Anabaena but not in the Microchaete bloom in August 1999, when the plants were tall and the canopy was important, and there was no limitation of dissolved inorganic carbon. The opposite was found in the Microchaete bloom of June 2000, when plants were small and produced little shade, and dissolved inorganic carbon was very low.

Anabaena↗
PubMed2006

Hypolithic cyanobacteria, dry limit of photosynthesis, and microbial ecology in the hyperarid Atacama Desert.

The occurrence of hypolithic cyanobacteria colonizing translucent stones was quantified along the aridity gradient in the Atacama Desert in Chile, from less arid areas to the hyperarid core where photosynthetic life and thus primary production reach their limits. As mean rainfall declines from 21 to <or=2 mm year(-1), the abundance of hypolithic cyanobacteria drops from 28 to <0.1%, molecular diversity declines threefold, and organic carbon residence times increase by three orders of magnitude. Communities contained a single Chroococcidiopsis morphospecies with heterotrophic associates, yet molecular analysis revealed that each stone supported a number of unique 16S rRNA gene-defined genotypes. A fivefold increase in steady-state residence times for organic carbon within communities in the hyperarid core (3200 years turnover time) indicates a significant decline in biological carbon cycling. Six years of microclimate data suggest that the dry limit corresponds to <or=5 mm year(-1) rainfall and/or decadal periods of no rain, with <75 h year(-1) of liquid water available to cyanobacteria under light conditions suitable for photosynthesis. In the hyperarid core, hypolithic cyanobacteria are rare and exist in small spatially isolated islands amidst a microbially depauperate bare soil. These findings suggest that photosynthetic life is extremely unlikely on the present-day surface of Mars, but may have existed in the past. If so, such microhabitats would probably be widely dispersed, difficult to detect, and millimeters away from virtually lifeless surroundings.

Biodiversity↗
PubMed2003

A single recessive mutation in the proteolytic machinery of Arabidopsis chloroplasts impairs photoprotection and photosynthesis upon cold stress.

Intracellular proteases, together with molecular chaperones, are components of the cellular protein quality control system. Although the identity of chloroplast proteases has been revealed in recent years, little is known about their regulation. As a first step towards identifying unknown functional or regulatory components of the chloroplast proteolytic machinery, a genetic screen was devised with the aim of generating Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. mutants impaired in chloroplast protein degradation. A streptomycin-resistance gene was fused to a cDNA construct that encodes an unstable mutant of the OE33 protein. This chimeric gene was used for transforming Arabidopsis plants. Analysis of transgenic plants revealed a correlation between streptomycin resistance and accumulation of the recombinant fusion protein. Seeds from transgenic plants that were sensitive to streptomycin were chemically mutagenized and screened for resistance to streptomycin. Such resistance could be due to stabilization of the protein caused by a mutation in the chloroplast proteolytic machinery. Genetic analysis of one of the mutants showed the mutation to be recessive, in a single nuclear gene. Further characterization of the mutant revealed that it was not a result of increased transcription of the transgene. Moreover, chloroplast lysates from the mutant plant showed decreased ATP-dependent degradation of a chloroplast protein substrate, consistent with the conclusion that the mutation impaired the proteolytic machinery. Physiological analysis revealed that upon cold stress, photoprotection and photosynthesis in the mutant was inhibited, suggesting that the chloroplast proteolytic machinery is involved in repairing damage incurred to the photosynthetic machinery upon exposure to cold temperatures.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed2006

Combined effects of water stress and high temperature on photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism and lipid peroxidation of a perennial grass Leymus chinensis.

Drought and high-temperature stresses have been extensively studied; however, little is known about their combined impact on plants. In the present study, we determined the photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, nitrogen level, and lipid peroxidation of the leaves of a perennial grass (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.) subjected to three constant temperatures (23, 29 and 32 degrees C), and five soil-moisture levels (75-80%, 60-65%, 50-55%, 35-40% and 25-30% of field capacity, respectively). High temperature significantly decreased plant biomass, leaf green area, leaf water potential, photosynthetic rate (A), maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry (F (v)/F (m)), actual PSII efficiency (Phi(PSII)), the activities of nitrate reductase (NR; EC 1.6.6.1) and glutamine synthetase (GS; EC 6.3.1.2), but markedly increased the ratio of leaf area to leaf weight (SLA), endopeptidase (EP; EC 3.4.24.11) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, especially under severe water stress conditions. The A and F (v)/F (m) were significantly and positively correlated with leaf-soluble protein content, and the activities of NR and GS. However, both photosynthesis parameters were significantly and negatively correlated with EP activity and MDA content (P < 0.05). It is suggested that high temperature, combined with severe soil drought, might reduce the function of PSII, weaken nitrogen anabolism, strengthen protein catabolism, and provoke lipid peroxidation. The results also indicate that severe water stress might exacerbate the adverse effects of high temperature, and their combination might reduce the plant productivity and distribution range of L. chinensis in the future.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2006

CHRD, a plant member of the evolutionarily conserved YjgF family, influences photosynthesis and chromoplastogenesis.

Studies on the carotenoid-overaccumulating structures in chromoplasts have led to the characterization of proteins termed plastid lipid-associated proteins (PAPs), involved in the sequestration of hydrophobic compounds. Here we characterize the PAP CHRD, which, based on sequence homology, belongs to a highly conserved group of proteins, YER057c/YjgF/UK114, involved in the regulation of basic and vital cellular processes in bacteria, yeast and animals. Two nuclear genes were characterized in tomato plants: one (LeChrDc) is constitutively expressed in various tissues and the other (LeChrDi) is induced by stress in leaves and is upregulated by developmental cues in floral tissues. Using RNAi and antisense approaches, we show their involvement in biologically significant processes such as photosynthesis. The quantum yield of photosynthetic electron flow in transgenic tomato leaves with suppressed LeChrDi/c expression was 30-50% of their control, non-transgenic counterparts and was ascribed to lower PSI activity. Transgenic flowers with suppressed LeChrDi/c also accumulated up to 30% less carotenoids per unit protein as compared to control plants, indicating an interrelationship between PAPs and floral-specific carotenoid accumulation in chromoplasts. We suggest that CHRD's role in the angiosperm reproductive unit may be a rather recent evolutionary development; its original function may have been to protect the plant under stress conditions by preserving plastid functionality.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2007

Expression of a modified ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase large subunit in wheat seeds stimulates photosynthesis and carbon metabolism.

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGP) is the rate-limiting step in seed starch biosynthesis. Expression of an altered maize AGP large subunit (Sh2r6hs) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) results in increased AGP activity in developing seed endosperm and seed yield. The yield phenotype involves increases in both seed number and total plant biomass. Here we describe stimulation of photosynthesis by the seed-specific Sh2r6hs transgene. Photosynthetic rates were increased in Sh2r6hs-expressing plants under high light but not low light growth conditions, peaking at roughly 7 days after flowering (DAF). In addition, there were significant increases in levels of fructose, glucose, and sucrose in flag leaves at both 7 and 14 DAF. In seeds, levels of carbon metabolites at 7 and 14 DAF were relatively unchanged but increases in glucose, ADP-glucose, and UDP-glucose were observed in seeds from Sh2r6hs positive plants at maturity. Increased photosynthetic rates relatively early in seed development appear to be key to the Sh2r6hs enhanced yield phenotype as no yield increase or photosynthetic rate changes were found when plants were grown in a suboptimal light environment. These findings demonstrate that stimulation of biochemical events in both source and sink tissues is associated with Sh2r6hs expression.

Biomass↗
PubMed2000

Effects of ultraviolet radiation on photosynthesis and related enzyme reactions of marine macroalgae.

Changes in physiological parameters related to photosynthesis were studied in five macroalgal species from Spitsbergen (Monostroma arcticum, Laminaria solidungula, Alaria esculenta, Palmaria palmata, Phycodrys rubens) during a 72-h exposure to UV radiation. Maximal quantum yield of photochemistry (Fv/Fm) and maximal electron transport rate (ETRmax) were measured with a pulse-amplitude-modulated fluorometer; the activity of the Calvin cycle enzymes ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) were estimated using a photometric test. Proteins of crude extracts were separated by SDS gel electrophoresis and changes in cellular concentrations of Rubisco were determined. Moreover, the concentration of chlorophyll a (Ch1 a), and protein content, were measured photometrically. In all species, Ch1 a content, maximal quantum yield as well as ETRmax decreased during the UV treatment. Changes in ETRmax were related to the changes in the overall activity of Rubisco. Analysis of SDS gels showed that in P. rubens, L. solidungula, M. arcticum and A. esculenta decreasing Rubisco activity partly resulted from a degradation of the enzyme. However, in A. esculenta, the formation of a high-molecular-weight polypeptide was observed. In all species, the activity of Rubisco was more strongly impaired than that of G3PDH. Exposure to UV resulted in loss of total protein only in the deepwater species L. solidungula and P. rubens. The different sensitivities to UV exposure of the species tested reflect their zonation pattern in the field.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗
PubMed2004

Coordinated changes in photosynthesis, water relations and leaf nutritional traits of canopy trees along a precipitation gradient in lowland tropical forest.

We investigated leaf physiological traits of dominant canopy trees in four lowland Panamanian forests with contrasting mean annual precipitation (1,800, 2,300, 3,100 and 3,500 mm). There was near complete turn-over of dominant canopy tree species among sites, resulting in greater dominance of evergreen species with long-lived leaves as precipitation increased. Mean structural and physiological traits changed along this gradient as predicted by cost-benefit theories of leaf life span. Nitrogen content per unit mass (Nmass) and light- and CO2-saturated photosynthetic rates per unit mass (Pmass) of upper canopy leaves decreased with annual precipitation, and these changes were partially explained by increasing leaf thickness and decreasing specific leaf area (SLA). Comparison of 1,800 mm and 3,100 mm sites, where canopy access was available through the use of construction cranes, revealed an association among extended leaf longevity, greater structural defense, higher midday leaf water potential, and lower Pmass, Nmass, and SLA at wetter sites. Shorter leaf life spans and more enriched foliar delta15N values in drier sites suggest greater resorption and re-metabolism of leaf N in drier forest. Greater dominance of short-lived leaves with relatively high Pmass in drier sites reflects a strategy to maximize photosynthesis when water is available and to minimize water loss and respiration costs during rainless periods. Overall, our study links coordinated change in leaf functional traits that affect productivity and nutrient cycling to seasonality in lowland tropical forests.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2003

Changes in the rate of photosynthesis accompanying the yield increase in wheat cultivars released in the past 50 years.

Photosynthetic rates in different development stages were carefully investigated in 18 cultivars of winter wheat released in the period between 1945 and 1995 in the area of Beijing, China. During this period, the recorded grain yield has increased eightfold. However, when those cultivars were planted and managed in the same environment, the difference was reduced to only 36%, indicating that agronomic practices are the most important factors for grain yield. Agronomic features have changed greatly in the past 50 years, through increasing the harvest index (R2 = 0.89, P < 0.05), shortening plant height (R2 = 0.77, P < 0.05) and slightly increasing flag leaf areas (R2 = 0.45, P < 0.05), which is mostly in agreement with many other researchers. In contrast to many reports, however, this study found a genetic increase in the rate of photosynthesis per unit leaf area. From the mid-stem elongation to soft dough stages, the average photosynthetic rates at saturated photosynthetic photon flux density (P(sat)) increased by 44%. In the process, the stomatal conductance (g(s)) also increased by 122%. Grain yield was positively related to the mean values of P(sat) (R2 = 0.61, P < 0.01) and g(s) (R2 = 0.67, P < 0.01) in the six development stages. Our experiment may suggest that increase in grain yield was associated with the elevation of leaf photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance over the past 50 years.

Photosynthesis↗
PubMed2005

Contributions of Theodor Wilhelm Engelmann on phototaxis, chemotaxis, and photosynthesis.

Theodor Wilhelm Engelmann (1843-1909), who had a creative life in music, muscle physiology, and microbiology, developed a sensitive method for tracing the photosynthetic oxygen production of unicellular plants by means of bacterial aerotaxis (chemotaxis). He discovered the absorption spectrum of bacteriopurpurin (bacteriochlorophyll a) and the scotophobic response, photokinesis, and photosynthesis of purple bacteria.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2005

Glutathione, photosynthesis and the redox regulation of stress-responsive gene expression.

The ubiquitous antioxidant thiol tripeptide glutathione is present in millimolar concentrations in plant tissues and is regarded as one of the major determinants of cellular redox homeostasis. Recent research has highlighted a regulatory role for glutathione in influencing the expression of many genes important in plants' responses to both abiotic and biotic stress. Therefore, it becomes important to consider how glutathione levels and its redox state are influenced by environmental factors, how glutathione is integrated into primary metabolism and precisely how it can influence the functioning of signal transduction pathways by modulating cellular redox state. This review draws on a number of recent important observations and papers to present a unified view of how the responsiveness of glutathione to changes in photosynthesis may be one means of linking changes in nuclear gene expression to changes in the plant's external environment.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A photoacoustic method for rapid assessment of temperature effects on photosynthesis.

The photosynthetic and photoacoustic properties of leaf samples were studied using a photoacoustic system modified for precise temperature control. Data were collected over a temperature range of -10 degrees C to +60 degrees C. A distinct acoustic noise transient marked the freezing temperature of the samples. A positive absorption transient and a brief period of oxygen uptake marked the thermal denaturing temperature of the samples. Between these extremes, the effects of temperature on light absorption, oxygen evolution, and photochemical energy storage were quantified quickly and easily. Oxygen evolution could be measured as low as -5 degrees C and showed a broad temperature peak that was 10 degrees C lower under limiting light intensity than under saturating light intensity. Photochemical energy storage showed a narrower temperature peak that was only slightly lower for limiting light intensities than for saturating light intensities. In a survey of diverse plants, temperature response curves for oxygen evolution were determined readily for a variety of leaf types, including ferns and conifer needles. These results demonstrate that temperature-controlled photoacoustics can be useful for rapid assessment of temperature effects on photosynthesis and other leaf properties.

Acoustics↗