Chloroplast division in higher plants requires members of two functionally divergent gene families with homology to bacterial ftsZ.

The division of plastids is critical for viability in photosynthetic eukaryotes, but the mechanisms associated with this process are still poorly understood. We previously identified a nuclear gene from Arabidopsis encoding a chloroplast-localized homolog of the bacterial cell division protein FtsZ, an essential cytoskeletal component of the prokaryotic cell division apparatus. Here, we report the identification of a second nuclear-encoded FtsZ-type protein from Arabidopsis that does not contain a chloroplast targeting sequence or other obvious sorting signals and is not imported into isolated chloroplasts, which strongly suggests that it is localized in the cytosol. We further demonstrate using antisense technology that inhibiting expression of either Arabidopsis FtsZ gene (AtFtsZ1-1 or AtFtsZ2-1) in transgenic plants reduces the number of chloroplasts in mature leaf cells from 100 to one, indicating that both genes are essential for division of higher plant chloroplasts but that each plays a distinct role in the process. Analysis of currently available plant FtsZ sequences further suggests that two functionally divergent FtsZ gene families encoding differentially localized products participate in chloroplast division. Our results provide evidence that both chloroplastic and cytosolic forms of FtsZ are involved in chloroplast division in higher plants and imply that important differences exist between chloroplasts and prokaryotes with regard to the roles played by FtsZ proteins in the division process.     

Chloroplast division and morphology are differentially affected by overexpression of FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 genes in Arabidopsis

In higher plants, two nuclear gene families, FtsZ1 and FtsZ2, encode homologs of the bacterial protein FtsZ, a key component of the prokaryotic cell division machinery. We previously demonstrated that members of both gene families are essential for plastid division, but are functionally distinct. To further explore differences between FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 proteins we investigated the phenotypes of transgenic plants overexpressing AtFtsZ1-1 or AtFtsZ2-1, Arabidopsis members of the FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 families, respectively. Increasing the level of AtFtsZ1-1 protein as little as 3-fold inhibited chloroplast division. Plants with the most severe plastid division defects had 13- to 26-fold increases in AtFtsZ1-1 levels over wild type, and some of these also exhibited a novel chloroplast morphology. Quantitative immunoblotting revealed a correlation between the degree of plastid division inhibition and the extent to which the AtFtsZ1-1 protein level was elevated. In contrast, expression of an AtFtsZ2-1 sense transgene had no obvious effect on plastid division or morphology, though AtFtsZ2-1 protein levels were elevated only slightly over wild-type levels. This may indicate that AtFtsZ2-1 accumulation is more tightly regulated than that of AtFtsZ1-1. Plants expressing the AtFtsZ2-1 transgene did accumulate a form of the protein smaller than those detected in wild-type plants. AtFtsZ2-1 levels were unaffected by increased or decreased accumulation of AtFtsZ1-1 and vice versa, suggesting that the levels of these two plastid division proteins are regulated independently. Taken together, our results provide additional evidence for the functional divergence of the FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 plant gene families.     

GIANT CHLOROPLAST 1 is essential for correct plastid division in Arabidopsis

Plastids are vital plant organelles involved in many essential biological processes. Plastids are not created de novo but divide by binary fission mediated by nuclear-encoded proteins of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic origin. Although several plastid division proteins have been identified in plants, limited information exists regarding possible division control mechanisms. Here, we describe the identification of GIANT CHLOROPLAST 1 (GC1), a new nuclear-encoded protein essential for correct plastid division in Arabidopsis. GC1 is plastid-localized and is anchored to the stromal surface of the chloroplast inner envelope by a C-terminal amphipathic helix. In Arabidopsis, GC1 deficiency results in mesophyll cells harbouring one to two giant chloroplasts, whilst GC1 overexpression has no effect on division. GC1 can form homodimers but does not show any interaction with the Arabidopsis plastid division proteins AtFtsZ1-1, AtFtsZ2-1, AtMinD1, or AtMinE1. Analysis reveals that GC1-deficient giant chloroplasts contain densely packed wild-type-like thylakoid membranes and that GC1-deficient leaves exhibit lower rates of CO(2) assimilation compared to wild-type. Although GC1 shows similarity to a putative cyanobacterial SulA cell division inhibitor, our findings suggest that GC1 does not act as a plastid division inhibitor but, rather, as a positive factor at an early stage of the division process.     

Chloroplast targeting of chloroplast division FtsZ2 proteins in Arabidopsis

Plant nuclear genomes encode chloroplast division proteins homologous to the eubacterial cell division protein FtsZ. In higher plants, FtsZ genes constitute a small gene family that consists of two subgroups, FtsZ1 and FtsZ2. It was previously hypothesized that members of one family (FtsZ1) targeted chloroplasts, while members of the other family (FtsZ2) localized in the cytoplasm. We determined the full-length cDNA sequences of two FtsZ2 genes from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtFtsZ2-1 and AtFtsZ2-2) and found that the genes encode polypeptides of 478 and 473 amino acids, respectively, and both contain N-terminal extensions beyond what have previously been predicted. The N-terminal regions of both AtFtsZ2-1 and AtFtsZ2-2 were expressed as green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions under the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in bombarded tobacco cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed both fusions exclusively localized to chloroplasts, demonstrating that the N-terminal regions function as chloroplast-targeting signals in vivo. Thus, FtsZ2 proteins function within chloroplasts.     

Dynamics of the Synechococcus elongatus cytoskeletal GTPase FtsZ yields mechanistic and evolutionary insight into cyanobacterial and chloroplast FtsZs

The division of cyanobacteria and their chloroplast descendants is orchestrated by filamenting temperature-sensitive Z (FtsZ), a cytoskeletal GTPase that polymerizes into protofilaments that form a “Z ring” at the division site. The Z ring has both a scaffolding function for division-complex assembly and a GTPase-dependent contractile function that drives cell or organelle constriction. A single FtsZ performs these functions in bacteria, whereas in chloroplasts, they are performed by two copolymerizing FtsZs, called AtFtsZ2 and AtFtsZ1 in Arabidopsis thaliana, which promote protofilament stability and dynamics, respectively. To probe the differences between cyanobacterial and chloroplast FtsZs, we used light scattering to characterize the in vitro protofilament dynamics of FtsZ from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (SeFtsZ) and investigate how coassembly of AtFtsZ2 or AtFtsZ1 with SeFtsZ influences overall dynamics. SeFtsZ protofilaments assembled rapidly and began disassembling before GTP depletion, whereas AtFtsZ2 protofilaments were far more stable, persisting beyond GTP depletion. Coassembled SeFtsZ–AtFtsZ2 protofilaments began disassembling before GTP depletion, similar to SeFtsZ. In contrast, AtFtsZ1 did not alter disassembly onset when coassembled with SeFtsZ, but fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis showed it increased the turnover of SeFtsZ subunits from SeFtsZ–AtFtsZ1 protofilaments, mirroring its effect upon coassembly with AtFtsZ2. Comparisons of our findings with previous work revealed consistent differences between cyanobacterial and chloroplast FtsZ dynamics and suggest that the scaffolding and dynamics-promoting functions were partially separated during evolution of two chloroplast FtsZs from their cyanobacterial predecessor. They also suggest that chloroplasts may have evolved a mechanism distinct from that in cyanobacteria for promoting FtsZ protofilament dynamics.     

ARC3 is a stromal Z-ring accessory protein essential for plastid division

In plants, chloroplast division is an integral part of development, and these vital organelles arise by binary fission from pre-existing cytosolic plastids. Chloroplasts arose by endosymbiosis and although they have retained elements of the bacterial cell division machinery to execute plastid division, they have evolved to require two functionally distinct forms of the FtsZ protein and have lost elements of the Min machinery required for Z-ring placement. Here, we analyse the plastid division component accumulation and replication of chloroplasts 3 (ARC3) and show that ARC3 forms part of the stromal plastid division machinery. ARC3 interacts specifically with AtFtsZ1, acting as a Z-ring accessory protein and defining a unique function for this family of FtsZ proteins. ARC3 is involved in division site placement, suggesting that it might functionally replace MinC, representing an important advance in our understanding of the mechanism of chloroplast division and the evolution of the chloroplast division machinery.     

An Arabidopsis homolog of the bacterial cell division inhibitor SulA is involved in plastid division

Plastids have evolved from an endosymbiosis between a cyanobacterial symbiont and a eukaryotic host cell. Their division is mediated both by proteins of the host cell and conserved bacterial division proteins. Here, we identified a new component of the plastid division machinery, Arabidopsis thaliana SulA. Disruption of its cyanobacterial homolog (SSulA) in Synechocystis and overexpression of an AtSulA-green fluorescent protein fusion in Arabidopsis demonstrate that these genes are involved in cell and plastid division, respectively. Overexpression of AtSulA inhibits plastid division in planta but rescues plastid division defects caused by overexpression of AtFtsZ1-1 and AtFtsZ2-1, demonstrating that its role in plastid division may involve an interaction with AtFtsZ1-1 and AtFtsZ2-1.     

Plastid division is mediated by combinatorial assembly of plastid division proteins

Plastids arise by division from pre-existing organelles, and with the recent characterization of several new components of plastid division our understanding of the division process in higher plants has improved dramatically. However, it is still not known how these different protein components act together during division. Here we analyse protein-protein interactions between all known stromal plastid division proteins. Using a combination of quantitative yeast two-hybrid assays, in planta co-localization studies, fluorescence resonance energy transfer and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays we show that these proteins do not act in isolation but rather in protein complexes to govern appropriate plastid division. We have previously shown that AtMinD1 forms functional homodimers and we show here that in addition to homodimerization AtMinD1 also interacts with AtMinE1. Furthermore, AtMinE1 has the ability to homodimerize. We also demonstrate that proteins from both FtsZ families (AtFtsZ1-1 and AtFtsZ2-1) not only interact with themselves but also with each other, and we show that these interactions are not dependent on correct Z-ring formation. Further to this we demonstrate that ARC6 specifically interacts with the core domain of AtFtsZ2-1, but not with AtFtsZ1-1, providing in planta evidence for a functional difference between the two FtsZ protein families in plants. Our studies have enabled us to construct a meaningful intraplastidic protein-protein interaction map of all known stromal plastid division proteins in Arabidopsis.     

Expression of the nucleus-encoded chloroplast division genes and proteins regulated by the algal cell cycle

Chloroplasts have evolved from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont and their continuity has been maintained by chloroplast division, which is performed by the constriction of a ring-like division complex at the division site. It is believed that the synchronization of the endosymbiotic and host cell division events was a critical step in establishing a permanent endosymbiotic relationship, such as is commonly seen in existing algae. In the majority of algal species, chloroplasts divide once per specific period of the host cell division cycle. In order to understand both the regulation of the timing of chloroplast division in algal cells and how the system evolved, we examined the expression of chloroplast division genes and proteins in the cell cycle of algae containing chloroplasts of cyanobacterial primary endosymbiotic origin (glaucophyte, red, green, and streptophyte algae). The results show that the nucleus-encoded chloroplast division genes and proteins of both cyanobacterial and eukaryotic host origin are expressed specifically during the S phase, except for FtsZ in one graucophyte alga. In this glaucophyte alga, FtsZ is persistently expressed throughout the cell cycle, whereas the expression of the nucleus-encoded MinD and MinE as well as FtsZ ring formation are regulated by the phases of the cell cycle. In contrast to the nucleus-encoded division genes, it has been shown that the expression of chloroplast-encoded division genes is not regulated by the host cell cycle. The endosymbiotic gene transfer of minE and minD from the chloroplast to the nuclear genome occurred independently on multiple occasions in distinct lineages, whereas the expression of nucleus-encoded MIND and MINE is regulated by the cell cycle in all lineages examined in this study. These results suggest that the timing of chloroplast division in algal cell cycle is restricted by the cell cycle-regulated expression of some but not all of the chloroplast division genes. In addition, it is suggested that the regulation of each division-related gene was established shortly after the endosymbiotic gene transfer, and this event occurred multiple times independently in distinct genes and in distinct lineages.     

烟草NtFtsZ2-1基因参与叶绿体分裂和扩大的调节

叶绿体虽然是植物细胞内一种极其重要的细胞器,但其分裂的分子机制尚不很清楚。已经证明FtsZ蛋白作为真核细胞分裂装置的一个关键成分,参与叶绿体的分裂过程。烟草的FtsZ基因属于2个不同的家族,在对NtFtsZ1家族成员研究的基础上,用正义和反义表达技术研究了NtFtsZ2家族成员NtFtsZ2-1基因在转基因烟草中的功能。显微分析结果表明NtFtsZ2-1基因的表达水平异常增强或减弱都会严重干扰叶绿体的正常分裂过程,导致叶绿体在形态和数目上的异常（体积明显增大,数目显著减少）,而单个叶肉细胞中叶绿体的总表面积在正反义转基因烟草和野生型烟草之间保持了相对稳定,没有发生明显的变化。同时还证明NtFtsZ2-1基因表达的变化对叶绿素含量和叶绿体的光合作用能力没有直接的影响。据此我们认为NtFtsZ2-1基因参与叶绿体的分裂和体积的扩大,其表达水平的波动会改变植物中叶绿体的数目和大小,而且在叶绿体的数目与体积之间可能存在一种补偿机制,保证叶绿体能最大限度地吸收光能,从而使光合作用得以正常进行。     

The evolution of the regulatory mechanism of chloroplast division

Chloroplasts arose from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont and multiply by division, reminiscent of their free-living ancestor. However, chloroplasts can not divide by themselves, and the division is performed and controlled by proteins that are encoded by the host nucleus. The continuity of chloroplasts was originally established by synchronization of endosymbiotic cell division with host cell division, as seen in existent algae. In contrast, land plant cells contain multiple chloroplasts, the division of which is not synchronized, even in the same cell. Land plants have evolved cell and chloroplast differentiation systems in which the size and number of chloroplasts (or other types of plastids) change along with their respective cellular function by changes in the division rate. We recently reported that PLASTID DIVISION (PDV) proteins, land-plant specific components of the chloroplast division apparatus, determined the rate of chloroplast division. The level of PDV protein is regulated by the cell differentiation program based on cytokinin, and the increase or decrease of the PDV level gives rise to an increase or decrease in the chloroplast division rate. Thus, the integration of PDV proteins into the chloroplast division machinery enabled land plant cells to change chloroplast size and number in accord with the fate of cell differentiation.Key words: chloroplast division, cell cycle, cell differentiation, cytokinin, endosymbiosis, evolution     

ARC6 is a J-domain plastid division protein and an evolutionary descendant of the cyanobacterial cell division protein Ftn2

Replication of chloroplasts is essential for achieving and maintaining optimal plastid numbers in plant cells. The plastid division machinery contains components of both endosymbiotic and host cell origin, but little is known about the regulation and molecular mechanisms that govern the division process. The Arabidopsis mutant arc6 is defective in plastid division, and its leaf mesophyll cells contain only one or two grossly enlarged chloroplasts. We show here that arc6 chloroplasts also exhibit abnormal localization of the key plastid division proteins FtsZ1 and FtsZ2. Whereas in wild-type plants, the FtsZ proteins assemble into a ring at the plastid division site, chloroplasts in the arc6 mutant contain numerous short, disorganized FtsZ filament fragments. We identified the mutation in arc6 and show that the ARC6 gene encodes a chloroplast-targeted DnaJ-like protein localized to the plastid envelope membrane. An ARC6-green fluorescent protein fusion protein was localized to a ring at the center of the chloroplasts and rescued the chloroplast division defect in the arc6 mutant. The ARC6 gene product is related closely to Ftn2, a prokaryotic cell division protein unique to cyanobacteria. Based on the FtsZ filament morphology observed in the arc6 mutant and in plants that overexpress ARC6, we hypothesize that ARC6 functions in the assembly and/or stabilization of the plastid-dividing FtsZ ring. We also analyzed FtsZ localization patterns in transgenic plants in which plastid division was blocked by altered expression of the division site-determining factor AtMinD. Our results indicate that MinD and ARC6 act in opposite directions: ARC6 promotes and MinD inhibits FtsZ filament formation in the chloroplast.     

Characterization of chloroplast division using the Arabidopsis mutant arc5.

arc5 is a chloroplast division mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana. To identify the role of ARC5 in the chloroplast replication process we have followed the changes in arc5 chloroplasts during their perturbed division. ARC5 does not affect proplastid division but functions at a later stage in chloroplast development. Chloroplasts in developing mesophyll cells of arc5 leaves do not increase in number and all of the chloroplasts in mature leaf cells show a central constriction. Young arc5 chloroplasts are capable of initiating the division process but fail to complete daughter-plastid separation. Wild-type plastids increase in number to a mean of 121 after completing the division process, but in the mutant arc5 the approximately 13 plastids per cell are still centrally constricted but much enlarged. As the arc5 chloroplasts expand and elongate without dividing, the internal thylakoid membrane structure becomes flexed into an undulating ribbon. We conclude that the ARC5 gene is necessary for the completion of the last stage of chloroplast division when the narrow isthmus breaks, causing the separation of the daughter plastids.     

FtsZ ring formation at the chloroplast division site in plants

Among the events that accompanied the evolution of chloroplasts from their endosymbiotic ancestors was the host cell recruitment of the prokaryotic cell division protein FtsZ to function in chloroplast division. FtsZ, a structural homologue of tubulin, mediates cell division in bacteria by assembling into a ring at the midcell division site. In higher plants, two nuclear-encoded forms of FtsZ, FtsZ1 and FtsZ2, play essential and functionally distinct roles in chloroplast division, but whether this involves ring formation at the division site has not been determined previously. Using immunofluorescence microscopy and expression of green fluorescent protein fusion proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate here that FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 localize to coaligned rings at the chloroplast midpoint. Antibodies specific for recognition of FtsZ1 or FtsZ2 proteins in Arabidopsis also recognize related polypeptides and detect midplastid rings in pea and tobacco, suggesting that midplastid ring formation by FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 is universal among flowering plants. Perturbation in the level of either protein in transgenic plants is accompanied by plastid division defects and assembly of FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 into filaments and filament networks not observed in wild-type, suggesting that previously described FtsZ-containing cytoskeletal-like networks in chloroplasts may be artifacts of FtsZ overexpression.     

In vivo quantitative relationship between plastid division proteins FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 and identification of ARC6 and ARC3 in a native FtsZ complex

FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 are phylogenetically distinct homologues of the tubulin-like bacterial cell division protein FtsZ that play major roles in the initiation and progression of plastid division in plant cells. Both proteins are components of a mid-plastid ring, the Z-ring, which functions as a contractile ring on the stromal surface of the chloroplast IEM (inner envelope membrane). FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 have been shown to interact, but their in vivo biochemical properties are largely unknown. To gain insight into the in vivo biochemical relationship between FtsZ1 and FtsZ2, in the present study we investigated their molecular levels in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana plants and endogenous interactions in Arabidopsis and pea. Quantitative immunoblotting and morphometric analysis showed that the average total FtsZ concentration in chloroplasts of 3-week-old Arabidopsis plants is comparable with that in Escherichia coli. FtsZ levels declined as plants matured, but the molar ratio between FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 remained constant at approx. 1:2, suggesting that this stoichiometry is regulated and functionally important. Density-gradient centrifugation, native gel electrophoresis, gel filtration and co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that a portion of the FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 in Arabidopsis and pea chloroplasts is stably associated in a complex of approximately 200-245 kDa. This complex also contains the FtsZ2-interacting protein ARC6 (accumulation and replicatioin of chloroplasts 6), an IEM protein, and analysis of density-gradient fractions suggests the presence of the FtsZ1-interacting protein ARC3. Based on the mid-plastid localization of ARC6 and ARC3 and their postulated roles in promoting and inhibiting chloroplast FtsZ polymer formation respectively, we hypothesize that the FtsZ1-FtsZ2-ARC3-ARC6 complex represents an unpolymerized IEM-associated pool of FtsZ that contributes to the dynamic regulation of Z-ring assembly and remodelling at the plastid division site in vivo.     

Developmentally regulated association of plastid division protein FtsZ1 with thylakoid membranes in Arabidopsis thaliana

FtsZ is a key protein involved in bacterial and organellar division. Bacteria have only one ftsZ gene, while chlorophytes (higher plants and green alga) have two distinct FtsZ gene families, named FtsZ1 and FtsZ2. This raises the question of why chloroplasts in these organisms need distinct FtsZ proteins to divide. In order to unravel new functions associated with FtsZ proteins, we have identified and characterized an Arabidopsis thaliana FtsZ1 loss-of-function mutant. ftsZ1-knockout mutants are impeded in chloroplast division, and division is restored when FtsZ1 is expressed at a low level. FtsZ1-overexpressing plants show a drastic inhibition of chloroplast division. Chloroplast morphology is altered in ftsZ1, with chloroplasts having abnormalities in the thylakoid membrane network. Overexpression of FtsZ1 also induced defects in thylakoid organization with an increased network of twisting thylakoids and larger grana. We show that FtsZ1, in addition to being present in the stroma, is tightly associated with the thylakoid fraction. This association is developmentally regulated since FtsZ1 is found in the thylakoid fraction of young developing plant leaves but not in mature and old plant leaves. Our results suggest that plastid division protein FtsZ1 may have a function during leaf development in thylakoid organization, thus highlighting new functions for green plastid FtsZ.     

CRUMPLED LEAF (CRL) homologs of Physcomitrella patens are involved in the complete separation of dividing plastids

Plastid division is controlled by numerous nuclear genes. Arabidopsis thaliana CRUMPLED LEAF (AtCRL) is a plastid division-related gene, and the crl mutant exhibits a dwarf phenotype with abnormal cell division and a significant reduction in plastid numbers. However, the function of AtCRL is not fully understood. Here, we identified and characterized two AtCRL homologs, PpCRL1 and PpCRL2, in the moss Physcomitrella patens. PpCRL1 and PpCRL2 shared 77% amino acid identity with each other and 47% identity with AtCRL. Single PpCRL1 or -2 gene knockout (KO) mutants could not be distinguished from the wild-type mosses, but PpCRL1 and -2 double KO mutants displayed growth retardation of protonemata and gametophores and harbored approximately 10 large chloroplasts per cell. This indicates that PpCRL1 and PpCRL2 have redundant functions in chloroplast division and plant growth. Unlike the A. thaliana crl mutants, however, the PpCRL double KO mutants did not display abnormal orientation of the cell division plane. Complementation experiments showed that AtCRL partially rescued the defects in chloroplast size and number of the PpCRL double KO mutant. This suggests that PpCRL has a similar, but not identical, function to AtCRL. Time-lapse microscopic observation of the double PpCRL KO mutants revealed that some dumbbell-shaped chloroplasts failed to complete division at the late stage of plastid division; enlarged chloroplasts were thus generated. This strongly suggests that PpCRLs are involved in the complete separation of dividing chloroplasts.     

烟草质体分裂相关基因NtFtsZ1和NtFtsZ2对叶绿体分裂和形态的影响

质体作为植物细胞中一类重要的细胞器,控制其分裂的分子机制一直都不清楚。最近的研究表明,植物细胞中与原核细胞分裂基因fisZ类似的同源基因控制着质体的分裂过程。通过正反义转化分析了两个烟草的ftsZ基因（NtFtsZ1和NtFtsZ2)在转基因烟草中的功能。二的反义表达并未对转化烟草细胞中叶绿体的分裂和形态产生明显影响,但二过表达转化植株中叶绿体的数目和形态都发生了明显的变化,在某些转化植株的叶肉细胞中甚至只有1－2个巨大的叶绿体存在。对不同转化植株的电镜观察和叶绿素含量分析认为,NtFtsZs基因可能对叶绿体的正常发育和功能没有影响,叶绿体形态的变化是对其数目减少的一种补偿。正反义转化植株中叶绿体的不同表型暗示高等植物中同一家族的ftsZ基因可能在控制质体分裂方面具有相同的功能。同时,过表达植株中叶绿体形态的变化被认为是高等植物的FtsZ质体骨架功能的体现。