Chromoplasts ultrastructure and estimated carotene content in root secondary phloem of different carrot varieties

There have been few studies on quantifying carotenoid accumulation in carrots, and none have taken the comparative approach. The abundance and distribution of carotenes in carrot roots of three varieties, white, orange, and high carotene mass (HCM) were compared using light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Light microscopy has indicated that, in all three varieties, carotenes were most abundant in the secondary phloem and this area was selected for further TEM analysis. While carotenes were extracted during the fixation process for TEM, the high-pressure freezing technique we employed preserved the spaces (CS) left behind by the extracted carotene crystals. Chromoplasts from the HCM variety contained significantly (P < 0.05) more CS than chromoplasts from the orange variety. Chromoplasts from the white variety had few or no CS. There was no significant difference between the HCM and orange varieties in the number of chromoplasts per unit area, but the white variety had significantly (P < 0.05) fewer chromoplasts than the other two varieties. A large number of starch-filled amyloplasts was observed in secondary phloem of the white variety but these were not found in the other two varieties. The results from this comparative approach clearly define the subcellular localization of carotenoids in carrot roots and suggest that while the HCM genotype was selectively bred for increased carotene content, this selection did not lead to increased numbers of carotene-containing chromoplasts but rather greater accumulation of carotene per chromoplast. Furthermore, the results confirm that roots of the white carrot variety retain residual amounts of carotene.     

Ultrastructure and Carotenoid Composition of Chromoplasts of the Sepals of Strelitzia reginae Aiton during Floral Development

Ontogenetic development of chromoplasts from the coloured outerperianth segments of the flower of Strelitzia reginae was examinedwith an electron microscope. The plastids evolved through fivestages, namely, colourless leucoplasts, chloroplasts, pale yellow,deep yellow and orange chromoplasts. The relationship betweenplastid ultrastructure and carotenoid composition is discussed.The development of fibrils from osmiophilic globules is shownto occur in chromoplasts which contained only small amountsof chlorophyll at an early stage of development. Regular lattices of globular subunits were found which showeda hexagonal or rhomboidal pattern and which are probably proteinin nature. The sudden disappearance of these crystals just beforefibrils form, and the complete absence of starch from all stagesof plastid development, suggests that these crystals are a formof energy storage.     

Chromoplast structures inThunbergia flowers

Summary The differentiation of tubulous chromoplasts in developing flowers ofThunbergia alata was studied by ultrastructural, pigment and protein analyses. The way of chromoplast formation in the mesophyll differed from that in the adaxial epidermis. While, in mesophyll cells, the chloroplasts were directly transformed into chromoplasts of the tubulous type, characteristic membranes and the tubular reticulum appeared in the adaxial epidermal cells, before the formation of tubules. The disappearance of the photosynthetic apparatus, the formation of membranous structures and the appearance of tubules were studied. The tubulous chromoplasts contained a 32 kDa protein, an unidentified carotene, and small quantities of lutein and -carotene.Abbreviations DAB diaminobenzidine - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Eberhard Schnepf on the occasion of his retirement     

CHROMOPLASTS OF TOMATO FRUITS. I. ULTRASTRUCTURE OF LOW-PIGMENT AND HIGH-BETA MUTANTS. CAROTENE ANALYSES

Three pigment lines of the tomato cultivar ‘Pearson’ with isogenic backgrounds were studied to determine the relationship between certain carotenoids and the development of chromoplasts during fruit ripening. The lines were normal red (r⁺/r⁺), in which about 90% of the carotenoids in the ripe fruit is lycopene; high-beta (B/B) mutant, in which beta-carotene is the major pigment and the mature fruit color is deep orange ; and low-pigment (r/r) mutant, in which carotenoids are drastically reduced and the mature fruit is pale yellow-orange. This paper reports pigment analyses for the three lines and the ultrastructural changes in plastids of the two mutant lines. Very young, pale green fruits contain proplastids with limited lamellar structure. As the fruits reach the mature green stage, the plastids in all three lines develop into typical chloroplasts. Differences in pigment content and in ultrastructure among the lines are not apparent until ripening commences. In the low-pigment mutant carotenoids are reduced as ripening progresses and no carotenoid crystalloids are formed. As chlorophyll decreases the fruits become pale yellow. The grana become disorganized and the thylakoids appear to separate at the partitions and tend to be arrayed in lines, some still with their ends overlapping. Globules increase slightly in number. In the high-beta mutant the grana break down during ripening and globules increase greatly in size and number. Beta-carotene, presumed to be largely in the globules, crystallizes into elongated or druse type forms which may distort the globules. The crystals may affect the shape of the chromoplasts; long crystals may extend the length of the plastid to over 15 μ. Thylakoid plexes with a regular lattice structure sometimes occur in the chromoplasts of the high-beta mutant. Granules resembling aggregations of phytoferritin particles occur in the chromoplasts of both of these mutants.     

Light-induced postharvest regreening of pummelo fruit*

Regreening was observed and measured in harvested pummelo fruit stored in the light. At temperatures of 22 - 28°C, regular daylight was sufficient for regreening to occur. The addition of continuous fluorescent light intensified the process. Pre-stored fruit held in darkness at 11°C and non-stored fruit responded to both light conditions in a similar manner. Electron microscopy has shown that globular chromoplasts revert to chloroplasts during regreening. The similarities between regreening processes in preharvest and postharvest fruits are discussed.     

Electron microscopic evidence for the reversible transformation ofEuonymus plastids

Contradictory concepts on whether the differentiation of plastids is monotropically directed or reversibly transformable with one another have been argued for a long time. In the present report, the evidence to support the latter concept, i.e. the reversible transformation, will be presented. The seasonal yellowing and regreening ofEuonymus leaves were observed by means of electron microscopic study. In the yellowing of chloroplasts during winter, plastoglobules appeared in the plastid stroma and increased in number according to the disintegration of lamellae; then the degenerated chloroplasts (chromoplasts) were filled up with these plastoglobules. In the next spring, however, regreening of the yellowed leaves took place; the lamellae were regenerated in the chromoplasts to again restore the normal chloroplast structure. Infolding of the inner membrane was never observed in these regreening plastids. The number of plastoglobules in the plastids decreased as the lamellae regenerated, and the chlorophyll content increased. These observations suggest that the plastoglobules in chromoplasts (plastids in yellowed leaves) are made of material of the disintegrating lamellae and are re-used as the source of supply for the reformation of lamellae in the spring reversal.     

Reversal of chromoplasts to chloroplasts inBuxus leaves

The ultrastructural changes in plastids ofBuxus sempervirens L. leaves were observed during their seasonal yellowing and regreening. The disintegration of chloroplasts into globular type chromoplasts in yellowing leaves and their direct restoration to functional chloroplasts again in regreening leaves were followed. The results presented an example of recent information indicating the essential sense of the reversible reciprocation of plastid transformation.     

The development and ultrastructure of lycopene bodies in chromoplasts ofLycopersicum esculentum

Summary Lycopene bodies are developed in tomato chromoplasts at temperatures permitting synthesis of lycopene. Their appearance seems to be in correlation with the formation of special rigid membranes. These membranes were not observed in chromoplasts of tomatoes ripened at 32 C, a temperature under which no lycopene is synthesized. Electron diffraction patterns of isolated lycopene bodies showed that the bulk of such a body is a lycopene crystal.Similarities between lycopene bodies of the tomato fruits and carotene bodies of carrot roots lead to the conclusion that classification of chromoplasts into distinct categories is valid only for certain stages of the chromoplast life cycle.     

Study of amino acid composition and biosynthesis of protein components of the membrane system of corn plastids during biogenesis of chloroplasts]

The biosynthesis of membrane proteins in maize plastids at different stages of differentiation of the chloroplast lamellar system was studied. Prolamellar and lamellar system preparations were isolated from maize plastids, disintegrated by osmotic shock under hypotonic conditions. Changes in the amino acid composition of 14C membrane proteins were observed at all stages of chloroplast ultrastructure formation. The maximal level of the apolar amino acids was observed in the membrane fraction of chloroplasts. Washed membranes from maize proplastids and chloroplasts can be resolved into at least 14 protein bands on formic acid--urea polyacrylamide gel. It is pointed out that biogenesis process leads to the increase of lipophylic protein content in the chloroplast lamellae fraction.     

Characterisation and changes in the antioxidant system of chloroplasts and chromoplasts isolated from green and mature pepper fruits

Purification and characterisation of pepper ( Capsicum annuum L) chloroplasts and chromoplasts isolated from commercial green, red and yellow mature fruits were undertaken. Induction of the synthesis of several antioxidants in organelles isolated from mature fruits was found. The ultrastructure of organelles and the presence and activity of SOD isozymes and enzymes involved in the ASC-GSH cycle, together with the non-enzymatic antioxidant content and some oxidative parameters, were analysed. It was found that lipids, rather than proteins, seem to be a target for oxidation in the chromoplasts. The ascorbate and glutathione contents were elicited during differentiation of chloroplasts into chromoplasts in both red and yellow fruits. The activity of SOD and of components of the ASC-GSH cycle was up-regulated, suggesting that these enzymes may play a role in the protection of plastids and could act as modulators of signal molecules such as O₂^˙− and H₂O₂ during fruit maturation. The presence of an Mn-SOD in chromoplasts isolated from yellow pepper fruits was also investigated in terms of structural and antioxidant differences between the two cultivars.     

Chromoplast Biogenesis in Cucumis sativus Corollas (Rapid Effect of Gibberellin A3 on the Accumulation of a Chromoplast-Specific Carotenoid-Associated Protein)

The development of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) corollas is accompanied by the accumulation of chromoplasts. In mature corollas, chromoplasts, but no chloroplasts, were detected by electron microscopy. Chlorophyll was also undetectable in corollas at anthesis. The contents of carotenoids and a carotenoid-associated, chromoplast-specific, 35-kD protein in corollas increased in parallel with flower development, peaking concomitantly at anthesis. The involvement of phytohormones and light in the regulation of their expression was studied. When gibberellin A3 (GA3) was added to an in vitro bud culture system, accumulation of both carotenoids and the 35-kD protein was markedly enhanced. The specific up-regulation of the 35-kD protein was very rapid: after only 2 h of culture, increased levels were detected in GA3-treated versus untreated corollas. During this period, corolla fresh weight and total protein and carotenoid contents remained unchanged. Inclusion of abscisic acid in the culture medium counteracted the effect of GA3. Accumulation of the 35-kD protein was also enhanced when flower buds on plants were sprayed with GA3 or etiolated.     

Chloroplast to chromoplast transition in tomato fruit: spectral confocal microscopy analyses of carotenoids and chlorophylls in isolated plastids and time-lapse recording on intact live tissue

Background and Aims

There are several studies suggesting that tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) chromoplasts arise from chloroplasts, but there is still no report showing the fluorescence of both chlorophylls and carotenoids in an intermediate plastid, and no video showing this transition phase.

Methods

Pigment fluorescence within individual plastids, isolated from tomato fruit using sucrose gradients, was observed at different ripening stages, and an in situ real-time recording of pigment fluorescence was performed on live tomato fruit slices.

Key results

At the mature green and red stages, homogenous fractions of chloroplasts and chromoplasts were obtained, respectively. At the breaker stage, spectral confocal microscopy showed that intermediate plastids contained both chlorophylls and carotenoids. Furthermore, an in situ real-time recording (a) showed that the chloroplast to chromoplast transition was synchronous for all plastids of a single cell; and (b) confirmed that all chromoplasts derived from pre-existing chloroplasts.

Conclusions

These results give details of the early steps of tomato chromoplast biogenesis from chloroplasts, with the formation of intermediate plastids containing both carotenoids and chlorophylls. They provide information at the sub-cellular level on the synchronism of plastid transition and pigment changes.     

The suffulta mutation in tomato reveals a novel method of plastid replication during fruit ripening

Mutant alleles at the suffulta locus of tomato dramatically affect the pattern of plastid division throughout the plant, resulting in few, greatly enlarged chloroplasts in leaf and stem cells. suffulta plants are compromised in growth and have distinctly pale stems. The green developing tomato fruit are generally paler compared with the wild type, but ripe red fruit are much more similar in colour and pigment content. By using plastid-targeted green fluorescent protein, the underlying plastid phenotypes in the ripening suffulta fruit reveal that enlarged chlorophyll-containing chloroplasts degenerate and give rise to a wild type-like population of chromoplasts in ripe fruit by a process of plastid budding and fragmentation, resulting in a heterogeneous population of plastid-derived structures which eventually become chromoplasts. In stomatal guard cells, plastid-derived structures lacking chlorophyll, but containing GFP, are also observed, especially in guard cells which completely lack normal chloroplasts. How this novel 'replication' process in suffulta relates to conventional plastid division and stromule formation is discussed.     

Protein profiling of plastoglobules in chloroplasts and chromoplasts. A surprising site for differential accumulation of metabolic enzymes

Plastoglobules (PGs) are oval or tubular lipid-rich structures present in all plastid types, but their specific functions are unclear. PGs contain quinones, alpha-tocopherol, and lipids and, in chromoplasts, carotenoids as well. It is not known whether PGs contain any enzymes or regulatory proteins. Here, we determined the proteome of PGs from chloroplasts of stressed and unstressed leaves of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) as well as from pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit chromoplasts using mass spectrometry. Together, this showed that the proteome of chloroplast PGs consists of seven fibrillins, providing a protein coat and preventing coalescence of the PGs, and an additional 25 proteins likely involved in metabolism of isoprenoid-derived molecules (quinines and tocochromanols), lipids, and carotenoid cleavage. Four unknown ABC1 kinases were identified, possibly involved in regulation of quinone monooxygenases. Most proteins have not been observed earlier but have predicted N-terminal chloroplast transit peptides and lack transmembrane domains, consistent with localization in the PG lipid monolayer particles. Quantitative differences in PG composition in response to high light stress and degreening were determined by differential stable-isotope labeling using formaldehyde. More than 20 proteins were identified in the PG proteome of pepper chromoplasts, including four enzymes of carotenoid biosynthesis and several homologs of proteins observed in the chloroplast PGs. Our data strongly suggest that PGs in chloroplasts form a functional metabolic link between the inner envelope and thylakoid membranes and play a role in breakdown of carotenoids and oxidative stress defense, whereas PGs in chromoplasts are also an active site for carotenoid conversions.     

Photosynthetic and Heterotrophic Ferredoxin Isoproteins Are Colocalized in Fruit Plastids of Tomato

Fruit tissues of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) contain both photosynthetic and heterotrophic ferredoxin (FdA and FdE, respectively) isoproteins, irrespective of their photosynthetic competence, but we did not previously determine whether these proteins were colocalized in the same plastids. In isolated fruit chloroplasts and chromoplasts, both FdA and FdE were detected by immunoblotting. Colocalization of FdA and FdE in the same plastids was demonstrated using double-staining immunofluorescence microscopy. We also found that FdA and FdE were colocalized in fruit chloroplasts and chloroamyloplasts irrespective of sink status of the plastid. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that FdA and FdE were randomly distributed within the plastid stroma. To investigate the significance of the heterotrophic Fd in fruit plastids, Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity was measured in isolated fruit and leaf plastids. Fruit chloroplasts and chromoplasts showed much higher G6PDH activity than did leaf chloroplasts, suggesting that high G6PDH activity is linked with FdE to maintain nonphotosynthetic production of reducing power. This result suggested that, despite their morphological resemblance, fruit chloroplasts are functionally different from their leaf counterparts.     

Studies on the Conversion of Chloroplast to Chromoplast During Fruit Ripening in Solanum pseudo-capsicum var. diflorum

Determination of chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in the ectocarp during fruit ripening in Solanum pseudo-capsicum var. diflorurn (Veil.) Bitter revealed that the changes of fruit colour coincided with the decline of chlorophyll and the increase of carotenoid contents. The conversion of chloroplasts to chromoplasts in the fruit was studied by electron microscopy. The early green fruit was characterized by chloroplasts with a typical grana-intergranal thylakoid structure. At yellow-green fruit stage the thylakoid system was disintegrated and replaced by few non-chlorophyllous single thylakoids, with accumulation of large osmiophilic plastoglobules. The plastids developed as the so-called proplastids. These indicated dedifferentiation of chloroplasts in a ripening fruit. When the fruit reached its yellow stage, numerous large plastoglobules contained in the young chromoplasts frequently showed transitional changes to plastid tubule structure. At first, the center of plastoglobules became semi-translucent. It was believed that the young chromoplast were in an initial state of carotenoid deposition, followed by plastoglobules elongation and tubule protrution from the globules. These tubules were surrounded with an electron dense membranous sheath leaving the core semi-translucent. Concurrently a series of vesicles in different developmental stages appeared from the stroma of the plastid, likely representing a process of formation of numerous small new plastoglobules. In the chromoplasts of a ripe orange-or orange red-colored fruit only numerous tubules and small plastoglobules were present. The plastid tubules increased in number and elongated in length filling the mature chromoplast. Numerous small plastoglobules also increased and distributed in the spaces between tubules. These results indicated that the reconstruction of a mature chromoplast from a dedifferentiated plastid was really a form of redifferentiation, and it might be concluded that the conversion of chloroplast to chromoplast in the fruit of S. pseudo-capsicum var. diflorum, in fact, was a processes of dedifferentiation and redifferentiation.