Light-harvesting mutants show differential gene expression upon shift to high light as a consequence of photosynthetic redox and reactive oxygen species metabolism

The amount of light energy that is harvested and directed to the photosynthetic machinery is regulated in order to control the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in leaf tissues. ROS have important roles as signalling factors that instigate and mediate a range of cellular responses, suggesting that the mechanisms regulating light-harvesting and photosynthetic energy transduction also affect cell signalling. In this study, we exposed wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis and mutants impaired in the regulation of photosynthetic light-harvesting (stn7, tap38 and npq4) to transient high light (HL) stress in order to study the role of these mechanisms for up- and downregulation of gene expression under HL stress. The mutants, all of which have disturbed regulation of excitation energy transfer and distribution, responded to transient HL treatment with surprising similarity to the WT in terms of general ‘abiotic stress-regulated’ genes associated with hydrogen peroxide and 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid signalling. However, we identified distinct expression profiles in each genotype with respect to induction of singlet oxygen and jasmonic acid-dependent responses. The results of this study suggest that the control of excitation energy transfer interacts with hormonal regulation. Furthermore, the photosynthetic pigment–protein complexes appear to operate as receptors that sense the energetic balance between the photosynthetic light reactions and downstream metabolism.     

Combining citizen science, bioclimatic envelope models and observed habitat preferences to determine the distribution of an inconspicuous, recently detected introduced bee (Halictus smaragdulus Vachal Hymenoptera: Halictidae) in Australia

Introduced bees may compete with native fauna, spread parasites or pathogens to commercial bee hives, or increase the fecundity of introduced weeds. Therefore, the recent detection of Halictus smaragdulus, native to the western Palaearctic, in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales (NSW, Australia) is cause for concern. However, it is currently difficult to justify control measures, as there is little known on its ecology, impacts and distribution. Determining the current distribution is fundamental to managing introduced species, yet this is difficult with inconspicuous species such as H. smaragdulus, especially as recent introductions are often found in low densities. We demonstrated how a combination of approaches could be used to improve the identification of occupied locations in NSW, including bioclimatic envelope models, proximity to known populations, and observed habitat preferences. Members of the public were also trained to collect specimens and improve overall survey efficiency. Bees were collected using pan traps and sweep netting. H. smaragdulus was detected at 44 new locations, extending the known distribution from ~1,250 to 46,800 km². While bioclimatic envelope models helped guide survey locations, species detectability was higher when observed habitat preferences and proximity to known populations were also considered. We also demonstrated that with training via the internet and appropriate procedures for returning specimens in the mail, members of the public could successfully collect this small and inconspicuous invertebrate, with potential applications for other similar species.     

Testing common habitat-based surrogates of invertebrate diversity in a semi-arid rangeland

Habitat-based surrogates are a low cost alternative to intensive biodiversity surveys, though they have been poorly investigated in semi-arid ecosystem compared to others such as temperate woodlands. In this study we tested potential habitat-based surrogates of invertebrate richness in a semi-arid rangeland in northwest Australia. Potential surrogates were: distance from artificial watering-point; soil hardness; habitat complexity; and individual complexity components. Generalised additive models (GAMs) were used to relate abundance and richness of selected invertebrates with environmental factors and cluster analysis was used to examine similarity in species composition. The most frequently selected factor was soil hardness, but taxa varied as to whether biodiversity was higher in soft or hard soils. Where distance from watering-point was an important predictor, there were generally higher abundances and richness closer to watering-points than further away. Abundance and species richness could be partially explained using individual complexity components, but relationships were weak and there were no consistent trends among taxa. Therefore, although habitat complexity has been correlated with species richness under some circumstances, our results cast doubt on the generality of this relationship. There are also dangers in assuming that all taxa respond in a manner similar to indicator taxa, as we observed that different taxa had higher richness at opposite extremes of some environmental gradients. Grazing may have a negative impact on biodiversity in some environments, but in regions where water is limiting, the net effect may be positive due to the creation of waterholes.     

Retention of a cell adhesion complex at the paranodal junction requires the cytoplasmic region of Caspr

An axonal complex of cell adhesion molecules consisting of Caspr and contactin has been found to be essential for the generation of the paranodal axo-glial junctions flanking the nodes of Ranvier. Here we report that although the extracellular region of Caspr was sufficient for directing it to the paranodes in transgenic mice, retention of the Caspr-contactin complex at the junction depended on the presence of an intact cytoplasmic domain of Caspr. Using immunoelectron microscopy, we found that a Caspr mutant lacking its intracellular domain was often found within the axon instead of the junctional axolemma. We further show that a short sequence in the cytoplasmic domain of Caspr mediated its binding to the cytoskeleton-associated protein 4.1B. Clustering of contactin on the cell surface induced coclustering of Caspr and immobilized protein 4.1B at the plasma membrane. Furthermore, deletion of the protein 4.1B binding site accelerated the internalization of a Caspr-contactin chimera from the cell surface. These results suggest that Caspr serves as a "transmembrane scaffold" that stabilizes the Caspr/contactin adhesion complex at the paranodal junction by connecting it to cytoskeletal components within the axon.     

PPIase activities and interaction partners of FK506-binding proteins in the wheat thylakoid

FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) and cyclophilins, collectively called immunophilins, conserve peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPIase) active sites, although many lack PPIase activity. The chloroplast thylakoid contains a large proportion of the plant immunophilin family, but their functions within this compartment are unclear. Some lumenal immunophilins are important for assembly of photosynthetic complexes, implicating them in the maintenance and turnover of the photosynthetic apparatus during acclimation processes. In this investigation into the functions of three FKBPs localized to the thylakoid of Triticum aestivum (wheat), we present the first evidence of PPIase activity in the thylakoid of a cereal plant, and also show that PPIase activity is not conserved in all lumenal FKBPs. Using yeast two-hybrid analysis we found that the PPIase-active FKBP13 interacts with the globular domain of the wheat Rieske protein, with potential impact on photosynthetic electron transfer. Specific interaction partners for PPIase-deficient FKBP16-1 and FKBP16-3 link these isoforms to photosystem assembly.     

The responses of stomata and leaf gas exchange to vapour pressure deficits and soil water content

Summary The responses of photosynthesis, transpiration and leaf conductance to changes in vapour pressure deficit were followed in well-watered plants of the herbaceous species, Helianthus annuus, Helianthus nuttallii, Pisum sativum and Vigna unguiculata, and in the woody species having either sclerophyllous leaves, Arbutus unedo, Nerium oleander and Pistacia vera, or mesomorphic leaves, Corylus avellana, Gossypium hirsutum and Prunus dulcis. When the vapour pressure deficit of the air around a single leaf in a cuvette was varied from 10 to 30 Pa kPa^-1 in 5 Pa kPa^-1 steps, while holding the remainder of the plant at a vapour presure deficit of 10 Pa kPa^-1, the leaf conductance and net photosynthetic rate of the leaf decreased in all species. The rate of transpiration increased initially with increase in vapour pressure deficit in all species, but in several species a maximum transpiration rate was observed at 20 to 25 Pa kPa^-1. Concurrent measurements of the leaf water potential by in situ psychrometry showed that an increase in the vapour pressure deficit decreased the leaf water potential in all species. The decrease was greatest in woody species, and least in herbaceous species. When the vapour pressure deficit around the remainder of the plant was increased while the leaf in the cuvette was exposed to a low and constant vapour pressure deficit, similar responses in both degree and magnitude in the rates of transpiration and leaf conductance were observed in the remainder of the plant as those occurring when the vapour pressure deficit around the single leaf was varied. Increasing the external vapour pressure deficit lowered the water potential of the leaf in the cuvette in the woody species and induced a decrease in leaf conductance in some, but not all, speies. The decrease in leaf conductance with decreasing water potential was greater in the woody species when the vapour pressure deficit was increased than when it remained low and constant, indicating that changing the leaf-to-air vapour pressure difference had a direct effect on the stomata in these species. The low hydraulic resistance and maintenance of a high leaf water potential precluded such an analysis in the herbaceous species. We conclude that at least in the woody species studied, an increase in the vapour pressure deficit around a leaf will decrease leaf gas exchange through a direct effect on the leaf epidermis and sometimes additionally through a lowering of the mesophyll water potential.