How do vascular plants perform photosynthesis in extreme environments? An integrative ecophysiological and biochemical story

In this work, we review the physiological and molecular mechanisms that allow vascular plants to perform photosynthesis in extreme environments, such as deserts, polar and alpine ecosystems. Specifically, we discuss the morpho/anatomical, photochemical and metabolic adaptive processes that enable a positive carbon balance in photosynthetic tissues under extreme temperatures and/or severe water‐limiting conditions in C₃ species. Nevertheless, only a few studies have described the in situ functioning of photoprotection in plants from extreme environments, given the intrinsic difficulties of fieldwork in remote places. However, they cover a substantial geographical and functional range, which allowed us to describe some general trends. In general, photoprotection relies on the same mechanisms as those operating in the remaining plant species, ranging from enhanced morphological photoprotection to increased scavenging of oxidative products such as reactive oxygen species. Much less information is available about the main physiological and biochemical drivers of photosynthesis: stomatal conductance (g_s), mesophyll conductance (g_m) and carbon fixation, mostly driven by RuBisCO carboxylation. Extreme environments shape adaptations in structures, such as cell wall and membrane composition, the concentration and activation state of Calvin–Benson cycle enzymes, and RuBisCO evolution, optimizing kinetic traits to ensure functionality. Altogether, these species display a combination of rearrangements, from the whole‐plant level to the molecular scale, to sustain a positive carbon balance in some of the most hostile environments on Earth.     

Plant–plant facilitation increases with reduced phylogenetic relatedness along an elevation gradient

Environmental conditions can modify the intensity and sign of ecological interactions. The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) predicts that facilitation becomes more important than competition under stressful conditions. To properly test this hypothesis, it is necessary to account for all (not a subset of) interactions occurring in the communities and consider that species do not interact at random but following a specific pattern. We aim to assess elevational changes in facilitation, in terms of species richness, frequency and intensity of the interaction as a function of the evolutionary relatedness between nurses and their associated species. We sampled nurse and their facilitated plant species in two 1000–2000 m. elevation gradients in Mediterranean Chile where low temperature imposes a mortality filter on seedlings. We first estimated the relative importance of facilitation as a mechanism adding new species to communities distributed along these gradients. We then tested whether the frequency and intensity of facilitation increases with elevation, taking into account the evolutionary relatedness of the nurse species and the facilitated species. We found that nurses increase the species richness of the community by up to 35%. Facilitative interactions are more frequent than competitive interactions (56% versus 44%) and facilitation intensity increased with elevation for interactions involving distantly related lineages. Our results highlight the importance of including an evolutionary dimension in the study of facilitation to have a clearer picture of the mechanisms enabling species to coexist and survive under stressful conditions. This knowledge is especially relevant to conserve vulnerable and threatened communities facing new climate scenarios, such as those located in Mediterranean-type ecosystems.     

Simulated warming does not impair seedling survival and growth of Nothofagus pumilio in the southern Andes

It has been predicted that subalpine forests will be negatively affected by global warming; however, direct responses to experimental warming have been scarcely examined in these systems. In this study we evaluated the effects of higher temperatures with and without water addition on the survival and growth of recently emerged (small) and large seedlings of the widely distributed species Nothofagus pumilio in subalpine forests of the southern Chilean Andes. We also examined the variations in seedling traits related to carbon balance in order to infer the causal mechanisms of survival and growth responses. Treatments of open top chambers (OTCs) were combined with watering in two locations with differing climates: Antillanca (40°S, humid) and Cerro Castillo (46°S, drier). OTCs increased mean and maximum air temperatures by 0.6 °C and 2–3 °C, respectively, and decreased soil humidity by 56% in Antillanca and 30% in Cerro Castillo, fulfilling methodological expectations and climate model predictions. After two complete growing seasons, the survival, relative growth rate (RGR), biomass, and a suite of seedling traits were measured and analyzed using mixed-effects models. Warming and warming in combination with watering significantly increased large seedling survival in Cerro Castillo. In Antillanca, warmer conditions increased the height, biomass, and leaf area of small seedlings, and the RGR of large seedlings. In this location, warming also caused lower leaf carbon isotopic composition in both age classes and higher specific leaf area in small seedlings, suggesting whole-plant carbon gain improvements; warming did not produce any drought effects. Our results indicate that warming produces positive effects on the seedling establishment of N. pumilio in the southern Andes, highlighting the importance of site-specific effects in response to climate change in widespread species. Site-specific effects can most likely explain the discrepancies between the results of this study and the predictions outlined by previous studies for these forests.     

Turnover of C99 is Controlled by a Crosstalk between ERAD and Ubiquitin-Independent Lysosomal Degradation in Human Neuroglioma Cells

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the buildup of amyloid-β peptides (Aβ) aggregates derived from proteolytic processing of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP). Amyloidogenic cleavage of APP by β-secretase/BACE1 generates the C-terminal fragment C99/CTFβ that can be subsequently cleaved by γ-secretase to produce Aβ. Growing evidence indicates that high levels of C99/CTFβ are determinant for AD. Although it has been postulated that γ-secretase-independent pathways must control C99/CTFβ levels, the contribution of organelles with degradative functions, such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or lysosomes, is unclear. In this report, we investigated the turnover and amyloidogenic processing of C99/CTFβ in human H4 neuroglioma cells, and found that C99/CTFβ is localized at the Golgi apparatus in contrast to APP, which is mostly found in endosomes. Conditions that localized C99/CTFβ to the ER resulted in its degradation in a proteasome-dependent manner that first required polyubiquitination, consistent with an active role of the ER associated degradation (ERAD) in this process. Furthermore, when proteasomal activity was inhibited C99/CTFβ was degraded in a chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive compartment, implicating lysosomes as alternative sites for its degradation. Our results highlight a crosstalk between degradation pathways within the ER and lysosomes to avoid protein accumulation and toxicity.     

Effect of disorder and polarization sequences on two-dimensional spectra of light-harvesting complexes

Photosynthesis Research - Two-dimensional electronic spectra (2DES) provide unique ways to track the energy transfer dynamics in light-harvesting complexes. The interpretation of the peaks and...     

Non-Random Variability in Functional Composition of Coral Reef Fish Communities along an Environmental Gradient

Changes in the coral reef complex can affect predator-prey relationships, resource availability and niche utilisation in the associated fish community, which may be reflected in decreased stability of the functional traits present in a community. This is because particular traits may be favoured by a changing environment, or by habitat degradation. Furthermore, other traits can be selected against because degradation can relax the association between fishes and benthic habitat. We characterised six important ecological traits for fish species occurring at seven sites across a disturbed coral reef archipelago in Indonesia, where reefs have been exposed to eutrophication and destructive fishing practices for decades. Functional diversity was assessed using two complementary indices (FRic and RaoQ) and correlated to important environmental factors (live coral cover and rugosity, representing local reef health, and distance from shore, representing a cross-shelf environmental gradient). Indices were examined for both a change in their mean, as well as temporal (short-term; hours) and spatial (cross-shelf) variability, to assess whether fish-habitat association became relaxed along with habitat degradation. Furthermore, variability in individual traits was examined to identify the traits that are most affected by habitat change. Increases in the general reef health indicators, live coral cover and rugosity (correlated with distance from the mainland), were associated with decreases in the variability of functional diversity and with community-level changes in the abundance of several traits (notably home range size, maximum length, microalgae, detritus and small invertebrate feeding and reproductive turnover). A decrease in coral cover increased variability of RaoQ while rugosity and distance both inversely affected variability of FRic; however, averages for these indices did not reveal patterns associated with the environment. These results suggest that increased degradation of coral reefs is associated with increased variability in fish community functional composition resulting from selective impacts on specific traits, thereby affecting the functional response of these communities to increasing perturbations.     

Ocellatin‐PT antimicrobial peptides: High‐resolution microscopy studies in antileishmania models and interactions with mimetic membrane systems

Although the mechanism of action of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is not clear, they can interact electrostatically with the cell membranes of microorganisms. New ocellatin‐PT peptides were recently isolated from the skin secretion of Leptodactylus pustulatus. The secondary structure of these AMPs and their effect on Leishmania infantum cells, and on different lipid surface models was characterized in this work. The results showed that all ocellatin‐PT peptides have an α‐helix structure and five of them (PT3, PT4, PT6 to PT8) have leishmanicidal activity; PT1 and PT2 affected the cellular morphology of the parasites and showed greater affinity for leishmania and bacteria‐mimicking lipid membranes than for those of mammals. The results show selectivity of ocellatin‐PTs to the membranes of microorganisms and the applicability of biophysical methods to clarify the interaction of AMPs with cell membranes.     

Effects of temperature and water availability on light energy utilization in photosynthetic processes of Deschampsia antarctica

Regional climate change in Antarctica would favor the carbon assimilation of Antarctic vascular plants, since rising temperatures are approaching their photosynthetic optimum (10–19°C). This could be detrimental for photoprotection mechanisms, mainly those associated with thermal dissipation, making plants more susceptible to eventual drought predicted by climate change models. With the purpose to study the effect of temperature and water availability on light energy utilization and putative adjustments in photoprotective mechanisms of Deschampsia antarctica Desv., plants were collected from two Antarctic provenances: King George Island and Lagotellerie Island. Plants were cultivated at 5, 10 and 16°C under well‐watered (WW) and water‐deficit (WD, at 35% of the field capacity) conditions. Chlorophyll fluorescence, pigment content and de‐epoxidation state were evaluated. Regardless of provenances, D. antarctica showed similar morphological, biochemical and functional responses to growth temperature. Higher temperature triggered an increase in photochemical activity (i.e. electron transport rate and photochemical quenching), and a decrease in thermal dissipation capacity (i.e. lower xanthophyll pool, Chl a/b and β carotene/neoxanthin ratios). Leaf mass per unit area was reduced at higher temperature, and was only affected in plants exposed to WD at 16°C and exhibiting lower electron transport rate and amount of chlorophylls. D. antarctica is adapted to frequent freezing events, which may induce a form of physiological water stress. Photoprotective responses observed under WD contribute to maintain a stable photochemical activity. Thus, it is possible that short‐term temperature increases could favor the photochemical activity of this species. However, long‐term effects will depend on the magnitude of changes and the plant's ability to adjust to new growth temperature.     

Stimulation of voltage-dependent calcium channels during capacitation and by progesterone in human sperm

To fertilize, mammalian sperm must undergo two sequential steps that require activation of calcium entry mechanisms, capacitation and acrosomal exocytosis, induced in the latter case by the egg zona pellucida glycoprotein ZP3 or by progesterone. Voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCC) could participate in these processes. Since patch clamp recordings are extremely difficult in mature sperm, the activity of VDCC has been alternatively analyzed with optical detectors of membrane potential and intracellular calcium in sperm populations. Using this approach, we previously reported that in human sperm there is a voltage-dependent calcium influx system that strongly indicates that human sperm are endowed with functional VDCC. In this study we developed evidence indicating that calcium influx through VDCC is significantly stimulated during sperm in vitro capacitation and by progesterone action, which is present in the follicular fluid that surrounds the egg. The observed effects of capacitation and progesterone on VDCC may be physiologically significant for sperm-egg interaction.     

A fragile X case with an amplification/deletion mosaic pattern

Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of hereditary mental retardation. The FMR1 gene, which is involved in fragile X syndrome, contains a polymorphic CGG repeat, which expands in affected patients. Expanding triplet repeats have been shown to be a new type of mutation, termed "dynamic mutation", responsible for more than 12 genetic diseases. These mutations occur as multiple steps rather than as a single event. The first step leads to an unstable allele that then becomes increasingly unstable generally achieving further increases in copy or occasionally contraction. In this report, we describe a fragile X boy with both a hypermethylated full mutation and a deletion of 905 bp encompassing the CGG repeat. The upstream breakpoint is 438 bp 5' to the CGG repeat and the downstream breakpoint is 420 bp 3' of the triplet repeats. The deletion includes the ATG starting codon for translation of the FMR1 gene. This was confirmed by using FMRP immunocytochemistry both on blood smears and hair roots. The deleted region is flanked by a ccgg direct repeat next to the breakpoints; this may have had a critical role in the formation of a secondary DNA structure leading to the deletion.