Single-cell genetic models to evaluate orphan gene function: The case of QQS regulating carbon and nitrogen allocation

Frontiers in Plant Science

Plant Science

Yan Meng¹  Lei Wang²  Ling Li²  Rezwan Tanvir²  Samuel Cothron²  Jinjiang Zhang³  Wei Fang⁴  Martin H. Spalding⁴  Yingjun Wang⁴  Wenguang Zheng⁴  Dan Stessman⁴  Dongli Wan⁵  Kenna E. Stenback⁶  Basil J. Nikolau⁶  Alexis Campbell⁶  Andrew J. Tonsager⁶ 

[1] Department of Agriculture, Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS, United States;Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States;Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States;Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, MS, United States;Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States;Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot, China;Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States;Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States;Center for Metabolic Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States;

关键词: single-cell systems;    QQS;    NF-YC homologs;    HAP2;    HAP3;    HAP5;    carbon and nitrogen partitioning;    Chlamydomonas reinhardtii;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpls.2023.1126139

 received in 2022-12-17, accepted in 2023-03-13,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

We demonstrate two synthetic single-cell systems that can be used to better understand how the acquisition of an orphan gene can affect complex phenotypes. The Arabidopsis orphan gene, Qua-Quine Starch (QQS) has been identified as a regulator of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) partitioning across multiple plant species. QQS modulates this important biotechnological trait by replacing NF-YB (Nuclear Factor Y, subunit B) in its interaction with NF-YC. In this study, we expand on these prior findings by developing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, to refactor the functional interactions between QQS and NF-Y subunits to affect modulations in C and N allocation. Expression of QQS in C. reinhardtii modulates C (i.e., starch) and N (i.e., protein) allocation by affecting interactions between NF-YC and NF-YB subunits. Studies in S. cerevisiae revealed similar functional interactions between QQS and the NF-YC homolog (HAP5), modulating C (i.e., glycogen) and N (i.e., protein) allocation. However, in S. cerevisiae both the NF-YA (HAP2) and NF-YB (HAP3) homologs appear to have redundant functions to enable QQS and HAP5 to affect C and N allocation. The genetically tractable systems that developed herein exhibit the plasticity to modulate highly complex phenotypes.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Wang, Tonsager, Zheng, Wang, Stessman, Fang, Stenback, Campbell, Tanvir, Zhang, Cothron, Wan, Meng, Spalding, Nikolau and Li