Project description:The absence of oxygen (O2) is a stress condition for aerobic organisms and requires extensive acclimation responses. Previously, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been used as a reference organism for understanding these acclimation responses. In this work, we use RNA-Seq for a whole genome view of the acclimation of the organism to dark-anoxic conditions. To distinguish the responses dependent on the COPPER RESPONSE REGULATOR 1 (CRR1), which is also involved in hypoxic gene regulation, we compared the transcriptome of crr1 mutants to that of complemented strains. Nearly 10% of the genome (~ 1,400 genes) are affected by hypoxia based on pairwise comparisons of all strains and two time-points. Comparing transcript profiles from early (hypoxic) with those from late (anoxic) time-points indicated that the cells activated oxidative energy generation pathways before employing fermentative enzymes. Probable substrates included not only carbohydrates but also amino acids and fatty acids (FAs). Lipid profiling of the C. reinhardtii cells revealed that they degraded FAs but also accumulated triacylglycerols (TAGs). In contrast to N-deprived cells, the TAGs accumulating in hypoxic cells are enriched in desaturated FAs, which distinguishes the contribution of individual pathways for Chlamydomonas TAG accumulation. In crr1 mutants, about 140 genes were aberrantly regulated , re-affirming the importance of CRR1 for the hypoxic response, but indicating also the contribution of additional O2-sensors and signaling strategies to account for the remaining differentially regulated transcripts. We conclude that nitric oxide (NO) dependent signaling cascades, employing both known and novel components, are operative in C. reinhardtii. The transcriptome of four different Chlamydomonas strains (wild type CC-124, crr1 mutant, crr1:CRR1 rescued strain and crr1dCys rescued strain) are profiled by RNA-Seq in the dark at different times after the transition from light-oxic to dark-anoxic conditions
Project description:The absence of oxygen (O2) is a stress condition for aerobic organisms and requires extensive acclimation responses. Previously, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been used as a reference organism for understanding these acclimation responses. In this work, we use RNA-Seq for a whole genome view of the acclimation of the organism to dark-anoxic conditions. To distinguish the responses dependent on the COPPER RESPONSE REGULATOR 1 (CRR1), which is also involved in hypoxic gene regulation, we compared the transcriptome of crr1 mutants to that of complemented strains. Nearly 10% of the genome (~ 1,400 genes) are affected by hypoxia based on pairwise comparisons of all strains and two time-points. Comparing transcript profiles from early (hypoxic) with those from late (anoxic) time-points indicated that the cells activated oxidative energy generation pathways before employing fermentative enzymes. Probable substrates included not only carbohydrates but also amino acids and fatty acids (FAs). Lipid profiling of the C. reinhardtii cells revealed that they degraded FAs but also accumulated triacylglycerols (TAGs). In contrast to N-deprived cells, the TAGs accumulating in hypoxic cells are enriched in desaturated FAs, which distinguishes the contribution of individual pathways for Chlamydomonas TAG accumulation. In crr1 mutants, about 140 genes were aberrantly regulated , re-affirming the importance of CRR1 for the hypoxic response, but indicating also the contribution of additional O2-sensors and signaling strategies to account for the remaining differentially regulated transcripts. We conclude that nitric oxide (NO) dependent signaling cascades, employing both known and novel components, are operative in C. reinhardtii.
Project description:Oxygen prevents hydrogen production in Chlamydomonas (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), in part by inhibiting the transcription of hydrogenase genes. We developed a screen for mutants showing constitutive accumulation of iron hydrogenase 1 (HYDA1) transcripts in normoxia. A reporter gene required for ciliary motility placed under the control of the HYDA1 promoter conferred motility only in hypoxia. By selecting for mutants able to swim even in normoxia, we obtained strains that constitutively express the reporter gene. One identified mutant was affected in a gene encoding an F-box protein 3 (FBXO3) that participates in ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation pathways in other eukaryotes. Transcriptome profiles revealed that the mutation, termed cehc1-1 (constitutive expression of hydrogenases and copper-responsive genes), triggers the upregulation of genes known to be targets of copper response regulator 1 (CRR1), a transcription factor involved in the nutritional copper signaling pathway and in the hypoxia response pathway. CRR1 was required for upregulating the HYDA1 reporter gene expression in response to hypoxia and for the constitutive expression of the reporter gene in cehc1-1 mutant cells. The CRR1 protein, normally degraded in Cu-supplemented cells, was stabilized in cehc1-1 cells, supporting the conclusion that CEHC1 facilitates CRR1 degradation. Our results describe a previously unknown pathway for CRR1 inhibition and possibly other pathways leading to complex metabolic changes.