Genetic dissection of floridean starch synthesis in the cytosol of the model dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii.
Starch defines an insoluble semicrystalline form of storage polysaccharides restricted to Archaeplastida (red and green algae, land plants, and glaucophytes) and some secondary endosymbiosis derivatives of the latter. While green algae and land-plants store starch in plastids by using an ADP-glucose-based pathway related to that of cyanobacteria, red algae, glaucophytes, cryptophytes, dinoflagellates, and apicomplexa parasites store a similar type of polysaccharide named floridean starch in their cytosol or periplast. These organisms are suspected to store their floridean starch from UDP-glucose in a fashion similar to heterotrophic eukaryotes. However, experimental proof of this suspicion has never been produced. Dinoflagellates define an important group of both photoautotrophic and heterotrophic protists. We now report the selection and characterization of a low starch mutant of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii. We show that the sta1-1 mutation of C. cohnii leads to a modification of the UDP-glucose-specific soluble starch synthase activity that correlates with a decrease in starch content and an alteration of amylopectin structure. These experimental results validate the UDP-glucose-based pathway proposed for floridean starch synthesis.
Dauvillée
David
D
Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8576, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France.
Deschamps
Philippe
P
Ral
Jean-Philippe
JP
Plancke
Charlotte
C
Putaux
Jean-Luc
JL
Devassine
Jimi
J
Durand-Terrasson
Amandine
A
Devin
Aline
A
Ball
Steven G
SG
D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D013213:Starch / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013214:Starch Synthase; D014532:Uridine Diphosphate Glucose / Q000378:metabolism
D013213:Starch; D013214:Starch Synthase; D014532:Uridine Diphosphate Glucose