Transcriptional Regulation of Tetrapyrrole Biosynthetic Genes Explains Abscisic Acid-Induced Heme Accumulation in the Unicellular Red Alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae.
Abscisic acid (ABA), a pivotal phytohormone that is synthesized in response to abiotic stresses and other environmental changes, induces various physiological responses. Heme, in its unbound form, has a positive signaling role in cell-cycle initiation in Cyanidioschyzon merolae. ABA induces heme accumulation, but also prevents cell-cycle initiation through the titration of the unbound heme by inducing the heme scavenging protein tryptophan-rich sensory protein-related protein O. In this study, we analyzed the accumulation of tetrapyrrole biosynthetic gene transcripts after the addition of ABA to the medium and found that transcripts of a ferrochelatase and a magnesium-chelatase subunit increased, while other examined transcripts decreased. Under the same conditions, the heme and magnesium-protoporphyrin IX contents increased, while the protoporphyrin IX content decreased. Thus, ABA may regulate the intracellular heme and other tetrapyrrole contents through the transcriptional regulation of biosynthetic genes.
Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama Japan.
Yuki
Y
Kobayashi
Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, YokohamaJapan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, SaitamaJapan.
Kan
K
Tanaka
Cyanidioschyzon merolae; TSPO; abscisic acid; heme; tetrapyrrole; transcriptional regulation