Liquid-liquid phase separation around a membrane: Investigating the assembly of the pyrenoid around the thylakoid membrane in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

膜周围的液-液相分离：研究莱茵衣藻类囊体膜周围蛋白核的组装

• 批准号: 456013262
• 负责人: Dr. Philipp Girr
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of York
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: WBP Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2020-12-31 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/456013262?language=en
• 关键词: Liquid; liquid; phase; separation; around

It is currently a major challenge for humankind to ensure global food security for a growing world population and to fulfil the demands of carbon-neutral energy sources in times of climate change. Critical to addressing this challenge is an increase in crop yields to ensure that increases in food and biofuel production are achieved without further agriculture driven ecosystem loss. One promising approach that is predicted to increase crop yields by up to 60% is the engineering of an algal CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM) into crop plants. The heart of the algal CCM is a liquid-liquid phase separated organelle within the chloroplast, the pyrenoid. The pyrenoid contains most of the cells Rubisco and is constantly supplied with CO2 by active transport mechanisms. CO2 enters the pyrenoid ultimately through specialised regions of the thylakoid membrane that transverse the pyrenoid, the so-called thylakoid tubules. Even though the thylakoid tubules are important for the CO2 supply and the exchange of metabolites between the pyrenoid and the chloroplast stroma, we basically know nothing about the interaction between the Rubisco containing matrix of the pyrenoid and thylakoid tubules and the biogenesis of the thylakoid tubules. In the proposed project, I will investigate these knowledge gaps in the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Through literature and bioinformatic analysis I have identified candidate proteins that could act as tether proteins between the thylakoid tubules and the pyrenoid matrix, and others that are potentially involved the biogenesis of the thylakoid tubules. In the proposed project, I will biochemically analyse the function of those proteins both in vivo and in vitro to elucidate their function. Furthermore, I will use the identified underlying fundamental principles of pyrenoid assembly to guide the engineering of a synthetic CCM system in vitro. Together, the data obtained in the proposed project will guide the engineering of a pyrenoid in crops to increase yields.

目前，对于人类而言，确保全球粮食安全对于不断增长的世界人口，并在气候变化时期满足碳中性能源的需求。应对这一挑战至关重要的是，农作物产量的增加，以确保在没有进一步的农业驱动的生态系统损失的情况下实现粮食和生物燃料生产的增加。预计将农作物产量提高高达60％的一种有希望的方法是将藻类二氧化碳浓缩机制（CCM）的工程化为作物植物。藻类CCM的心脏是叶绿体中的液体液相分离的细胞器，即类肾上腺样细胞。类拟南芥包含大多数细胞Rubisco，并通过主动传输机制不断提供CO2。二氧化碳最终通过类囊体膜的专门区域进入类拟南芥，该区域横穿了类肾上腺素，即所谓的类囊体小管。即使类囊体小管对于二氧化碳和叶绿体基质之间的代谢产物的交换很重要，但我们基本上对含有曲甲基质和类固醇小管的基质的rubisco之间的相互作用以及苯甲酸管小管的生物发生却一无所知。在拟议的项目中，我将研究模型有机体中的这些知识差距。通过文献和生物信息学分析，我已经确定了候选蛋白，这些蛋白可以用作类囊体小管和类肾上腺样基质之间的链球蛋白，以及其他可能涉及类囊体小管的生物发生的蛋白质。在拟议的项目中，我将在体内和体外分析这些蛋白质的功能，以阐明其功能。此外，我将使用鉴定的类拟南芥组装的基本原理来指导体外合成CCM系统的工程。在拟议的项目中获得的数据一起将指导菌类动物在农作物中的工程以提高产量。