Mary E Rumpho

University of Maine · Molecular & Biomedical Sciences

Publications

  • 6.24
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  • 2.72
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    The making of a photosynthetic animal.

    Mary E Rumpho, Karen N Pelletreau, Ahmed Moustafa, Debashish Bhattacharya

    The Journal of experimental biology. 01/2011; 214(Pt 2):303-11.

    Symbiotic animals containing green photobionts challenge the common perception that only plants are capable of capturing the sun's rays and converting them into biological energy through photoautotrophic CO(2) fixation (photosynthesis). 'Solar-powered' sacoglossan molluscs, or sea slugs,... [more] Symbiotic animals containing green photobionts challenge the common perception that only plants are capable of capturing the sun's rays and converting them into biological energy through photoautotrophic CO(2) fixation (photosynthesis). 'Solar-powered' sacoglossan molluscs, or sea slugs, have taken this type of symbiotic association one step further by solely harboring the photosynthetic organelle, the plastid (=chloroplast). One such sea slug, Elysia chlorotica, lives as a 'plant' when provided with only light and air as a result of acquiring plastids during feeding on its algal prey Vaucheria litorea. The captured plastids (kleptoplasts) are retained intracellularly in cells lining the digestive diverticula of the sea slug, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as kleptoplasty. Photosynthesis by the plastids provides E. chlorotica with energy and fixed carbon for its entire lifespan of ~10 months. The plastids are not transmitted vertically (i.e. are absent in eggs) and do not undergo division in the sea slug. However, de novo protein synthesis continues, including plastid- and nuclear-encoded plastid-targeted proteins, despite the apparent absence of algal nuclei. Here we discuss current data and provide hypotheses to explain how long-term photosynthetic activity is maintained by the kleptoplasts. This fascinating 'green animal' provides a unique model to study the evolution of photosynthesis in a multicellular heterotrophic organism.
  • 2.78
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    Molecular Characterization of the Calvin Cycle Enzyme Phosphoribulokinase in the Stramenopile Alga Vaucheria litorea and the Plastid Hosting Mollusc Elysia chlorotica.

    Mary E Rumpho, Sirisha Pochareddy, Jared M Worful, Elizabeth J. Summer, Debashish Bhattacharya, Karen N Pelletreau, Mary S Tyler, Jungho Lee, James R Manhart, Kara M Soule

    Molecular plant. 11/2009; 2(6):1384-96.

    Phosphoribulokinase (PRK), a nuclear-encoded plastid-localized enzyme unique to the photosynthetic carbon reduction (Calvin) cycle, was cloned and characterized from the stramenopile alga Vaucheria litorea. This alga is the source of plastids for the mollusc (sea slug) Elysia chlorotica which enable... [more] Phosphoribulokinase (PRK), a nuclear-encoded plastid-localized enzyme unique to the photosynthetic carbon reduction (Calvin) cycle, was cloned and characterized from the stramenopile alga Vaucheria litorea. This alga is the source of plastids for the mollusc (sea slug) Elysia chlorotica which enable the animal to survive for months solely by photoautotrophic CO(2) fixation. The 1633-bp V. litorea prk gene was cloned and the coding region, found to be interrupted by four introns, encodes a 405-amino acid protein. This protein contains the typical bipartite target sequence expected of nuclear-encoded proteins that are directed to complex (i.e. four membrane-bound) algal plastids. De novo synthesis of PRK and enzyme activity were detected in E. chlorotica in spite of having been starved of V. litorea for several months. Unlike the algal enzyme, PRK in the sea slug did not exhibit redox regulation. Two copies of partial PRK-encoding genes were isolated from both sea slug and aposymbiotic sea slug egg DNA using PCR. Each copy contains the nucleotide region spanning exon 1 and part of exon 2 of V. litorea prk, including the bipartite targeting peptide. However, the larger prk fragment also includes intron 1. The exon and intron sequences of prk in E. chlorotica and V. litorea are nearly identical. These data suggest that PRK is differentially regulated in V. litorea and E. chlorotica and at least a portion of the V. litorea nuclear PRK gene is present in sea slugs that have been starved for several months.
  • 9.43
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    Horizontal gene transfer of the algal nuclear gene psbO to the photosynthetic sea slug Elysia chlorotica.

    Mary E Rumpho, Jared M Worful, Jungho Lee, Krishna Kannan, Mary S Tyler, Debashish Bhattacharya, Ahmed Moustafa, James R Manhart

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 12/2008; 105(46):17867-71.

    The sea slug Elysia chlorotica acquires plastids by ingestion of its algal food source Vaucheria litorea. Organelles are sequestered in the mollusc's digestive epithelium, where they photosynthesize for months in the absence of algal nucleocytoplasm. This is perplexing because plastid metabolism... [more] The sea slug Elysia chlorotica acquires plastids by ingestion of its algal food source Vaucheria litorea. Organelles are sequestered in the mollusc's digestive epithelium, where they photosynthesize for months in the absence of algal nucleocytoplasm. This is perplexing because plastid metabolism depends on the nuclear genome for >90% of the needed proteins. Two possible explanations for the persistence of photosynthesis in the sea slug are (i) the ability of V. litorea plastids to retain genetic autonomy and/or (ii) more likely, the mollusc provides the essential plastid proteins. Under the latter scenario, genes supporting photosynthesis have been acquired by the animal via horizontal gene transfer and the encoded proteins are retargeted to the plastid. We sequenced the plastid genome and confirmed that it lacks the full complement of genes required for photosynthesis. In support of the second scenario, we demonstrated that a nuclear gene of oxygenic photosynthesis, psbO, is expressed in the sea slug and has integrated into the germline. The source of psbO in the sea slug is V. litorea because this sequence is identical from the predator and prey genomes. Evidence that the transferred gene has integrated into sea slug nuclear DNA comes from the finding of a highly diverged psbO 3' flanking sequence in the algal and mollusc nuclear homologues and gene absence from the mitochondrial genome of E. chlorotica. We demonstrate that foreign organelle retention generates metabolic novelty ("green animals") and is explained by anastomosis of distinct branches of the tree of life driven by predation and horizontal gene transfer.
  • 3.36
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    Construction of a comparative RFLP map of Echinochloa crus-galli toward QTL analysis of flooding tolerance.

    T Fukao, A H Paterson, M.A. Hussey, Y Yamasue, R A Kennedy, M E Rumpho

    TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik. 05/2004; 108(6):993-1001.

    To analyze quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting flooding tolerance and other physiological and morphological traits in Echinochloa crus-galli, a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) map was constructed using 55 plants of the F(2) population ( E. crus-galli var. praticola x E. crus-gal... [more] To analyze quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting flooding tolerance and other physiological and morphological traits in Echinochloa crus-galli, a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) map was constructed using 55 plants of the F(2) population ( E. crus-galli var. praticola x E. crus-galli var. formosensis). One hundred forty-one loci formed 41 linkage groups. The total map size was 1,468 cM and the average size of linkage groups was 35.8 cM. The average distance between markers was 14.7 cM and the range was 0-37.2 cM. Early comparisons to the genetic maps of other taxa suggest appreciable synteny with buffelgrass ( Pennisetum spp.) and sorghum ( Sorghum spp.). One hundred ninty-one F(2) plants were used to analyze QTLs of flooding tolerance, plant morphology, heading date, number of leaves, and plant height. For flooding tolerance, two QTLs were detected and one was mapped on linkage group 24. Other traits, including plant morphology, heading date, number of leaves, and plant height were highly correlated. Three genomic regions accounted for most of the mapped QTLs, each explaining 2-4 of the significant marker-trait associations. The high observed correlation between the traits appears to result from QTLs with a large contribution to the phenotypic variance at the same or nearby locations.
  • 4.27
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    Genetic and biochemical analysis of anaerobically-induced enzymes during seed germination of Echinochloa crus-galli varieties tolerant and intolerant of anoxia.

    Takeshi Fukao, Robert A. Kennedy, Yuji Yamasue, Mary E Rumpho

    Journal of experimental botany. 06/2003; 54(386):1421-9.

    To compare the regulation of anaerobic metabolism during germination in anoxia-tolerant and intolerant plants, enzymes associated with anaerobic metabolism such as sucrose synthase, aldolase, enolase, pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) were a... [more] To compare the regulation of anaerobic metabolism during germination in anoxia-tolerant and intolerant plants, enzymes associated with anaerobic metabolism such as sucrose synthase, aldolase, enolase, pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) were assayed in two varieties of Echinochloa crus-galli, formosensis (tolerant) and praticola (intolerant). The initial and intervening enzymes of the pathway (sucrose synthase and aldolase) and enzymes in the last part of the pathway (PDC, ADH and ALDH) revealed similar changing patterns in activities during germination. This implies that each group of enzymes may be controlled by an identical regulatory mechanism. During anoxia, activities of all enzymes increased 1.5-30-fold in both varieties compared to their activities under aerobic conditions. Activities of sucrose synthase, enolase and ADH exhibited the same induction patterns under anoxia in formosensis and praticola. However, the activities of aldolase, ALDH and PDC were more strongly induced in formosensis under anoxia (1.2-2-fold) than in praticola. These enzymes were also assayed in F(3) families which varied in their anaerobic germinability. For PDC, activities under anoxia in anoxia-tolerant families were similar to those of an anoxia-intolerant family during the whole period although the family did not exhibit anaerobic germinability. This suggests that there is no correlation between PDC activity and anaerobic germinability. For ALDH, activities were more strongly induced under anoxia in anoxia-tolerant families than in anoxia-intolerant families, a trend also exhibited by the parents. This indicates that ALDH may play a role in detoxifying acetaldehyde formed through alcoholic fermentation during anaerobic germination.
  • 2.04
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    Rapid micro-assay of camptothecin in Camptotheca acuminata.

    B A Nolte, R D Lineberger, D W Reed, M E Rumpho

    Planta medica. 07/2001; 67(4):376-8.

    A micro-assay has been developed to extract and rapidly quantify the anticancer alkaloid, camptothecin (CPT), from two leaf disks of Camptotheca acuminata Decaisne (Nyssaceae). This assay utilizes thin-layer chromatography in conjunction with fluorescence imaging to obtain reproducible measurements ... [more] A micro-assay has been developed to extract and rapidly quantify the anticancer alkaloid, camptothecin (CPT), from two leaf disks of Camptotheca acuminata Decaisne (Nyssaceae). This assay utilizes thin-layer chromatography in conjunction with fluorescence imaging to obtain reproducible measurements in the nanogram range. A large number of trees can be screened using this procedure to identify high producers of CPT in a relatively short period of time.
  • 1.56
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    Mollusc/algal chloroplast symbiosis: how can isolated chloroplasts continue to function for months in the cytosol of a sea slug in the absence of an algal nucleus?

    M E Rumpho, E J Summer, B J Green, T C Fox, J R Manhart

    Zoology (Jena, Germany). 02/2001; 104(3-4):303-12.

    A marine sea slug, Elysia chlorotica, has acquired the ability to carry out photosynthesis as a result of forming an intracellular symbiotic association with chloroplasts of the chromophytic alga, Vaucheria litorea. The symbiont chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) are functional, i.e. they evolve oxygen and... [more] A marine sea slug, Elysia chlorotica, has acquired the ability to carry out photosynthesis as a result of forming an intracellular symbiotic association with chloroplasts of the chromophytic alga, Vaucheria litorea. The symbiont chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) are functional, i.e. they evolve oxygen and fix CO(2) and actively transcribe and translate proteins for several months in the sea slug cytosol. Considering the dependency of plastid function on nuclear genes, the level of kleptoplast activity observed in the animal cell is quite remarkable. Possible factors contributing to this long-lasting functional association that are considered here include: the presence of an algal nuclear genome in the sea slug, autonomous chloroplasts, unusual chloroplast/protein stability, re-directing of animal proteins to the kleptoplast, and lateral gene transfer. Based on our current understanding, the acquisition and incorporation of intact algal plastids by E. chlorotica is aided by the robustness of the plastids and the long-term functional activity of the kleptoplasts appears to be supported by both plastid and protein stability and contributions from the sea slug.
  • 6.24
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    Mollusc-algal chloroplast endosymbiosis. Photosynthesis, thylakoid protein maintenance, and chloroplast gene expression continue for many months in the absence of the algal nucleus.

    B J Green, W Y Li, J R Manhart, T C Fox, E J Summer, R A Kennedy, S K Pierce, M E Rumpho

    Plant physiology. 10/2000; 124(1):331-42.

    Early in its life cycle, the marine mollusc Elysia chlorotica Gould forms an intracellular endosymbiotic association with chloroplasts of the chromophytic alga Vaucheria litorea C. Agardh. As a result, the dark green sea slug can be sustained in culture solely by photoautotrophic CO(2) fixation for ... [more] Early in its life cycle, the marine mollusc Elysia chlorotica Gould forms an intracellular endosymbiotic association with chloroplasts of the chromophytic alga Vaucheria litorea C. Agardh. As a result, the dark green sea slug can be sustained in culture solely by photoautotrophic CO(2) fixation for at least 9 months if provided with only light and a source of CO(2). Here we demonstrate that the sea slug symbiont chloroplasts maintain photosynthetic oxygen evolution and electron transport activity through photosystems I and II for several months in the absence of any external algal food supply. This activity is correlated to the maintenance of functional levels of chloroplast-encoded photosystem proteins, due in part at least to de novo protein synthesis of chloroplast proteins in the sea slug. Levels of at least one putative algal nuclear encoded protein, a light-harvesting complex protein homolog, were also maintained throughout the 9-month culture period. The chloroplast genome of V. litorea was found to be 119.1 kb, similar to that of other chromophytic algae. Southern analysis and polymerase chain reaction did not detect an algal nuclear genome in the slug, in agreement with earlier microscopic observations. Therefore, the maintenance of photosynthetic activity in the captured chloroplasts is regulated solely by the algal chloroplast and animal nuclear genomes.
  • 6.24
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  • 9.43
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    Chloroplast genes are expressed during intracellular symbiotic association of Vaucheria litorea plastids with the sea slug Elysia chlorotica.

    C V Mujer, D L Andrews, J R Manhart, S K Pierce, M E Rumpho

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 11/1996; 93(22):12333-8.

    The marine slug Elysia chlorotica (Gould) forms an intracellular symbiosis with photosynthetically active chloroplasts from the chromophytic alga Vaucheria litorea (C. Agardh). This symbiotic association was characterized over a period of 8 months during which E. chlorotica was deprived of V. litore... [more] The marine slug Elysia chlorotica (Gould) forms an intracellular symbiosis with photosynthetically active chloroplasts from the chromophytic alga Vaucheria litorea (C. Agardh). This symbiotic association was characterized over a period of 8 months during which E. chlorotica was deprived of V. litorea but provided with light and CO2. The fine structure of the symbiotic chloroplasts remained intact in E. chlorotica even after 8 months of starvation as revealed by electron microscopy. Southern blot analysis of total DNA from E. chlorotica indicated that algal genes, i.e., rbcL, rbcS, psaB, psbA, and 16S rRNA are present in the animal. These genes are typically localized to the plastid genome in higher plants and algae except rbcS, which is nuclear-encoded in higher plants and green (chlorophyll a/b) algae. Our analysis suggests, however, that similar to the few other chromophytes (chlorophyll a/c) examined, rbcS is chloroplast encoded in V. litorea. Levels of psbA transcripts remained constant in E. chlorotica starved for 2 and 3 months and then gradually declined over the next 5 months corresponding with senescence of the animal in culture and in nature. The RNA synthesis inhibitor 6-methylpurine reduced the accumulation of psbA transcripts confirming active transcription. In contrast to psbA, levels of 16S rRNA transcripts remained constant throughout the starvation period. The levels of the photosystem II proteins, D1 and CP43, were high at 2 and 4 months of starvation and remained constant at a lower steady-state level after 6 months. In contrast, D2 protein levels, although high at 2 and 4 months, were very low at all other periods of starvation. At 8 months, de novo synthesis of several thylakoid membrane-enriched proteins, including D1, still occurred. To our knowledge, these results represent the first molecular evidence for active transcription and translation of algal chloroplast genes in an animal host and are discussed in relation to the endosymbiotic theory of eukaryote origins.
  • 6.24
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    Identification and gene expression of anaerobically induced enolase in Echinochloa phyllopogon and Echinochloa crus-pavonis.

    T C Fox, C V Mujer, D L Andrews, A S Williams, B. G. Cobb, R A Kennedy, M E Rumpho

    Plant physiology. 11/1995; 109(2):433-43.

    Enolase (2-phospho-D-glycerate hydrolase, EC 4.2.1.11) has been identified as an anaerobic stress protein in Echinochloa oryzoides based on the homology of its internal amino acid sequence with those of enolases from other organisms, by immunological reactivity, and induction of catalytic activity d... [more] Enolase (2-phospho-D-glycerate hydrolase, EC 4.2.1.11) has been identified as an anaerobic stress protein in Echinochloa oryzoides based on the homology of its internal amino acid sequence with those of enolases from other organisms, by immunological reactivity, and induction of catalytic activity during anaerobic stress. Enolase activity was induced 5-fold in anoxically treated seedlings of three flood-tolerant species (E. oryzoides, Echinochloa phyllopogon, and rice [Oryza sativa L.]) but not in the flood-intolerant species (Echinochloa crus-pavonis). A 540-bp fragment of the enolase gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from cDNAs of E. phyllopogon and maize (Zea mays L.) and used to estimate the number of enolase genes and to study the expression of enolase transcripts in E. phyllopogon, E. crus-pavonis, and maize. Southern blot analysis indicated that only one enolase gene is present in either E. phyllopogon or E. crus-pavonis. Three patterns of enolase gene expression were observed in the three species studied. In E. phyllopogon, enolase induction at both the mRNA and enzyme activity levels was sustained at all times with a further induction after 48 h of anoxia. In contrast, enolase was induced in hypoxically treated maize root tips only at the mRNA level. In E. crus-pavonis, enolase mRNA and enzyme activity were induced during hypoxia, but activity was only transiently elevated. These results suggest that enolase expression in maize and E. crus-pavonis during anoxia are similarly regulated at the transcriptional level but differ in posttranslational regulation, whereas enolase is fully induced in E. phyllopogon during anaerobiosis.
  • 2.55
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    Extraction of DNA from mucilaginous tissues of a sea slug (Elysia chlorotica).

    M E Rumpho, C V Mujer, D L Andrews, J R Manhart, S K Pierce

    BioTechniques. 01/1995; 17(6):1097-101.

    Efforts to study the cellular and molecular biology of the symbiotic association between opisthobranch molluscs and algal chloroplasts have been hampered by the copious amounts of mucus produced by the animals. We report for the first time a procedure for isolating total DNA free of contaminating mu... [more] Efforts to study the cellular and molecular biology of the symbiotic association between opisthobranch molluscs and algal chloroplasts have been hampered by the copious amounts of mucus produced by the animals. We report for the first time a procedure for isolating total DNA free of contaminating mucilaginous compounds from the mollusc Elysia chlorotica Gould that harbors photosynthetically active chloroplasts from the siphonaceous alga, Vaucheria litorea C. Agardh. This method involves an initial extraction of fresh or freeze-dried Elysia tissue in absolute ethanol and differential processing of the resultant two-phase pellet. Final purification by CsCl-gradient centrifugation produces high molecular weight DNA suitable for molecular analysis.
  • 6.24
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    Effect of Aerobic Priming on the Response of Echinochloa crus-pavonis to Anaerobic Stress (Protein Synthesis and Phosphorylation).

    F. Zhang, J. J. Lin, T C Fox, C V Mujer, M E Rumpho, R A Kennedy

    Plant physiology. 09/1994; 105(4):1149-1157.

    Echinochloa species differ in their ability to germinate and grow in the absence of oxygen. Seeds of Echinochloa crus-pavonis (H.B.K.) Schult do not germinate under anoxia but remain viable for extended periods (at least 30 d) when incubated in an anaerobic environment. E. crus-pavonis can be induce... [more] Echinochloa species differ in their ability to germinate and grow in the absence of oxygen. Seeds of Echinochloa crus-pavonis (H.B.K.) Schult do not germinate under anoxia but remain viable for extended periods (at least 30 d) when incubated in an anaerobic environment. E. crus-pavonis can be induced to germinate and grow in an anaerobic environment if the seeds are first subjected to a short (1-18 h) exposure to aerobic conditions (aerobic priming). Changes in polypeptide patterns (constitutive and de novo synthesized) and protein phosphorylation induced by aerobic priming were investigated. In the absence of aerobic priming protein degradation was not evident under anaerobic conditions, although synthesis of a 20-kD polypeptide was induced. During aerobic priming, however, synthesis of 37- and 55-kD polypeptides was induced and persisted upon return of the seeds to anoxia. Furthermore, phosphorylation of two 18-kD polypeptides was observed only in those seeds that were labeled with 32PO4 during the aerobic priming period. Subsequent chasing in an anaerobic environment resulted in a decrease in phosphorylation of these polypeptides. Likewise, phosphorylation of the 18-kD polypeptides was not observed if the seeds were labeled in an anaerobic atmosphere. These results suggest that the regulated induction of the 20-, 37-, and 55- kD polypeptides may be important for anaerobic germination and growth of E. crus-pavonis and that the specific phosphorylation of the 18-kD polypeptides may be a factor in regulating this induction.
  • 6.24
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    Constitutive and Inducible Aerobic and Anaerobic Stress Proteins in the Echinochloa Complex and Rice.

    C V Mujer, M E Rumpho, J. J. Lin, R A Kennedy

    Plant physiology. 02/1993; 101(1):217-226.

    Anaerobic stress resulted in a change in the protein accumulation patterns in shoots of several Echinochloa (barnyard grass) species and Oryza sativa (L.) (rice) as resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Of the six Echinochloa species investigated, E. phyllopogon (Stev.) Koss, E. muricata ... [more] Anaerobic stress resulted in a change in the protein accumulation patterns in shoots of several Echinochloa (barnyard grass) species and Oryza sativa (L.) (rice) as resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Of the six Echinochloa species investigated, E. phyllopogon (Stev.) Koss, E. muricata (Beauv.) Fern, E. oryzoides (Ard.) Fritsch Clayton, and E. crus-galli (L.) Beauv. are tolerant of anaerobiosis and germinate in the absence of oxygen, as does rice. In contrast, E. crus-pavonis (H.B.K.) Schult and E. colonum (L.) Link are intolerant and do not germinate without oxygen. Computer analysis of the protein patterns from the four tolerant species and rice indicated that the anaerobic response is of five classes: class 1 proteins, enhanced under anaerobiosis (9 to 13 polypeptides ranging from 16-68 kD); class 2 proteins, unique to anaerobiosis (1 to 5 polypeptides ranging from 17-69 kD); class 3 proteins, remained constant under aerobiosis and anaerobiosis; class 4 proteins, prominent only in air and repressed under anoxia (3 to 7 polypeptides ranging from 19-45 kD); and class 5 proteins, unique to aerobiosis (1 to 4 polypeptides ranging from 18-63 kD). In the intolerant species, E. colonum and E. crus-pavonis, no polypeptides were enhanced or repressed under anoxia (class 1 and class 4, respectively), whereas in the tolerant Echinochloa species and rice, a total of at least 9 to 13 anaerobic stress proteins and 4 to 7 "aerobic" proteins were noted. Immunoblotting identified two of the major anaerobic stress proteins as fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase and pyruvate decarboxylase. Based on the differential response of the intolerant species to anaerobiosis, we suggest that another set of genes, whose products may not necessarily be among the major anaerobic stress polypeptides, might confer tolerance in Echinochloa under prolonged anaerobic stress.
  • 6.24
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    Anaerobic Metabolism in Plants.

    Robert A. Kennedy, Mary E Rumpho, Theodore C. Fox

    Plant physiology. 10/1992; 100(1):1-6.

    Exposure to oxygen deficits is more widespread in biological systems than is commonly believed. Until recently, the general perception of anaerobic metabolism was often limited to the induction of alcoholic or lactic acid fermentation as the sole biochemical response to hypoxia/anoxia. Developments ... [more] Exposure to oxygen deficits is more widespread in biological systems than is commonly believed. Until recently, the general perception of anaerobic metabolism was often limited to the induction of alcoholic or lactic acid fermentation as the sole biochemical response to hypoxia/anoxia. Developments in the physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of anaerobic responses in invertebrates, lower plants, and higher plants have demonstrated that, depending upon the species, anaerobic metabolism may encompass much more than simple glycolytic metabolism. Here, recent progress in elucidating the mechanism(s) determining tolerance versus intolerance to anaerobic environments in higher plants is discussed, drawing most heavily on experimental systems using seeds or seedlings.
  • 6.24
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    Specific Labeling of the Phosphate Translocator in C(3) and C(4) Mesophyll Chloroplasts by Tritiated Dihydro-DIDS (1,2-Ditritio-1,2-[2,2' -Disulfo-4,4' -Diisothiocyano] Diphenylethane).

    Mary E. Rumpho, Gerald E Edwards, Abdullah E. Yousif, Kenneth Keegstra

    Plant physiology. 05/1988; 86(4):1193-1198.

    The phosphate translocator protein of C(3) and C(4) mesophyll chloroplast envelopes was specifically labeled using the anion exchange inhibitor, 1,2-ditritio-1,2-(2,2' -disulfo-4,4' -diisothiocyano) diphenylethane ([(3)H](2)-DIDS). Intact mesophyll chloroplasts were isolated from the C(3) pl... [more] The phosphate translocator protein of C(3) and C(4) mesophyll chloroplast envelopes was specifically labeled using the anion exchange inhibitor, 1,2-ditritio-1,2-(2,2' -disulfo-4,4' -diisothiocyano) diphenylethane ([(3)H](2)-DIDS). Intact mesophyll chloroplasts were isolated from the C(3) plants, Spinacia oleracea L. (spinach) and Pisum sativum L. (pea), and the C(4) plant, Zea mays L. (corn). Chloroplasts were incubated with 5 to 50 mum [(3)H](2)-DIDS and, in addition, pea chloroplasts were also incubated with pyridoxal phosphate/tritiated sodium borohydride. The chloroplasts were washed, the envelopes isolated and solubilized. Following sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, label from bound [(3)H](2)-DIDS was detected only in the 28- to 30-kilodalton protein (proposed C(3) phosphate translocator) for both C(3) and C(4) chloroplasts, as demonstrated by fluorography. In contrast, when pyridoxal phosphate/tritiated sodium borohydride was used to label pea chloroplasts, radioactivity was detected in several other bands in addition to the 29-kilodalton polypeptide. These findings suggest that DIDS is a much more specific inhibitor than reagents previously employed to study the phosphate translocator and could be used to isolate and characterize the differences in the C(3) and C(4) phosphate translocator protein(s).
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    Characterization of 4,4'-Diisothiocyano-2,2'-disulfonic Acid Stilbene Inhibition of 3-Phosphoglycerate-Dependent O(2) Evolution in Isolated Chloroplasts : Evidence for a Common Binding Site on the C(4) Phosphate Translocator for 3-Phosphoglycerate, Phosphoenolpyruvate, and Inorganic Phosphate.

    Mary E. Rumpho, Gerald E Edwards

    Plant physiology. 08/1985; 78(3):537-544.

    3-Phosphoglycerate (PGA)-dependent O(2) evolution by mesophyll chloroplasts of the C(4) plant, Digitaria sanguinalis L. Scop. (crabgrass), was inhibited by micromolar levels of 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-disulfonic acid stilbene (DIDS). As little as 1.8 micromolar DIDS added to the assay mediu... [more] 3-Phosphoglycerate (PGA)-dependent O(2) evolution by mesophyll chloroplasts of the C(4) plant, Digitaria sanguinalis L. Scop. (crabgrass), was inhibited by micromolar levels of 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-disulfonic acid stilbene (DIDS). As little as 1.8 micromolar DIDS added to the assay medium (containing 0.7 millimolar PGA) resulted in 80 to 100% inhibition of O(2) evolution. The extent of inhibition of O(2) evolution observed was dependent on various factors including: pH, concentration of DIDS to relative chlorophyll, concentration of PGA, and the time of addition of DIDS to the chloroplasts relative to addition of PGA.Preincubation of crabgrass chloroplasts with micromolar levels of DIDS, followed by washing to remove any nonirreversibly bound DIDS, inhibited PGA-dependent O(2) evolution. Protection against this inhibition was afforded by preincubating the chloroplasts with various substrates before adding DIDS. For example, if the chloroplasts were first incubated with 8.3 millimolar PGA, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) or inorganic phosphate before adding 42 micromolar DIDS, the percentage of inhibition was decreased from 100% (without any substrate) to 0, 54, and 67%, respectively. 2-Phosphoglycerate caused a slight decrease in the inhibition (about 10%) and glucose-6-phosphate had no protective effect. If the chloroplasts were pretreated with DIDS initially, the inhibition could not be overcome by PGA, suggesting that DIDS acts as an irreversible inhibitor. Micromolar levels of DIDS also inhibited PGA dependent O(2) evolution by isolated chloroplasts of the C(3) plant barley. As with crabgrass, preincubation with PGA or inorganic phosphate resulted in a decrease in the DIDS inhibition, but PEP was very ineffective compared to the C(4) chloroplasts.Oxalacetate-dependent O(2) evolution and its stimulation by the uncoupler, NH(4)Cl, were unaffected by the addition of DIDS to crabgrass mesophyll chloroplasts. Furthermore, preincubation of the chloroplasts with DIDS (up to 65 micromolar) had no inhibitory effect on the extractable activity of NADP glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase and phosphoglycerate kinase. Inhibition by DIDS was interpreted to be at the substrate binding site of the phosphate translocator. The data further suggest that in C(4) crabgrass chloroplasts, PEP is transported on a carrier which also transports PGA.
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    Inhibition of 3-Phosphoglycerate-Dependent O(2) Evolution by Phosphoenolpyruvate in C(4) Mesophyll Chloroplasts of Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.

    Mary E. Rumpho, Gerald E Edwards

    Plant physiology. 12/1984; 76(3):711-718.

    The effects of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and ATP on 3-phosphoglycerate (PGA)-dependent O(2) evolution by chloroplasts of Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (crabgrass) were evaluated relative to possible mechanisms of PEP transport by the C(4) mesophyll chloroplast. Crude an... [more] The effects of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and ATP on 3-phosphoglycerate (PGA)-dependent O(2) evolution by chloroplasts of Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (crabgrass) were evaluated relative to possible mechanisms of PEP transport by the C(4) mesophyll chloroplast. Crude and Percoll purified chloroplast preparations exhibited rates of PGA-dependent O(2) evolution in the range of 90 to 135 micromoles O(2) per milligram chlorophyll per hour, and up to 180 micromoles O(2) per milligram chlorophyll per hour at optimal Pi concentrations (approximately 0.2 millimolar at 9 millimolar PGA). Higher concentrations of Pi were inhibitory. PEP inhibited O(2) evolution (up to 70%) in both chloroplast preparations when the PEP to PGA ratio was high (i.e. 9 millimolar PEP to 0.36 millimolar PGA). Usually no inhibition was seen when the PEP to PGA ratio was less than 2. PEP acted as a competitive inhibitor and, at a concentration of 9 millimolar, increased the apparent K(m) (PGA) from 0.15 to 0.53 millimolar in Percoll purified chloroplasts. A low concentration of PGA and high ratio of PEP to PGA, which are considered unphysiological, were required to detect any inhibition of O(2) evolution by PEP. Similar results were obtained from crude versus Percoll purified preparations. Neither the addition of Pi nor ATP could overcome PEP inhibition. As PEP inhibition was competitive with respect to PGA concentration, and as addition of ATP or Pi could not prevent PEP inhibition of PGA-dependent O(2) evolution, the inhibition was not due to PEP exchange of adenylates or Pi out of the chloroplast. Analysis of the effect of Pi and PEP, separately and in combination, on PGA-dependent O(2) evolution suggests interactions between PEP, Pi, and PGA on the same translocator in the C(4) mesophyll chloroplast. C(3) spinach chloroplasts were also found to be sensitive to PEP, but to a lesser extent than crabgrass chloroplasts. The apparent K(i) values (PEP) were 3 and 21 millimolar for crabgrass and spinach, respectively.

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