Polyphosphate synthesis is an evolutionarily ancient phosphorus storage strategy in microalgae

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dc.citation.volume73
dc.contributor.authorCliff A
dc.contributor.authorGuieysse B
dc.contributor.authorBrown N
dc.contributor.authorLockhart P
dc.contributor.authorDubreucq E
dc.contributor.authorPlouviez M
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-21T23:48:54Z
dc.date.available2024-07-21T23:48:54Z
dc.date.issued2023-06-02
dc.description.abstractTo assess the ubiquity of the potential for inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) synthesis in microalgae, we searched databases for algal homologues to the polyP polymerase VTC4 of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Homologues of this protein were found within >40 species of microalgae known to inhabit marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that these proteins were organized into clades aligning with their taxonomic relationships. These similarities and evolutionary relationships suggest that polyP synthesis represents an ancient ability that has evolved with species as the microalgal lineage has spread out over time. Based on these results and prior knowledge on P metabolism, C. reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris, Desmodesmus cf. armatus, Gonium pectorale, and Microcystis aeruginosa were further tested in bioassays known to trigger the synthesis of polyP within dense granules, by addition of P following a period of P depletion. While the cellular P content of C. reinhardtii, G. pectorale, M. aeruginosa, and D. cf. armatus increased to similar maxima, ranging from 2.6 ± 0.5 % to 3.6 ± 1.3 % 24 h after P repletion, P content only reached 1.2 ± 0.2 % in C. vulgaris, suggesting a lesser ability to accumulate polyP than the strains of the other species. Models of predicted VTC4 proteins were generated from the four eukaryotic species tested and showed that the microalgae share the conserved VTC catalytic core and SPX phosphate-sensing domains found in the yeast VTC4 proteins. This confirms the role of microalgal VTC4 as polyP polymerase and suggests a similar regulation of VTC4 proteins to the one described in yeast. Further work is now needed to uncover the assembly of the microalgal VTC complex and its regulation. A deeper study of the microalgal VTC structure could also help to understand whether differences in VTC structures can explain observed differences in P accumulation kinetics.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.edition.editionJune 2023
dc.identifier.citationCliff A, Guieysse B, Brown N, Lockhart P, Dubreucq E, Plouviez M. (2023). Polyphosphate synthesis is an evolutionarily ancient phosphorus storage strategy in microalgae. Algal Research. 73.
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.algal.2023.103161
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn2211-9264
dc.identifier.number103161
dc.identifier.piiS2211926423001947
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/70256
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherElsevier B.V.
dc.publisher.urihttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211926423001947
dc.relation.isPartOfAlgal Research
dc.rights(c) 2023 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY-NC-ND 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectPolyphosphate
dc.subjectChlamydomonas
dc.subjectPhylogeny
dc.subjectVTC4
dc.subjectProtein models
dc.subjectProtein homology
dc.subjectAlphaFold
dc.titlePolyphosphate synthesis is an evolutionarily ancient phosphorus storage strategy in microalgae
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id461999
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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