A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
A Mitochondrially Related Plastidial Transporter Regulates Photosynthesis in the Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Authors: Giustini, Cécile; Dal Bo, Davide; Storti, Mattia; Van Vlierberghe, Mick; Baurain, Denis; Cardol, Pierre; Zhang, Youjun; Fernie, Alisdair R.; Fitzpatrick, Duncan; Aro, Eva‐Mari; Allorent, Guillaume; Albanese, Pascal; Tolleter, Dimitri; Curien, Gilles; Finazzi, Giovanni
Publisher: Wiley
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Physiologia Plantarum
Article number: e70640
Volume: 177
Issue: 6
ISSN: 0031-9317
eISSN: 1399-3054
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.70640
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.70640
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505582397
Eukaryotic phototrophs depend on the activity of two engines (the plastid and the mitochondrion) to generate the energy required for cellular metabolism. Because of their overlapping functions, both activities must be closely coordinated. At the plastid level, optimisation occurs through alternative electron transport, the diversion of excess electrons from the linear transport chain and metabolic exchanges. A similar process takes place in the mitochondria, with documented evidence of energy and redox equivalents being exchanged between the two organelles. Organelle-organelle energy interactions at the physiological level are well established in diatoms, an ecologically significant member of phytoplankton. Yet the molecular components involved in this process remain largely unknown. Here, we identify a mitochondrial carrier family (MCF) transporter, MCFc, located at the plastid envelope of Phaeodactylum tricornutum, which seems to be widely distributed in complex algae. We then compare the performance of a wild-type and a mutant lacking MCFc. An analysis of spectroscopic and oxygen exchange data unveiled altered energetic interactions in the mutant, suggesting that MCFc plays a role in plastid-mitochondrion communication. In silico analysis of MCFc implies a similar substrate-specific model to that of ADP/ATP carriers, although distinct motif differences in MCFc indicate potential variations in its function, with possible substrates including arginine, aspartate/glutamate or citrate/isocitrate. Together, these findings support a role for mitochondrial energy metabolism in sustaining diatom photosynthesis, likely mediated by MCFc, though further investigation is needed to determine the precise mechanism.
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Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (101066400; PHOTO-LINK), Plankton Project(101099192), European Research Council (833184; Chloro-Mito), CNRS Momentum Program and Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.
