美国普林斯顿大学Martin C. Jonikas团队近期取得重要工作进展，他们对光合机制调控和生物发生基因进行了系统的鉴定和表征。相关研究成果2023年12月7日在线发表于《细胞》杂志上。
据介绍，光合作用是粮食生产和地球生物地球化学的核心，但其调控的分子基础仍知之甚少。
使用真核藻类莱茵衣藻的高通量遗传学，研究人员以高置信度（错误发现率[FDR]<0.11）鉴定了光合作用所需的70个特征不明确的基因。研究人员通过提供突变菌株的蛋白质组资源来实现这些基因的功能表征，每个突变菌株都缺乏这些基因中的一个。这些数据允许将34个基因分配到一个或多个特定光合复合体的生物发生或调节中。进一步的分析揭示了至少七种蛋白质的生物发生/调节作用，包括五种光系统I mRNA成熟因子、叶绿体翻译因子MTF1和通过核表达因子调节叶绿体基因的主调节因子PMR1。
总之，这一工作提供了丰富的资源，可以识别调控和功能基因，并将其放入途径中，从而为系统层面理解光合作用打开了大门。
附：英文原文
Title: Systematic identification and characterization of genes in the regulation and biogenesis of photosynthetic machinery
Author: Moshe Kafri, Weronika Patena, Lance Martin, Lianyong Wang, Gillian Gomer, Sabrina L. Ergun, Arthur K. Sirkejyan, Audrey Goh, Alexandra T. Wilson, Sophia E. Gavrilenko, Michal Breker, Asael Roichman, Claire D. McWhite, Joshua D. Rabinowitz, Frederick R. Cross, Martin Wühr, Martin C. Jonikas
Issue&Volume: 2023/12/07
Abstract: Photosynthesis is central to food production and the Earth’s biogeochemistry, yet the molecular basis for its regulation remains poorly understood. Here, using high-throughput genetics in the model eukaryotic alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we identify with high confidence (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.11) 70 poorly characterized genes required for photosynthesis. We then enable the functional characterization of these genes by providing a resource of proteomes of mutant strains, each lacking one of these genes. The data allow assignment of 34 genes to the biogenesis or regulation of one or more specific photosynthetic complexes. Further analysis uncovers biogenesis/regulatory roles for at least seven proteins, including five photosystem I mRNA maturation factors, the chloroplast translation factor MTF1, and the master regulator PMR1, which regulates chloroplast genes via nuclear-expressed factors. Our work provides a rich resource identifying regulatory and functional genes and placing them into pathways, thereby opening the door to a system-level understanding of photosynthesis.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.11.007
Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)01224-2