Allison E. McDonald

Flexibility in photosynthetic electron transport: The physiological role of plastoquinol terminal oxidase (PTOX)☆

Oxygenic photosynthesis depends on a highly conserved electron transport system, which must be particularly dynamic in its response to environmental and physiological changes, in order to avoid an excess of excitation energy and subsequent oxidative damage. Apart from cyclic electron flow around PSII and around PSI, several alternative electron transport pathways exist including a plastoquinol terminal oxidase (PTOX) that mediates electron flow from plastoquinol to O(2). The existence of PTOX was first hypothesized in 1982 and this was verified years later based on the discovery of a non-heme, di-iron carboxylate protein localized to thylakoid membranes that displayed sequence similarity to the mitochondrial alternative oxidase. The absence of this protein renders higher plants susceptible to excitation pressure dependant variegation combined with impaired carotenoid synthesis. Chloroplasts, as well as other plastids (i.e. etioplasts, amyloplasts and chromoplasts), fail to assemble organized internal membrane structures correctly, when exposed to high excitation pressure early in development. While the role of PTOX in plastid development is established, its physiological role under stress conditions remains equivocal and we postulate that it serves as an alternative electron sink under conditions where the acceptor side of PSI is limited. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the past achievements in this field and to offer directions for future investigative efforts. Plastoquinol terminal oxidase (PTOX) is involved in an alternative electron transport pathway that mediates electron flow from plastoquinol to O(2). This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Regulation of Electron Transport in Chloroplasts.

Alternative oxidase in animals: unique characteristics and taxonomic distribution.

SUMMARY Alternative oxidase (AOX), a ubiquinol oxidase, introduces a branch point into the respiratory electron transport chain, bypassing complexes III and IV and resulting in cyanide-resistant respiration. Previously, AOX was thought to be limited to plants and some fungi and protists but recent work has demonstrated the presence of AOX in most kingdoms of life, including animals. In the present study we identified AOX in 28 animal species representing nine phyla. This expands the known taxonomic distribution of AOX in animals by 10 species and two phyla. Using bioinformatics we found AOX gene sequences in members of the animal phyla Porifera, Placozoa, Cnidaria, Mollusca, Annelida, Nematoda, Echinodermata, Hemichordata and Chordata. Using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with degenerate primers designed to recognize conserved regions of animal AOX, we demonstrated that AOX genes are transcribed in several animals from different phyla. An analysis of full-length AOX sequences revealed an amino acid motif in the C-terminal region of the protein that is unique to animal AOXs. Animal AOX also lacks an N-terminal cysteine residue that is known to be important for AOX enzyme regulation in plants. We conclude that the presence of AOX is the ancestral state in animals and hypothesize that its absence in some lineages, including vertebrates, is due to gene loss events.

A classification scheme for alternative oxidases reveals the taxonomic distribution and evolutionary history of the enzyme in angiosperms.

A classification scheme based on protein phylogenies and sequence harmony method was used to clarify the taxonomic distribution and evolutionary history of the alternative oxidase (AOX) in angiosperms. A large data set analyses showed that AOX1 and AOX2 subfamilies were distributed into 4 phylogenetic clades: AOX1a-c/1e, AOX1d, AOX2a-c and AOX2d. High diversity in AOX family compositions was found. While the AOX2 subfamily was not detected in monocots, the AOX1 subfamily has expanded (AOX1a-e) in the large majority of these plants. In addition, Poales AOX1b and 1d were orthologous to eudicots AOX1d and then renamed as AOX1d1 and 1d2. AOX1 or AOX2 losses were detected in some eudicot plants. Several AOX2 duplications (AOX2a-c) were identified in eudicot species, mainly in the asterids. The AOX2b originally identified in eudicots in the Fabales order (soybean, cowpea) was divergent from AOX2a-c showing some specific amino acids with AOX1d and then it was renamed as AOX2d. AOX1d and AOX2d seem to be stress-responsive, facultative and mutually exclusive among species suggesting a complementary role with an AOX1(a) in stress conditions. Based on the data collected, we present a model for the evolutionary history of AOX in angiosperms and highlight specific areas where further research would be most beneficial.

Identification, expression, and taxonomic distribution of alternative oxidases in non-angiosperm plants

Alternative oxidase (AOX) is a terminal ubiquinol oxidase present in the respiratory chain of all angiosperms investigated to date, but AOX distribution in other members of the Viridiplantae is less clear. We assessed the taxonomic distribution of AOX using bioinformatics. Multiple sequence alignments compared AOX proteins and examined amino acid residues involved in AOX catalytic function and post-translational regulation. Novel AOX sequences were found in both Chlorophytes and Streptophytes and we conclude that AOX is widespread in the Viridiplantae. AOX multigene families are common in non-angiosperm plants and the appearance of AOX1 and AOX2 subtypes pre-dates the divergence of the Coniferophyta and Magnoliophyta. Residues involved in AOX catalytic function are highly conserved between Chlorophytes and Streptophytes, while AOX post-translational regulation likely differs in these two lineages. We demonstrate experimentally that an AOX gene is present in the moss Physcomitrella patens and that the gene is transcribed. Our findings suggest that AOX will likely exert an influence on plant respiration and carbon metabolism in non-angiosperms such as green algae, bryophytes, liverworts, lycopods, ferns, gnetophytes, and gymnosperms and that further research in these systems is required.

An In Vivo Perspective of the Role(s) of the Alternative Oxidase Pathway

Despite intense research on the in vitro characterization of regulatory factors modulating the alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway, the regulation of its activity in vivo is still not fully understood. Advances concerning in vivo regulation of AOX based on the oxygen-isotope fractionation technique are reviewed, and regulatory factors that merit future research are highlighted. In addition, we review and discuss the main biological functions assigned to the plant AOX, and suggest future experiments involving in vivo activity measurements to test different hypothesized physiological roles.

Alternative NAD(P)H dehydrogenase and alternative oxidase: Proposed physiological roles in animals

The electron transport systems in mitochondria of many organisms contain alternative respiratory enzymes distinct from those of the canonical respiratory system depicted in textbooks. Two of these enzymes, the alternative NADH dehydrogenase and the alternative oxidase, were of interest to a limited circle of researchers until they were envisioned as gene therapy tools for mitochondrial disease treatment. Recently, these enzymes were discovered in several animals. Here, we analyse the functioning of alternative NADH dehydrogenases and oxidases in different organisms. We propose that both enzymes ensure bioenergetic and metabolic flexibility during environmental transitions or other conditions which may compromise the operation of the canonical respiratory system.