Thioredoxins Play a Crucial Role in Dynamic Acclimation of Photosynthesis in Fluctuating Light

Sunlight represents the energy source for photosynthesis and plant growth. When growing in the field, plant photosynthesis has to manage strong fluctuations in light intensities. Regulation based on the thio- redoxin （Trx） system is believed to ensure light-responsive control of photosynthetic reactions in the chlo- roplast. However, direct evidence for a role of this system in regulating dynamic acclimation of photosyn- thesis in fluctuating conditions is largely lacking. In this report we show that the ferredoxin-dependent Trxs ml and m2 as well as the NADPH-dependent NTRC are both indispensable for photosynthetic acclimation in fluctuating light intensities. Arabidopsis mutants with combined deficiency in Trxs ml and m2 show wild- type growth and photosynthesis under constant light condition, while photosynthetic parameters are strongly modified in rapidly alternating high and low light. Two independent trxmlm2 mutants show lower photosynthetic efficiency in high light, but surprisingly significantly higher photosynthetic efficiency in low light. Our data suggest that a main target of Trx ml and m2 is the NADP-malate dehydrogenase involved in export of excess reductive power from the chloroplast. The decreased photosynthetic efficiency in the high-light peaks may thus be explained by a reduced capacity of the trxm lm2 mutants in the rapid light acti-vation of this enzyme. In the ntrc mutant, dynamic responses of non-photochemical quenching of excita- tion energy and plastoquinone reduction state both were strongly attenuated in fluctuating light intensities, leading to a massive decrease in PSII quantum efficiency and a specific decrease in plant growth under these conditions. This is likely due to the decreased ability of the ntrc mutant to control the stromal NADP（H） redox poise. Taken together, our results indicate that NTRC is indispensable in ensuring the full range of dynamic responses of photosynthesis to optimize photosynthesis and maintain growth in fluctu- ating light, while Trxs ml and m2 are indispensable for full activation of photosynthesis in the high-light pe- riods but negatively affect photosynthetic efficiency in the low-light periods of fluctuating light.

DNA demethylases remodel DNA methylation in rice gametes and zygote and are required for reproduction

Fertilization constitutes a critical step in the plant life cycle during which the gamete genomes undergo chromatin dynamics in preparation for embryogenesis. In mammals, parental chromatin is extensively reprogrammed through the global erasure of DNA methylation. However, in flowering plants it remains unclear whether and how DNA methylation is remodeled in gametes and after fertilization in the zygote. In this study, we characterize DNA methylation patterns and investigate the function of DNA glycosylases in rice eggs, sperm, and unicellular zygotes and during embryogenesis. We found that DNA methylation is locally reconfigured after fertilization and is intensified during embryogenesis. Genetic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic analysis revealed that three rice DNA glycosylases, DNG702, DNG701, and DNG704, demethylate DNA at distinct genomic regions in the gametes and the zygote, and are required for zygotic gene expression and development. Collectively, these results indicate that active DNA demethylation takes place in the gametes and the zygote to locally remodel DNA methylation, which is critical for egg and zygote gene expression and reproduction in rice.