Anterograde and Retrograde Regulation of Nuclear Genes Encoding Mitochondrial Proteins during Growth, Development, and Stress

Mitochondrial biogenesis and function in plants require the expression of over 1000 nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial proteins （NGEMPs）. The expression of these genes is regulated by tissue-specific, developmental, internal, and external stimuli that result in a dynamic organelle involved in both metabolic and a variety of signaling processes. Although the metabolic and biosynthetic machinery of mitochondria is relatively well understood, the factors that regu- late these processes and the various signaling pathways involved are only beginning to be identified at a molecular level. The molecular components of anterograde （nuclear to mitochondrial） and retrograde （mitochondrial to nuclear） signaling pathways that regulate the expression of NGEMPs interact with chloroplast-, growth-, and stress-signaling pathways in the cell at a variety of levels, with common components involved in transmission and execution of these signals. This positions mitochondria as important hubs for signaling in the cell, not only in direct signaling of mitochondrial function per se, but also in sensing and/or integrating a variety of other internal and external signals. This integrates and optimizes growth with energy metabolism and stress responses, which is required in both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic cells.

Overexpression of OsPAP10a, A Root-Associated Acid Phosphatase, Increased Extracellular Organic Phosphorus Utilization in Rice

Phosphorus （P） deficiency is a major limitation for plant growth and development. Among the wide set of responses to cope with low soil P, plants increase their level of intracellular and secreted acid phosphatases （APases）, which helps to catalyze inorganic phosphate （Pi） hydrolysis from organophosphates, in this study we characterized the rice （Oryza sativa） purple acid phosphatase 10a （OsPAPIOa）. OsPAPIOa belongs to group la of purple acid phosphatases （PAPs）, and clusters with the principal secreted PAPs in a variety of plant species including Arabidopsis. The transcript abundance of OsPAPIOa is specifically induced by Pi deficiency and is controlled by OsPHR2, the central transcription factor controlling Pi homeostasis. In gel activity assays of root and shoot protein extracts, it was revealed that OsPAPIOa is a major acid phosphatase isoform induced by Pi starvation. Constitutive overexpression of OsPAPIOa results in a significant increase of phosphatase activity in both shoot and root protein extracts. In vivo root 5-bromo.4-chloro-3-indolyl-phosphate （BCIP） assays and activity measurements on external media showed that OsPAPIOa is a root-associated APase. Furthermore, overexpression of OsPAPIOa significantly improved ATP hydrolysis and utilization compared with wild type plants. These results indicate that OsPAPIOa can potentially be used for crop breeding to improve the efficiency of P use.