Photosystem II Subunit S Overexpression Increases the Efficiency of Water Use in a Field-grown Crop

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2018 Mar 8

PMID 29511193

Citations 95

Authors

Katarzyna Glowacka

Johannes Kromdijk

Katherine Kucera

Jiayang Xie

Amanda P Cavanagh

Lauriebeth Leonelli

Andrew D B Leakey

Donald R Ort

Krishna K Niyogi

Stephen P Long

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Insufficient water availability for crop production is a mounting barrier to achieving the 70% increase in food production that will be needed by 2050. One solution is to develop crops that require less water per unit mass of production. Water vapor transpires from leaves through stomata, which also facilitate the influx of CO during photosynthetic assimilation. Here, we hypothesize that Photosystem II Subunit S (PsbS) expression affects a chloroplast-derived signal for stomatal opening in response to light, which can be used to improve water-use efficiency. Transgenic tobacco plants with a range of PsbS expression, from undetectable to 3.7 times wild-type are generated. Plants with increased PsbS expression show less stomatal opening in response to light, resulting in a 25% reduction in water loss per CO assimilated under field conditions. Since the role of PsbS is universal across higher plants, this manipulation should be effective across all crops.

Citing Articles

Boosting photosynthesis opens new opportunities for agriculture sustainability and circular economy: The BEST-CROP research and innovation action.

Pesaresi P, Bono P, Corn S, Crosatti C, Daniotti S, Jensen J Plant J. 2025; 121(3):e17264.

PMID: 39910851 PMC: 11799749. DOI: 10.1111/tpj.17264.

Deciphering the Mechanism of Melatonin-Induced Enhancement of Photosystem II Function in Moderate Drought-Stressed Oregano Plants.

Moustaka J, Sperdouli I, Isgoren S, Sas B, Moustakas M Plants (Basel). 2024; 13(18).

PMID: 39339565 PMC: 11434670. DOI: 10.3390/plants13182590.

Hormetic Response of Photosystem II Function Induced by Nontoxic Calcium Hydroxide Nanoparticles.

Tryfon P, Sperdouli I, Moustaka J, Adamakis I, Giannousi K, Dendrinou-Samara C Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(15).

PMID: 39125918 PMC: 11312163. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25158350.

Light tolerance in light-tolerant photosynthetic organisms: a knowledge gap.

Levin G, Schuster G J Exp Bot. 2024; 75(20):6199-6202.

PMID: 39101403 PMC: 11522983. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae338.

Less water in agriculture? Potential and challenges in optimizing water use efficiency.

Wientjes E, Seijger C J Exp Bot. 2024; 75(13):3754-3757.

PMID: 38982746 PMC: 11233778. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae227.

References

Lobell D, Roberts M, Schlenker W, Braun N, Little B, Rejesus R . Greater sensitivity to drought accompanies maize yield increase in the U.S. Midwest. Science. 2014; 344(6183):516-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.1251423. View

Tilman D, Balzer C, Hill J, Befort B . Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011; 108(50):20260-4. PMC: 3250154. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1116437108. View

Messinger S, Buckley T, Mott K . Evidence for involvement of photosynthetic processes in the stomatal response to CO2. Plant Physiol. 2006; 140(2):771-8. PMC: 1361342. DOI: 10.1104/pp.105.073676. View

Hajirezaei M, Peisker M, Tschiersch H, Palatnik J, Valle E, Carrillo N . Small changes in the activity of chloroplastic NADP(+)-dependent ferredoxin oxidoreductase lead to impaired plant growth and restrict photosynthetic activity of transgenic tobacco plants. Plant J. 2002; 29(3):281-93. DOI: 10.1046/j.0960-7412.2001.01209.x. View

Haake V, Zrenner R, Sonnewald U, Stitt M . A moderate decrease of plastid aldolase activity inhibits photosynthesis, alters the levels of sugars and starch, and inhibits growth of potato plants. Plant J. 1998; 14(2):147-57. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1998.00089.x. View

Shimazaki K, Doi M, Assmann S, Kinoshita T . Light regulation of stomatal movement. Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2007; 58:219-47. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.arplant.57.032905.105434. View

Matthews J, Vialet-Chabrand S, Lawson T . Diurnal Variation in Gas Exchange: The Balance between Carbon Fixation and Water Loss. Plant Physiol. 2017; 174(2):614-623. PMC: 5462061. DOI: 10.1104/pp.17.00152. View

Kromdijk J, Long S . One crop breeding cycle from starvation? How engineering crop photosynthesis for rising CO2 and temperature could be one important route to alleviation. Proc Biol Sci. 2016; 283(1826):20152578. PMC: 4810849. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2578. View

Bernacchi C, Kimball B, Quarles D, Long S, Ort D . Decreases in stomatal conductance of soybean under open-air elevation of [CO2] are closely coupled with decreases in ecosystem evapotranspiration. Plant Physiol. 2006; 143(1):134-44. PMC: 1761983. DOI: 10.1104/pp.106.089557. View

10.

Long S, Marshall-Colon A, Zhu X . Meeting the global food demand of the future by engineering crop photosynthesis and yield potential. Cell. 2015; 161(1):56-66. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.03.019. View

11.

Lawson T, Lefebvre S, Baker N, Morison J, Raines C . Reductions in mesophyll and guard cell photosynthesis impact on the control of stomatal responses to light and CO2. J Exp Bot. 2008; 59(13):3609-19. PMC: 2561148. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ern211. View

12.

Lawson T, Simkin A, Kelly G, Granot D . Mesophyll photosynthesis and guard cell metabolism impacts on stomatal behaviour. New Phytol. 2014; 203(4):1064-1081. DOI: 10.1111/nph.12945. View

13.

Price G, Evans J, von Caemmerer S, Yu J, Badger M . Specific reduction of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity by antisense RNA reduces CO2 assimilation via a reduction in ribulose bisphosphate regeneration in transgenic tobacco plants. Planta. 1995; 195(3):369-78. DOI: 10.1007/BF00202594. View

14.

Ruban A . Nonphotochemical Chlorophyll Fluorescence Quenching: Mechanism and Effectiveness in Protecting Plants from Photodamage. Plant Physiol. 2016; 170(4):1903-16. PMC: 4825125. DOI: 10.1104/pp.15.01935. View

15.

Busch F . Opinion: the red-light response of stomatal movement is sensed by the redox state of the photosynthetic electron transport chain. Photosynth Res. 2013; 119(1-2):131-40. DOI: 10.1007/s11120-013-9805-6. View

16.

Baroli I, Price G, Badger M, von Caemmerer S . The contribution of photosynthesis to the red light response of stomatal conductance. Plant Physiol. 2007; 146(2):737-47. PMC: 2245822. DOI: 10.1104/pp.107.110924. View

17.

Kramer D, Johnson G, Kiirats O, Edwards G . New Fluorescence Parameters for the Determination of QA Redox State and Excitation Energy Fluxes. Photosynth Res. 2005; 79(2):209. DOI: 10.1023/B:PRES.0000015391.99477.0d. View

18.

von Caemmerer S, Lawson T, Oxborough K, Baker N, Andrews T, Raines C . Stomatal conductance does not correlate with photosynthetic capacity in transgenic tobacco with reduced amounts of Rubisco. J Exp Bot. 2004; 55(400):1157-66. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erh128. View

19.

Sharkey T, Bernacchi C, Farquhar G, Singsaas E . Fitting photosynthetic carbon dioxide response curves for C(3) leaves. Plant Cell Environ. 2007; 30(9):1035-40. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2007.01710.x. View

20.

Lawson T . Guard cell photosynthesis and stomatal function. New Phytol. 2008; 181(1):13-34. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02685.x. View