Dynamic Changes in the Thylakoid Proteome of Cyanobacteria during Light-Regulated Thylakoid Membrane Development

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 23; p. 3967
• Main Authors: Huang, Fang, Grauslys, Arturas, Huokko, Tuomas, Caamaño Gutiérrez, Eva, Jones, Andrew R, Liu, Lu-Ning
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 25.11.2023
• Subjects: Acclimation; Acclimatization; Adaptation; Algae; Alternations; Analysis; Antennas; Biosynthesis; Carbon cycle; Cell membranes; Cell organelles; Cluster analysis; Cyanobacteria; Cytochrome; Dehydrogenases; Electron transport; Enzymes; Genomes; Light; Mass spectrometry; Mathematical analysis; membrane biogenesis; Membrane proteins; Membranes; Metabolism; Metabolites; Oxidative stress; Photosynthesis; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Protein folding; Protein transport; Proteins; proteome; Proteomes; Scientific imaging; Signal transduction; Statistical analysis; Stress response; thylakoid membrane; Thylakoid membranes; United Kingdom; Massachusetts; membrane biogenesis; thylakoid membrane; photosynthesis; acclimation; cyanobacteria; proteome
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants12233967

Cyanobacteria were among the oldest organisms to undertake oxygenic photosynthesis and have an essential impact on the atmosphere and carbon/nitrogen cycles on the planet. The thylakoid membrane of cyanobacteria represents an intricate compartment that houses a variety of multi-component (pigment-)protein complexes, assembly factors, and regulators, as well as transporters involved in photosynthetic light reactions, and respiratory electron transport. How these protein components are incorporated into membranes during thylakoid formation and how individual complexes are regulated to construct the functional machinery remains elusive. Here, we carried out an in-depth statistical analysis of the thylakoid proteome data obtained during light-induced thylakoid membrane biogenesis in the model cyanobacterium elongatus PCC 7942. A total of 1581 proteins were experimentally quantified, among which 457 proteins demonstrated statistically significant variations in abundance at distinct thylakoid biogenesis stages. Gene Ontology and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that predominantly photosystems, light-harvesting antennae, ABC transporters, and pathway enzymes involved in oxidative stress responses and protein folding exhibited notable alternations in abundance between high light and growth light. Moreover, through cluster analysis the 1581 proteins were categorized into six distinct clusters that have significantly different trajectories of the change in their abundance during thylakoid development. Our study provides insights into the physiological regulation for the membrane integration of protein components and functionally linked complexes during the cyanobacterial TM biogenesis process. The findings and analytical methodologies developed in this study may be valuable for studying the global responses of TM biogenesis and photosynthetic acclimation in plants and algae.