Riboseq and RNAseq in embryophyte mutants with assembly defects in photosynthetic complexes

In the model green alga Chlamydomonas (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), the synthesis of several chloroplast-encoded photosynthetic subunits is feedback-regulated by the assembly state of the respective protein complex. This regulation is known as control by epistasy of synthesis (CES) and matches protein synthesis with the requirements of protein complex assembly in photosystem II (PSII), the cytochrome b6f complex (Cyt b6f), photosystem I (PSI), ATP synthase and Rubisco . In embryophytes, however, CES was only described to coordinate synthesis of the large and small subunits of Rubisco, raising the question if additional CES mechanisms exist in land plants or if stoichiometric photosynthetic protein accumulation is only achieved by the wasteful degradation of excess subunits. We systematically examined suitable tobacco and Arabidopsis mutants with assembly defects in PSII, PSI, Cyt b6f complex, ATP synthase, NDH (NAD(P)H dehydrogenase-like) complex and Rubisco for feedback regulation. Thereby, we validated the CES in Rubisco and uncovered translational feedback regulation in PSII, involving psbA, psbB, psbD and psbH and in Cyt b6f, connecting PetA and PetB protein synthesis. Remarkably, some of these feedback regulation mechanisms are not conserved between the green alga and embryophytes. Our data do not provide any evidence for CES in PSI, ATP synthase or NDH complex assembly in embryophytes. In addition, our data disclose translational feedback regulation adjusting PSI levels with PSII accumulation. Overall, we discovered commonalities and differences in assembly-dependent feedback regulation of photosynthetic complexes between embryophytes and green algae. To get a comprehensive picture of potential CES in embryophytes, we used ribosome profiling to survey assembly-dependent feedback regulation in selected tobacco and Arabidopsis mutants of each of the photosynthetic complexes.