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The NTRC gene encodes a NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase with a joint thioredoxin domain, exclusive of photosynthetic organisms. An updated search shows that although most species harbor a single copy of the NTRC gene, two copies were identified in different species of the genus Solanum, Glycine max and the moss Physcomitrella patens. The phylogenetic analysis of NTRCs from different sources produced a tree with the major groups of photosynthetic organisms: cyanobacteria, algae and land plants, indicating the evolutionary success of the NTRC gene among photosynthetic eukaryotes. An event of alternative splicing affecting the expression of the NTRC gene was identified, which is conserved in seed plants but not in algae, bryophytes and lycophytes. The alternative splicing event results in a transcript with premature stop codon, which would produce a truncated form of the enzyme. The standard splicing/alternative splicing (SS/AS) transcripts ratio was higher in photosynthetic tissues from Arabidopsis, Brachypodium and tomato, in line with the higher content of the NTRC polypeptide in these tissues. Moreover, environmental stresses such as cold or high salt affected the SS/AS ratio of the NTRC gene transcripts in Brachypodium seedlings. These results suggest that the alternative splicing of the NTRC gene might be an additional mechanism for modulating the content of NTRC in photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic tissues of seed plants.

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are peroxidases that use thiol-based catalytic mechanisms implying redox-active cysteines. The different Prx families have homologs in all photosynthetic organisms, including plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. However, recent studies show that the physiological reduction systems that provide Prxs with reducing equivalents to sustain their activities differ considerably between cyanobacterial strains. Thus, for example, the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 is similar to the chloroplast in that it possesses an abundant 2-Cys Prx, which receives electrons from the NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC). In contrast, the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, which lacks NTRC, has little 2-Cys Prx but high amounts of PrxII and 1-Cys Prx. The characterization of cyanobacterial Prxs and their electron donors relies on straightforward enzymatic assays and tools to study the physiological relevance of these systems. Here, we present methods to measure peroxidase activities in vitro and peroxide decomposition in vivo. Several approaches to detect overoxidation of the active site cysteine in cyanobacterial 2-Cys Prxs are also described.

Three cDNAs encoding different phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK, EC 2.7.2.3) isoforms, two cytosolic (HacPGK1 and HacPGK2) and one plastidic (HapPGK), were cloned and characterized from developing sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seeds. The expression profiles of these genes showed differences in heterotrophic tissues, such as developing seeds and roots, where HacPGK1 was predominant, while HapPGK was highly expressed in photosynthetic tissues. The cDNAs were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the corresponding proteins purified to electrophoretic homogeneity, using immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography, and biochemically characterized. Despite the high level of identity between sequences, the HacPGK1 isoform showed strong differences in terms of specific activity, temperature stability and pH sensitivity in comparison to HacPGK2 and HapPGK. A polyclonal immune serum was raised against the purified HacPGK1 isoform, which showed cross-immunoreactivity with the other PGK isoforms. This serum allowed the localization of high expression levels of PGK isozymes in embryo tissues. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protein disulphide–dithiol interchange is a universal mechanism of redox regulation in which thioredoxins (Trxs) play an essential role. In heterotrophic organisms, and non-photosynthetic plant organs, NADPH provides the required reducing power in a reaction catalysed by NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase (NTR). It has been considered that chloroplasts constitute an exception because reducing equivalents for redox regulation in this organelle is provided by ferredoxin (Fd) reduced by the photosynthetic electron transport chain, not by NADPH. This view was modified by the discovery of a chloroplast-localised NTR, denoted NTRC, a bimodular enzyme formed by NTR and Trx domains with high affinity for NADPH. In this review, we will summarize the present knowledge of the biochemical properties of NTRC and discuss the implications of this enzyme on plastid redox regulation in plants. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España y Fondos FEDER de la Comisión Europea. BIO2010-15430 Junta de Andalucía. BIO-182 y CVI-5919

Cereals are among the most important cultivable crops in the world. Two phases in the life cycle of the cereal seed are distinguished: development and germination. Seed development is initiated upon fertilization and culminates in the stage of maturation, a process of massive loss of water that produces mature seed. The germination phase is initiated upon seed imbibition under appropriate environmental conditions. This process is activated by gibberellins, plant hormones synthesized in the embryo that activate the synthesis and secretion of hydrolytic enzymes by the aleurone cells, thereby allowing the mobilization of storage compounds from the starchy endosperm. During development and germination, different seed tissues suffer oxidative stress. Consequently, for the successful completion of the seed life cycle, antioxidant mechanisms are required. Here, we focus on a thiol-based antioxidant system formed by a 1-Cys peroxiredoxin (1-Cys Prx), thioredoxin h (Trx h ) and NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase (NTR). We summarize the evidence supporting the classical function proposed for the NTR/Trx redox system in the activation of storage mobilization, thus facilitating seed germination. However, evidence showing the accumulation of these proteins in nuclei of seed cells suffering oxidative stress suggests additional functions for this system.