Paper · 2024 · The Plant Journal

Cytochrome c levels link mitochondrial function to plant growth and stress responses through changes in SnRK1 pathway activity

Florencia P. Coronel; Diana E. Gras; M. Victoria Canal; et al.

10
claims
18
verbatim quotes
5
citations
2
research areas
—
Not open access

Abstract

Energy is required for growth as well as for multiple cellular processes. During evolution, plants developed regulatory mechanisms to adapt energy consumption to metabolic reserves and cellular needs. Reduced growth is often observed under stress, leading to a growth-stress trade-off that governs plant performance under different conditions. In this work, we report that plants with reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome c (CYTc), required for electron transport coupled to oxidative phosphorylation and ATP production, show impaired growth and increased global expression of stress-responsive genes, similar to those observed after inhibiting the respiratory chain or the mitochondrial ATP synthase. CYTc-deficient plants also show activation of the SnRK1 pathway, which regulates growth, metabolism, and stress responses under carbon starvation conditions, even though their carbohydrate levels are not significantly different from wild-type. Notably, loss-of-function of the gene encoding the SnRK1α1 subunit restores the growth of CYTc-deficient plants, as well as autophagy, free amino acid and TOR pathway activity levels, which are affected in these plants. Moreover, increasing CYTc levels decreases SnRK1 pathway activation, reflected in reduced SnRK1α1 phosphorylation, with no changes in total SnRK1α1 protein levels. Under stress imposed by mannitol, the growth of CYTc-deficient plants is relatively less affected than that of wild-type plants, which is also related to the activation of the SnRK1 pathway. Our results indicate that SnRK1 function is affected by CYTc levels, thus providing a molecular link between mitochondrial function and plant growth under normal and stress conditions.

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Claims 10

Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Plants with reduced CYTc show impaired growth.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee1
Treatment
reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome ce1
Outcome
growthe2
Direction
impairede2

Not reportedComparator

Verbatim

e1

“plants with reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome c (CYTc)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 373–468 · show in text ↑
e2

“show impaired growth and increased global expression of stress-responsive genes”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 559–638 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Plants with reduced CYTc show increased global expression of stress-responsive genes.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee1
Treatment
reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome ce1
Gene
stress-responsive genese2
Outcome
global expressione2
Direction
increasede2

Not reportedComparator

Verbatim

e1

“plants with reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome c (CYTc)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 373–468 · show in text ↑
e2

“show impaired growth and increased global expression of stress-responsive genes”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 559–638 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

CYTc-deficient plants show activation of the SnRK1 pathway.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee1
Treatment
reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome ce1
Outcome
SnRK1 pathwaye3
Direction
activatione3

Not reportedComparator

Verbatim

e1

“plants with reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome c (CYTc)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 373–468 · show in text ↑
e3

“CYTc-deficient plants also show activation of the SnRK1 pathway”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 740–803 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultno effectnot significant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

The carbohydrate levels of CYTc-deficient plants are not significantly different from wild-type.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee1
Treatment
reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome ce1
Outcome
carbohydrate levelse4
Direction
not significantly differente4
Comparator
wild-typee4

Verbatim

e1

“plants with reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome c (CYTc)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 373–468 · show in text ↑
e4

“even though their carbohydrate levels are not significantly different from wild-type”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 898–982 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Loss of function of the SnRK1α1 gene restores the growth of CYTc-deficient plants.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee5
Treatment
loss-of-function of the gene encoding the SnRK1α1 subunite5
Gene
SnRK1α1e5
Outcome
growthe5
Direction
restorese5
Comparator
CYTc-deficient plantse5

Verbatim

e5

“loss-of-function of the gene encoding the SnRK1α1 subunit restores the growth of CYTc-deficient plants”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 993–1095 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Loss of function of SnRK1α1 restores autophagy, free amino acid and TOR pathway activity levels in CYTc-deficient plants.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee5
Treatment
loss-of-function of the gene encoding the SnRK1α1 subunite5
Outcome
autophagy, free amino acid and TOR pathway activity levelse6
Direction
restorese5
Comparator
CYTc-deficient plantse5

Verbatim

e5

“loss-of-function of the gene encoding the SnRK1α1 subunit restores the growth of CYTc-deficient plants”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 993–1095 · show in text ↑
e6

“as well as autophagy, free amino acid and TOR pathway activity levels, which are affected in these plants”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1097–1202 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Increasing CYTc levels decreases SnRK1 pathway activation, reflected in reduced SnRK1α1 phosphorylation.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee1
Treatment
increasing CYTc levelse7
Outcome
SnRK1 pathway activatione7
Direction
decreasese7
Qualifier
reduced SnRK1α1 phosphorylatione7

Not reportedComparator

Verbatim

e1

“plants with reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome c (CYTc)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 373–468 · show in text ↑
e7

“increasing CYTc levels decreases SnRK1 pathway activation, reflected in reduced SnRK1α1 phosphorylation, with no changes in total SnRK1α1 protein levels”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1214–1366 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultno effectmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Increasing CYTc levels did not change total SnRK1α1 protein levels.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee1
Treatment
increasing CYTc levelse7
Outcome
total SnRK1α1 protein levelse7
Direction
no changese7

Not reportedComparator

Verbatim

e1

“plants with reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome c (CYTc)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 373–468 · show in text ↑
e7

“increasing CYTc levels decreases SnRK1 pathway activation, reflected in reduced SnRK1α1 phosphorylation, with no changes in total SnRK1α1 protein levels”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1214–1366 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Under mannitol stress, the growth of CYTc-deficient plants is relatively less affected than that of wild-type plants.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee5
Treatment
stress imposed by mannitole5
Outcome
growthe5
Direction
less affectede5
Comparator
wild-type plantse5

Verbatim

e5

“Under stress imposed by mannitol, the growth of CYTc-deficient plants is relatively less affected than that of wild-type plants”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1368–1495 · show in text ↑
Mechanismauthor interpretationoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

SnRK1 function is affected by CYTc levels.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee1
Outcome
SnRK1 functione4
Qualifier
CYTc levelse4

Verbatim

e1

“plants with reduced levels of the mitochondrial respiratory chain component cytochrome c (CYTc)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 373–468 · show in text ↑
e4

“Our results indicate that SnRK1 function is affected by CYTc levels”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1559–1626 · show in text ↑

loss of function · molecular: metabolites · Viridiplantae (plants)Positive and negative results

14 papers: 5 positive, 9 negative or no effect

4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 8 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative

  1. negative
  2. negative
  3. negative

10 papers more in this group

See all 14 papers →

loss of function · growth · Viridiplantae (plants)Positive and negative results

16 papers: 7 positive, 9 negative or no effect

6 papers in the same direction as this paper · 9 in the opposite direction

  1. negative
  2. negative
  3. negative

12 papers more in this group

See all 16 papers →

Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.