The Structure and Function of Grana-Free Thylakoid Membranes in Gerontoplasts of Senescent Leaves of Vicia Faba L
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The Structure and Function of Grana-Free Thylakoid Membranes in Gerontoplasts of Senescent Leaves of Vicia faba L. H. Oskar Schmidt Zentralinstitut für Genetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung der AdW der DDR, 4325 Gatersleben Z. Naturforsch. 43c, 149-154 (1988); received March 11/September 7, 1987 Senescence, Chloroplast, Gerontoplast, Thylakoid Membrane Proteins, Electronmicroscopy, Photosynthesis In the course of yellowing (senescence) the leaves of Vicia faba L. lose 95% of their chlorophyll. Gerontoplasts develop from chloroplasts and aggregate with the pycnotic mitochon- dria and the cell nucleus in the senescent cells (organelle aggregation). The gerontoplasts contain only a few, unstacked thylakoid membranes but a large number of carotinoid-containing plasto- globuli, which after the degration of chlorophyll presumably assume the light protection of the cells. The thylakoid membranes of the gerontoplasts were isolated by means of a flotation method. Their polypeptide composition is characterized by a high proportion of light-harvesting complex. Evidence of relatively high photochemical activity shows that functional thylakoid mem- branes are present in the premortal senescence state of leaves and this suggests that there is functional compartmentation of the hydrolytic processes in this stage of the leaves' development. Introduction sequently degradation of the thylakoid membranes During the senescence (yellowing) of leaves, and of chlorophyll commences. Lipids and Caroti- genetically programmed hydrolytic processes reg- noids released in the process collect, at least to some ulated by hormones take place. These lead to the extent, in globulare osmiophilic droplets designated degradation of the cell organelles and chloroplasts as plastoglobuli according to Lichtenthaler and Sprey and finally to lysis of the cells [1,2]. The leaf alters its [7], The "senescent chloroplast" containing irregu- most important function within the plant during this larly arranged grana stacks and numerous plasto- stage of development: the photosynthesizing ap- globuli, is formed; it usually also contains starch paratus is degraded; nitrogen compounds and carbo- grains and is typical of senescent leaves with its yel- hydrates are mobilized in the leaf and moved to the low-green colour. plant's storage organs or, in the case of annuals, to The further degradation of the thylakoid mem- the soil substrate. From being a C02 assimilation branes leads to a type of plastid that has only a few organ the leaf becomes a supplier of nutrients to the unstacked thylakoids, does not normally contain any plant. starch, and is filled mainly with plastoglobuli. This In spite of the progression of the degradation proc- premortal stage of chloroplast development was de- esses during leaf yellowing, the leaf cells, including scribed by Sitte [8, 31] as "gerontoplast". These or- the cell organelles and membranes in the cells at each ganelles contain only traces of chlorophyll and ac- particular stage of degradation, remain functional for cordingly their function also differs from that of the a prolonged period (up to several weeks). chloroplasts (see Discussion). Extensive biochemical investigations and examina- Numerous investigations have been carried out on tions by electron microscopy have been carried out grana-containing thylakoid membranes from mature on the degradation of chloroplasts, at least in the and senescent chloroplasts [9—12] but none are avail- initial stages of senescence [3-6]. As a rule, the able on thylakoids of gerontoplasts. In the present chloroplasts pass through a series of typical degrada- work these thylakoids were isolated by means of a tion stages. The content of ribulose diphosphate car- flotation method in order to examine the structure boxylase-oxygenase in the "mature" chloroplasts of and function of these final degradation products of green leaves drops with the onset of senescence. Sub- the thylakoid system of chloroplasts. Present address: Boschstraße, Postfach 220, D-6703 Lim- Materials and Methods burgerhof. Test object Reprint requests to Dr. O. Schmidt. Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, D-7400 Tübingen Vicia faba L. cv. Dornburger Ackerbohne was 0341 -0382/88/159 - 0155 $01.30/0 grown for about 5 weeks in a hydroculture in a con- 150 H. O. Schmidt • Structure and Function of Grana-Free Thylakoid Membranes trolled environment chamber up to the 12-leaf stage. fone acid, respectively, as described by Metzger and The shoots of these plants were cut above and below Ohmann [14]. the 3rd leaf node and placed in bottles containing distilled water. In a controlled environment chamber Electrophoretic separation at 2000 lux and 18 °C the leaves on these shoot sec- The membranes were dissolved in 1% SDS, 1 mM tions turned yellow reproducibly within 7—9 days. phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 1 mM iodoacetamide, 50 mM tris-HCl, pH 8.9, and the proteins were sepa- Electron microscopy rated in slab gels (10% polyacylamide and 5 M urea) as described by Schmidt [15]. Staining was carried Leaf sections and isolated thylakoid membranes out with Coomassie Brilliant blue G 250. Densito- were fixed with 3% glutaraldehyde and 1% 0s04, grams were prepared with the aid of a Zeiss Schnell- embedded in Epon and examined on a JEM 2 (Jeol, photometer III (VEB Carl Zeiss, Jena, GDR). Japan). Number of chloroplasts Results The determination of the chloroplast count per cell Yellowing of the leaves of Vicia faba / was carried out according to Possingham and Sauer The senescence of the field bean Vicia faba L. pro- [30]. ceeds progressively, i.e. the lower, oldest leaves begin to turn yellow on the flowering plant, while leaves and blossoms are being formed at the tip of Isolation of thylakoid membranes the shoot. In the case of plants growing outdoors, the The chloroplasts were isolated using a flotation weather causes most of the yellowing leaves to drop method [13]. Leaves that had turned completely yel- off before they have turned completely yellow and low (2 mg chlorophyll/cm2) were homogenized in iso- reached the final premortal senescent stage. lation buffer (75 MM tris-HCl, pH 7.8, 0.5 M sucrose, In order to obtain sufficient quantities of yellowed 0.2% human serum albumin, 0.2% polyvinylpyrroli- leaves for the isolation of gerontoplasts, green leaves done, 0.1 mM diisopropylfluorophosphate and were removed from the plant together with a piece of 0.1 mM iodoacetamide), pressed through nylon shoot and brought reproducibly to complete yellow- gauze and centrifuged for 2 min at 600 x g. The plas- ing in a controlled environment chamber. The leaves tids were separated from the supernatant by centrifu- used for isolating gerontoplasts were completely yel- gation (30 min at 20,000 xg), suspended in 50 mM low but were still turgescent (premortal state of tris-HCl, pH 7.5, 31% sucrose (w/w), 0.1 mM diiso- senescence). Under the chosen conditions they exhi- propylfluorophosphate and 0.1 mM iodoacetamide, bited the same features of senescence as leaves on and introduced into the middle layer of a multi-stage outdoor plants, both externally and under a light density gradient (17%, 21%, 25%, 31%, 33%, 35% microscope. During yellowing the chlorophyll con- and 42% sucrose (w/w), in 50 mM tris-HCl, pH 7.5). tent of the leaves dropped from 35 ± 2 (ig (S. E.) chl/ As the result of centrifugation (25 min at 40,000 x g), cm2 (=100%) to 1.5 ±0.4 [ig chl/cm2 (4.3%). In gerontoplasts floated to the surface of the gradient; addition, the ratio of chl a to chl b decreased from senescent chloroplasts were found in the 25% and 2.8 ±0.1 to 2.2 ±0.1, the protein content decreased 31% layers. Whole and fragmented mature chloro- from 382 ± 14 pg/cm2 to 88 ± 14 pg/cm2 (23.0%) and plasts sedimented into the 42% layer. The geronto- the nitrogen content from 165 ± 5 |ig/cm2 to plasts were collected and shocked osmotically with 45 ±2 jig/cm2 (27.3%). The number of chloroplasts distilled water. The thylakoids were then pelleted by per palisade cell remained constant: 98 ±5 were centrifugation (30 min at 40,000 Xg). counted in green leaves and 107 ± 7 in yellow leaves. Since no chloroplast division takes place during senescence, it may be concluded that there is no de- Assay of photosynthetic activity gradation of complete chloroplasts by phagocytosis The electron transport was measured from water, or lysis during this period and that thylakoid mem- benzidine and DCPIP/DCMU to anthraquinon sul- branes are always degraded inside the chloroplasts. 151 H. O. Schmidt • Structure and Function of Grana-Free Thylakoid Membranes Microscopic examination of chloroplasts and Under an electron microscope the chloroplast of gerontoplasts Vicia faba proved to be typical of higher plants Examination of green leaves under a light micro- (Fig. 2a). In the course of senescence the diameter scope showed that the chloroplasts in the cell were of the plastids decreased from 6 |xm to about 2 ^im: dispersed uniformly over the surface (Fig. la). They also moved into the part of the palisade cells Fig. 1. Electron micrographs of plastids in palisade cells from leaves of various stages of senescence, a) Green leaf (35 (xg chl/cm2); b) yellow-green leaf (7 (xg chl/cm2); c) yellow leaf (1.5 |xg chl/cm2). Magnification: x570. C = chloroplast. N = nucleus. Fig. 2. Electron micrographs of chloroplasts and gerontoplasts from leaves of Vicia faba. a) Chloroplast from a green leaf (35 ng chl/cm2) x 13,300; b) cell organelle aggregation: cell nucleus with gerontoplasts and pycnotic mitochondria from a yellow leaf (1.5 ng chl/cm2) x 7500; c) gerontoplast as b) x 20,000. 152 H. O. Schmidt • Structure and Function of Grana-Free Thylakoid Membranes away from the epidermis (Fig. lb), in which the cell nucleus was also located. In yellow leaves the plas- tids enclose the cell nucleus as a continuous casing (Fig.