MORF9 mediated plastid RNA editing influences Arabidopsis root growth
under sugar starvation
Abstract
RNA editing is a tightly controlled process by which cytidines are
converted to uridines in RNAs transcribed from the chloroplast and
mitochondrial genomes in flowering plants. Multiple organellar RNA
editing factor (MORF) complex was recently shown to be highly associated
with C-to-U RNA editing activity of vascular plant editosome. However,
mechanisms by which MORF9 mediates plastid RNA editing to control plant
development in response to environmental cues remains obscure. In this
study, we found that loss of MORF9 function impaired PSII efficiency,
NDH activity, and carbohydrate production, rapidly promoted nuclear gene
expression including sucrose transporter and sugar/energy responsive
genes, and attenuated seedling development under sugar starvation
conditions. Sugar repletion increased MORF9 and MORF2 expression in
wild-type seedlings and promoted inefficiency of matK-706C,
accD-794C, ndhD-383C and ndhF-290C RNA editing in
morf9 mutant. This RNA editing inefficiency was associated with
altered cell division in root meristem zone and nuclear gene expression
in the morf9 mutant. Using gin2, snrk1, morf9 single and
double mutants and overexpression of SnRK1 (KIN10) or HXK1
in the morf9 mutant background demonstrated that RNA editing
efficiency of ndhD-383C and ndhF-290C sites was diminished
in the gin2/morf9 double mutants, and editing efficiency of
matK-706C, accD-794C, ndhD-383C and ndhF-290C sites was
significantly diminished in the snrk1/morf9 double mutants.
Overexpressing HXK1 or SnRK1 promoted RNA editing rate of
matK, accD, ndhD, and ndhF in leaves of
morf9 mutants,indicating that HXK1 might be required for MORF9
mediated ndhD-383C and ndhF-290C editing, while SnRK1 may
only be required for MORF9 mediated ndhF-290C site editing.
Collectively these findings suggest that sugar and/or its intermediary
metabolites impair MORF9 mediated plastid RNA editing resulting in
derangements of plant root development.