The role of BST4 in the pyrenoid ofChlamydomonas reinhardtii

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn many eukaryotic algae, CO2 fixation by Rubisco is enhanced by a CO2- concentrating mechanism, which utilizes a Rubisco-rich organelle called the pyrenoid. The pyrenoid is traversed by a network of thylakoid-membranes called pyrenoid tubules, proposed to deliver CO2. In the model algaChlamydomonas reinhardtii(Chlamydomonas), the pyrenoid tubules have been proposed to be tethered to the Rubisco matrix by a bestrophin-like transmembrane protein, BST4. Here, we show that BST4 forms a complex that localizes to the pyrenoid tubules. A Chlamydomonas mutant impaired in the accumulation of BST4 (bst4) formed normal pyrenoid tubules and heterologous expression of BST4 inArabidopsis thalianadid not lead to the incorporation of thylakoids into a reconstituted Rubisco condensate. Chlamydomonasbst4mutant did not show impaired growth at air level CO2. By quantifying the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence, we show thatbst4displays a transiently lower thylakoid lumenal pH during dark to light transition compared to control strains. When acclimated to high light,bst4had sustained higher NPQ and elevated levels of light-induced H2O2 production. We conclude that BST4 is not a tethering protein, but rather is an ion channel involved in lumenal pH regulation possibly by mediating bicarbonate transport across the pyrenoid tubules.One-sentence summaryIn Chlamydomonas, the pyrenoid-localized bestrophin-like protein BST4 is a putative ion channel involved in pH regulation of the thylakoid lumen, possibly by mediating bicarbonate transport.