Hao Zhang

Upon exposure of photosynthetic organisms to high light (HL), several HL acclimation responses are triggered. Herein, we identified a novel gene, slr0320, critical for HL acclimation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The growth rate of the Δslr0320 mutant was similar to wild type (WT) under normal light (NL) but severely declined under HL. Net photosynthesis of the mutant was lower under HL, but maximum photosystem II (PSII) activity was higher under NL and HL. Immunodetection revealed the accumulation and assembly of PSII were similar between WT and the mutant. Chlorophyll fluorescence traces showed the stable fluorescence of the mutant under light was much higher. Kinetics of single flash-induced chlorophyll fluorescence increase and decay revealed the slower electron transfer from Q_A to Q_B in the mutant. These data indicate that, in the Δslr0320 mutant, the number of functional PSIIs was comparable to WT even under HL but the electron transfer between Q_A and Q_B was inefficient. Quantitative proteomics and real-time PCR revealed that expression profiles of psbL, psbH and psbI were significantly altered in the Δslr0320 mutant. Thus, Slr0320 protein plays critical roles in optimizing PSII activity during HL acclimation and is essential for PSII electron transfer from Q_A to Q_B.

It has long been recognized that stomatal movement modulates CO₂ availability and as a consequence the photosynthetic rate of plants, and that this process is feedback-regulated by photoassimilates. However, the genetic components and mechanisms underlying this regulatory loop remain poorly understood, especially in monocot crop species. Here, we report the cloning and functional characterization of a maize (Zea mays) mutant named closed stomata1 (cst1). Map-based cloning of cst1 followed by confirmation with the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/ CRISPR associated protein 9 system identified the causal mutation in a Clade I Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporters (SWEET) family gene, which leads to the E81K mutation in the CST1 protein. CST1 encodes a functional glucose transporter expressed in subsidiary cells, and the E81K mutation strongly impairs the oligomerization and glucose transporter activity of CST1. Mutation of CST1 results in reduced stomatal opening, carbon starvation, and early senescence in leaves, suggesting that CST1 functions as a positive regulator of stomatal opening. Moreover, CST1 expression is induced by carbon starvation and suppressed by photoassimilate accumulation. Our study thus defines CST1 as a missing link in the feedback-regulation of stomatal movement and photosynthesis by photoassimilates in maize.