Phototropin connects blue light perception to starch metabolism in green algae
In photosynthetic organisms, light acts as an environmental signal to control their development and physiology, as well as energy source to drive the conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> into carbohydrates used for growth or storage. The main storage carbohydrate in green algae is starch, which accumulates during the day and is broken down at night to meet cellular energy demands. The signaling role of light quality in the regulation of starch accumulation remains unexplored. Here, we identify PHOTOTROPIN-MEDIATED SIGNALING KINASE 1 (PMSK1) as a key regulator of starch metabolism in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In its phosphorylated form (PMSK1-P), it activates GLYCERALDEHYDE-3-PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE (GAP1), promoting starch biosynthesis. We show that blue light, perceived by PHOTOTROPIN, induces PMSK1 dephosphorylation that in turn represses GAP1 mRNA levels and reduces starch accumulation. These findings reveal a previously uncharacterized blue light-mediated signaling pathway that advances our understanding of photoreceptor-controlled carbon metabolism in microalgae.
Authors
- Georgios Kepesidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1194-1987)
- Marius Arend
- Olivier Bastien (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1804-0222)
- Marianne Tardif (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4438-8281)
- Angeliki Tsichla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7401-1093)
- Peter Hegemann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3589-6452)
- Juliette Jouhet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4402-2194)
- Anthony A. Iannetta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9482-960X)
- И. А. Сизова (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5794-899X)
- Dimitris Petroutsos
- Jean-Philippe Kleman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5648-5295)
- Yizhong Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3386-983X)
- Emmanuel Thévenon
- Zoran Nikoloski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2671-6763)
- Leslie M. Hicks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8008-3998)
- M. Águila Ruiz‐Sola (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2281-6700)
- Sabine Brugière (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0757-0968)
- Patric W. Sadecki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0332-3177)
- Marion Schilling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2544-1879)
- Yohann Couté (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3896-6196)
- Denis Falconet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8182-1182)
- Minjae Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2356-1295)
- Yonghua Li‐Beisson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1064-1816)
Institutions
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
- Inserm (FR)
- University of Potsdam (DE)
- Sandia National Laboratories California (US)
- Carnegie Institution for Science (US)
- Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- CEA Grenoble (FR)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology (BG)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis (ES)
- Carnegie Department of Plant Biology (US)
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (DE)
- Institut de Biosciences et Biotechnologies (FR)
- Institut de Biologie Structurale (FR)
- Institut de Biosciences et biotechnologies d'Aix-Marseille (FR)
- Universidad de Sevilla (ES)
- Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-03-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57809-3
- Citations
- 12
- Primary Topic
- Algal biology and biofuel production
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.36
Funders
- International Max Planck Research School for Environmental, Cellular and Molecular Microbiology
- Human Frontier Science Program
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Uppsala Universitet
- French Infrastructure for Integrated Structural Biology