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Photocatalysis as the ‘master switch’ of photomorphogenesis in early plant development

Nature Plants volume 7, pages 268–276 (2021)Cite this article

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A Publisher Correction to this article was published on 09 April 2021

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Abstract

Enzymatic photocatalysis is seldom used in biology. Photocatalysis by light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (LPOR)—one of only a few natural light-dependent enzymes—is an exception, and is responsible for the conversion of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide in chlorophyll biosynthesis. Photocatalysis by LPOR not only regulates the biosynthesis of the most abundant pigment on Earth but it is also a ‘master switch’ in photomorphogenesis in early plant development. Following illumination, LPOR promotes chlorophyll production, plastid membranes are transformed and the photosynthetic apparatus is established. Given these remarkable, light-induced pigment and morphological changes, the LPOR-catalysed reaction has been extensively studied from catalytic, physiological and plant development perspectives, highlighting vital, and multiple, cellular roles of this intriguing enzyme. Here, we offer a perspective in which the link between LPOR photocatalysis and plant photomorphogenesis is explored. Notable breakthroughs in LPOR structural biology have uncovered the structural–mechanistic basis of photocatalysis. These studies have clarified how photon absorption by the pigment protochlorophyllide—bound in a ternary LPOR–protochlorophyllide–NADPH complex—triggers photocatalysis and a cascade of complex molecular and cellular events that lead to plant morphological changes. Photocatalysis is therefore the master switch responsible for early-stage plant development and ultimately life on Earth.

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Fig. 1: Overview of the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway.
Fig. 2: The role of LPOR in chloroplast development.
Fig. 3: Overview of the structural organization of LPOR.
Fig. 4: Timeline of chemical and structural changes triggered by illumination of LPOR–Pchlide–NADPH complexes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Derren J. Heyes, Shaowei Zhang, Aoife Taylor, Linus O. Johannissen, Samantha J. O. Hardman, Sam Hay & Nigel S. Scrutton

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  1. Derren J. Heyes
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  2. Shaowei Zhang
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  3. Aoife Taylor
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  4. Linus O. Johannissen
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  5. Samantha J. O. Hardman
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  6. Sam Hay
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  7. Nigel S. Scrutton
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Contributions

D.J.H. and N.S.S. conceived and led the writing of the manuscript. S.Z., A.T., L.O.J., S.J.O.H. and S.H. contributed to the writing of specific sections, critical reading of the manuscript and reviewing of appropriate references. S.Z., D.J.H. and A.T. prepared the figures.

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Correspondence to Derren J. Heyes or Nigel S. Scrutton.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Peer review information Nature Plants thanks Bernhard Grimm, Ulrich Krauss and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Heyes, D.J., Zhang, S., Taylor, A. et al. Photocatalysis as the ‘master switch’ of photomorphogenesis in early plant development. Nat. Plants 7, 268–276 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00866-5

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