| description |
The l-galactose (Smirnoff-Wheeler) pathway represents the major route to l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) biosynthesis in plants. Arabidopsis thaliana VTC2 and its paralogue VTC5 function as GDP-l-galactose phosphorylases converting GDP-l-galactose to l-galactose-1-P, thus catalyzing the first committed step in the biosynthesis of l-ascorbate. Here we report that the l-galactose pathway of ascorbate biosynthesis described in higher plants is conserved in green algae. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii genome encodes all the enzymes required for vitamin C biosynthesis via the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway. We have characterized recombinant C. reinhardtii VTC2 as an active GDP-l-galactose phosphorylase. C. reinhardtii cells exposed to oxidative stress show increased VTC2 mRNA and l-ascorbate levels. We have also shown that enzymatic components of the ascorbate-glutathione system (e.g. ascorbate peroxidase, Mn superoxide dismutase, dehydroascorbate reductase) are up-regulated in response to increased oxidative stress. These results indicate that C. reinhardtii VTC2, like its plant homologs, is a key enzyme in ascorbate biosynthesis in green algae and together with components of the ascorbate recycling system represents the major route in providing protective levels of ascorbate in oxidatively stressed algal cells. Our results suggest that C. reinhardtii cells exposed to oxidative stress conditions produce more ascorbate both by de novo synthesis (Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway) and by recycling via the ascorbate-glutathione cycle.Overall design: Sampling of Chlamydomonas 2137 exposed to hydrogen peroxide |