Luisa Hernandez

Fatty acid unsaturation levels affect chloroplast function and plant acclimation to environmental cues. However, the regulatory mechanism(s) controlling fatty acid unsaturation in thylakoid lipids is poorly understood. Here, we have investigated the connection between chloroplast redox homeostasis and lipid metabolism by focusing on 2-Cys peroxiredoxins (Prxs), which play a central role in balancing the redox state within the organelle. The chloroplast redox network relies on NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC), which controls the redox balance of 2-Cys Prxs to maintain the reductive activity of redox-regulated enzymes. Our results show that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants deficient in 2-Cys Prxs contain decreased levels of trienoic fatty acids, mainly in chloroplast lipids, indicating that these enzymes contribute to thylakoid membrane lipids unsaturation. This function of 2-Cys Prxs is independent of NTRC, the main reductant of these enzymes, hence 2-Cys Prxs operates beyond the classic chloroplast regulatory redox system. Moreover, the effect of 2-Cys Prxs on lipid metabolism is primarily exerted through the prokaryotic pathway of glycerolipid biosynthesis and fatty acid desaturase 8 (FAD8). While 2-Cys Prxs and FAD8 interact in leaf membranes as components of a large protein complex, the levels of FAD8 were markedly decreased when FAD8 is overexpressed in 2-Cys Prxs-deficient mutant backgrounds. These findings reveal a function for 2-Cys Prxs, possibly acting as a scaffold protein, affecting the unsaturation degree of chloroplast membranes.