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Review
. 2023 Aug:74:102382.
doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102382. Epub 2023 May 19.

Non-canonical and developmental roles of the TCA cycle in plants

Tao Zhang  1 , Jesus T Peng  1 , Amman Klair  1 , Alexandra J Dickinson  2
Affiliations
Review

Non-canonical and developmental roles of the TCA cycle in plants

Tao Zhang et al. Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Over recent years, our understanding of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCAC) in living organisms has expanded beyond its canonical role in cellular energy production. In plants, TCAC metabolites and related enzymes have important roles in physiology, including vacuolar function, chelation of metals and nutrients, photorespiration, and redox regulation. Research in other organisms, including animals, has demonstrated unexpected functions of the TCAC metabolites in a number of biological processes, including signaling, epigenetic regulation, and cell differentiation. Here, we review the recent progress in discovery of non-canonical roles of the TCAC. We then discuss research on these metabolites in the context of plant development, with a focus on research related to tissue-specific functions of the TCAC. Additionally, we review research describing connections between TCAC metabolites and phytohormone signaling pathways. Overall, we discuss the opportunities and challenges in discovering new functions of TCAC metabolites in plants.

Keywords: Phytohormones; Plant development; Primary metabolism; Tricarboxylic acid cycle.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Alexandra J. Dickinson reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health. Alexandra J. Dickinson reports financial support was provided by National Science Foundation. Alexandra J. Dickinson reports financial support was provided by Hellman Foundation.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A model depicting TCAC metabolites biosynthesis and distribution in the plant cell. Abbreviations: PDH, pyruvate dehydrogenase; CS, citrate synthase; ACO, aconitase; IDH, isocitrate dehydrogenase; 2-OGDH, 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase; SCL, succinyl-CoA ligase; SDH, succinate dehydrogenase; FUM, fumarase; MDH, malate dehydrogenase; FA, fatty acids. The cytosol, mitochondria, chloroplast, and peroxisome are respectively labeled. The different color boxes shown in the cellular compartments indicate TCAC metabolites transporters or carriers – DiT1, Dicarboxylate transporter 1, located in chloroplast membrane [95]; ALMT1, malate transporter, located in cell membrane; MATE, citrate transporter, located in cell membrane; SFC1, succinate/fumarate carrier 1, AtSFC1 transports citrate, isocitrate and aconite and, to a lesser extent, succinate and fumarate [96]; ?, unidentified TCAC transporters or carriers.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Schematic showing genetic elements of the TCAC that have specific effects on the growth and development of distinct plant tissues. Plant organs in seedlings and mature plants are labeled and TCAC related genes with effects on those tissues are listed. Unless otherwise labeled, all genes are from Arabidopsis. IDH1-OE (Maize) specifically means IDH1 from maize transformed into Arabidopsis. The other genes from non-Arabidopsis plants were studied in their native context, as described in the text. Citrate, malate, and oxaloacetate are labeled as known TCA metabolites that are exudated in Arabidopsis. Abbreviations: OE, overexpression. All other abbreviations can be found in Figure 1 iar4 [76], csy2 csy3 [53], mab1 [51] LPS1 (Rice) [67], fum1 [97], aco1 aco3 [98], sdh1-1 [65], sdh2-3 [79], IDH-OE (Poplar) [63], IDH1-OE (Maize) [37], pSMR1::ACO and pCYCB1::A-CO1 [69].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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