Nucleotide limitation results in impaired photosynthesis, reduced growth and seed yield together with massively altered gene expression

Nucleotide limitation and imbalance is a well described phenomenon in animal research but understudied in the plant field. A peculiarity of pyrimidine de novo synthesis in plants is the complex subcellular organization. Here, we studied two organellar localized enzymes in the pathway, with chloroplast aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATC), and mitochondrial dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). ATC knockdowns were most severely affected, exhibiting low levels of pyrimidine nucleotides, a low energy state, reduced photosynthetic capacity and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, altered leaf morphology and chloroplast ultrastructure were observed in ATC mutants. Although less affected, DHODH knockdown mutants showed impaired seed germination and altered mitochondrial ultrastructure. Transcriptome analysis of an ATC-amiRNA line revealed massive alterations in gene expression with central metabolic pathways being downregulated and stress response and RNA related pathways being upregulated. In addition, genes involved in central carbon metabolism, intracellular transport and respiration were mainly downregulated in ATC mutants, being putatively responsible for the observed impaired growth. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARYImpaired pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis results in nucleotide limitation and imbalance, resulting in impaired photosynthesis, reduced growth, reproduction, and seed yield together with massively altered gene expression