malate dehydrogenase (decarboxylating) (NADP+) activity / malate metabolic process / chloroplast / NAD binding / metal ion binding Similarity search - Function
Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica (FONCYT)
PICT-2019-00079
Argentina
Citation
Journal: Mol Biol Evol / Year: 2026 Title: A milestone in C4 carbon concentration mechanism evolution: structural remodeling of NADP-malic enzyme in Poaceae. Authors: Jonas M Böhm / Simone Willms / Oja Ferrao / Martin Buitrago-Arango / Meike Hüdig / Gereon Poschmann / Nazanin Fazelnia / Luitgard Nagel-Steger / Sebastián Klinke / Athina Drakonaki / ...Authors: Jonas M Böhm / Simone Willms / Oja Ferrao / Martin Buitrago-Arango / Meike Hüdig / Gereon Poschmann / Nazanin Fazelnia / Luitgard Nagel-Steger / Sebastián Klinke / Athina Drakonaki / Christos Gatsogiannis / Marcos A Tronconi / Clarisa E Alvarez / Veronica G Maurino / Abstract: The evolution of C4 photosynthesis required extensive modification of ancestral enzymes enabling the development of an efficient carbon concentrating mechanism. A key example is NADP-malic enzyme ...The evolution of C4 photosynthesis required extensive modification of ancestral enzymes enabling the development of an efficient carbon concentrating mechanism. A key example is NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME), which, in maize and sorghum-members of the same C4 lineage-underwent gene duplication and neofunctionalization, resulting in 2 plastidic isoforms with distinct oligomeric states: a tetrameric C4-specific isoform and a dimeric housekeeping (nonC4) isoform. In this study, we resolve the structural basis of this oligomeric divergence using X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and molecular modeling combined with targeted biochemical analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the N-terminal region of nonC4-NADP-ME is involved in its oligomeric organization, whereas a suite of adaptive substitutions at the dimer interface drives the transition to the stable tetramer characteristic of the C4 isoform. Moreover, the C-terminal region stabilizes the oligomeric states of C4- and nonC4-NADP-ME through specific interactions with adaptive residues. We propose that tetramerization mitigates aggregation at the high expression levels demanded by the C4 cycle and likely creates a scaffold for the emergence of regulatory properties. Collectively, the data show that remodeling of terminal domains and inter-subunit interfaces rewires the quaternary architecture of the enzymes, illustrating how subtle structural changes can drive the evolution of complex innovations such as C4 photosynthesis.