Metabolomic analysis of sulfur deficiency in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Christian Bölling1 and Lothar Willmitzer

Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany; 1Current address: Charité Medical School, Monbijoustr. 2, 10117 Berlin, Germany

The comprehensive study of the changes of metabolite composition, or metabolomics, in response to environmental, genetic or developmental signals is an important complement of other functional genomic techniques to understand how genes, proteins and metabolites are integrated into a seamless and dynamic network to sustain cellular functions. In a metabolomics approach the adaptation to sulfur deficiency was analyzed and responses of wild-type cells compared with mutant cells deficient in SAC1, an important regulator of the sulfur deficiency response. Multivariate data analysis techniques revealed five main types of response patterns of metabolite pools under sulfur deprivation, of which the most prominent is the gradual decline of metabolite pools as sulfur depletion continues. Whereas concurrent metabolite depletion and accumulation occurs during adaptation to sulfur deficiency in wild-type cells, the sac1 mutant strain is characterized by a massive incapability to sustain many processes that normally lead to transient or permanent accumulation of the levels of certain metabolites or recovery of metabolite levels after initial down-regulation. Modulation of individual metabolites confirmed the inability of sac1 cells to enhance scavenging and uptake of sulfur and to adjust metabolic activity in response to sulfur deprivation.

e-mail address of presenting author: christian.boelling@charite.de