The Rice Plastidial Phosphorylase Participates Directly In Both Sink And Source Processes

The plastidial starch phosphorylase (Pho1) functions in starch metabolism. A distinctive structural feature of the higher Pho1 is a 50-82-amino-acid long peptide (L50-L82), which is absent in phosphorylases from non-plant organisms. To study the function of the rice Pho1 L80 peptide, we complemented a pho1(-) rice mutant (BMF136) with the wild-type Pho1 gene or with a Pho1 gene lacking the L80 region (Pho1(sic)L80). While expression of Pho1 in BMF136 restored normal wild-type phenotype, the introduction of Pho1(sic)L80 enhanced the growth rate and plant productivity above wild-type levels. Mass spectrometry analysis of proteins captured by anti-Pho1 showed the surprising presence of PsaC, the terminal electron acceptor/donor subunit of photosystem I (PSI). This unexpected interaction was substantiated by reciprocal immobilized protein pull-down assays of seedling extracts and supported by the presence of Pho1 on isolated PSI complexes resolved by blue-native gels. Spectrophotometric studies showed that Pho1(sic)L80 plants exhibited modified PSI and enhanced CO2 assimilation properties. Collectively, these findings indicate that the higher plant Pho1 has dual roles as a potential modulator of source and sink processes.