Concerted changes in the phosphoproteome and metabolome under different CO₂/O₂ gaseous conditions in Arabidopsis rosettes

Considerable efforts are currently devoted to understanding the regulation of primary carbon metabolism in plant leaves, which is known to change dramatically with environmental conditions, e.g. during light/dark transitions. Protein phosphorylation is believed to be a key factor in such a metabolic control. In fact, some studies have suggested modifications in the phosphorylation status of key enzymes in the dark compared with the light, or when photosynthesis varies. However, a general view of the phosphoproteome and reciprocal alterations in both the phosphoproteome and metabolome under a wide spectrum of CO₂ and O₂ conditions so as to vary both gross photosynthesis and photorespiration is currently lacking. Here, we used an instant sampling system and strictly controlled gaseous conditions to examine short-term metabolome and phosphoproteome changes in Arabidopsis rosettes. We show that light/dark, CO₂ and O₂ mole fraction have differential effects on enzyme phosphorylation. Phosphorylation events that appear to be the most important to regulate metabolite contents when photosynthesis varies are those associated with sugar and pyruvate metabolism: sucrose and starch synthesis are major phosphorylation-controlled steps but pyruvate utilization (by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase) and pyruvate reformation (by pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase) are also subjected to phosphorylation control. Our results thus show that the phosphoproteome response to light/dark transition and gaseous conditions (CO₂, O₂) contributes to the rapid adjustment of major pathways of primary C metabolism.