Sonia
Dorion
Research assistant
Laboratory of Jean Rivoal
dorionsonia@hotmail.com

RESEARCH PROJECTS


Characterization of plant nucleoside diphosphate kinase: expression, regulation and function
My main research project concerns the characterization of plant nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDP Kinase). This enzyme is implicated in nucleoside triphosphate metabolism. We have set up a specific assay to measure the activity of this enzyme. We have demonstrated that cytosolic NDP Kinase is associated with plant growth and preferentially expressed in meristematic tissues. We have also identified and characterized a mechanism of autophosphorylation for NDP Kinase. This autophosphorylation on a conserved Serine residue is involved in the regulation of NDP Kinase activity. We have characterized the role of this enzyme using transgenic roots. Our results demonstrate that the level of expression of cytosolic NDP Kinase influences growth, respiration and the balance between carbon fluxes to the starch and cellulose biosynthetic pathways.

Characterization of plant cytosolic triosephosphate isomerase
I also work on triosephosphate isomerase (TPI). We have determined that the cytosolic isoform of this enzyme is more abundant than the plastidic isoform in all potato tissues. We have also shown that cytosolic TPI is differentially expressed in leaves during development. In order to better understand the role of cytosolic TPI in plants, we have characterized transgenic roots modified with an antisense construct for this enzyme. This study revealed that a decrease in the activity of cytosolic TPI results in a partial redirection of the carbon flow from glycolysis to the pentose phosphate pathway.



BACKGROUND


Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology, (2001) University of Laval
Research project: Mechanisms of activation and desensitization of the p38 pathway by heat shock.

M.Sc. in biology, option: Plant Physiology, (1996) University of Montreal
Research project: Drought-induced male sterility in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): effect of meiotic-stage stress on carbohydrate metabolism in anthers.



FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS


  • NSERC Postdoctoral fellowship
  • MRC PhD scholarship
  • NSERC Graduate scholaship


  • He J.Z., Dorion S., Lacroix M., Rivoal J. (2019) Sustained substrate cycles between hexose phosphates and free sugars in phosphate‑deficient potato (Solanum tuberosum) cell cultures. Planta 249:1319–1336
  • Dorion S., Rivoal J. (2018) Plant nucleoside diphosphate kinase 1: A housekeeping enzyme with moonlighting activity (Invited contribution). Plant Signaling & Behavior 13:e1475804
  • Troncoso-Ponce M.A., Rivoal J., Dorion S., Venegas-Calerón M., Moreno-Pérez A.J., Baud S., Sánchez R., Garcés R., Martínez-Force E. (2018) Molecular and biochemical characterization of the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L) cytosolic and plastidial enolases in relation to seed development. Plant Science 272:117-130
  • Dorion S., Clendenning A., Rivoal J. (2017) Engineering the expression level of cytosolic nucleoside diphosphate kinase in transgenic Solanum tuberosum roots alters growth, respiration and carbon metabolism. The Plant Journal 89: 914–926
  • Dumont S., Bykova N.V., Pelletier G., Dorion S., Rivoal J. (2016) Cytosolic triosephosphate isomerase from Arabidopsis thaliana is reversibly modified by glutathione on cysteines 127 and 218. Frontiers in Plant Science 7: 1942
  • Liu Y., Joly V., Dorion S., Rivoal J., Matton D.P. (2015) The plant ovule secretome: a different view toward pollen-pistil interactions. Journal of Proteome Research 14: 4763–4775
  • Auslender E.L., Dorion S., Dumont S., Rivoal J. (2015) Expression, purification and characterization of Solanum tuberosum recombinant cytosolic pyruvate kinase. Protein Expression and Purification 110: 7-13
  • Dorion S., Rivoal J. (2015) Clues to the function of plant NDPK isoforms (Invited review). Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology 388: 119-132
  • Dagenais-Bellefeuille S., Dorion S., Rivoal J., Morse D. (2014) The dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum responds to N depletion by cell cycle arrest and a polarized deposition of starch and lipid bodies. PloS ONE 9: e111067
  • Claeyssen É., Dorion S., Clendenning A., He J.Z., Wally O., Chen J., Auslender E.L., Moisan M.C., Jolicoeur M., Rivoal J. (2013) The futile cycling of hexose phosphates could account for the fact that hexokinase exerts a high control on glucose phosphorylation but not on glycolytic rate in transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum) roots. PloS ONE 8: e53898 (*Equal contribution to the work)
  • Dorion S., Clendenning A., Jeukens J., Salas J.J., Parveen N., Haner A.A, Law R.D., Martínez Force E., Rivoal J. (2012) A large decrease of cytosolic triosephosphate isomerase in transgenic potato roots affects the distribution of carbon in primary metabolism. Planta 236: 1177-1190
  • Troncoso-Ponce M.A., Rivoal J., Venegas-Calerón M., Dorion S., Sánchez R., Cejudo F.J., Garcés R, Martínez-Force E. (2012) Molecular cloning and biochemical characterization of three phosphoglycerate kinase isoforms from developing sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seeds. Phytochemistry 79: 27-38
  • Troncoso-Ponce M.A., Rivoal J., Dorion S., Moisan M.C., Garcés R, Martínez-Force E. (2011) Cloning, biochemical characterization and expression of a sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) hexokinase associated with seed storage compounds accumulation. Journal of Plant Physiology 168: 299-308
  • Troncoso-Ponce M.A., Rivoal J., Cejudo F.J., Dorion S., Garcés R., Martínez-Force E. (2010) Cloning, biochemical characterisation, tissue localization and possible post-translational regulatory mechanism of the cytosolic phosphoglucose isomerase from developing sunflower. Planta 232: 845-859
  • Dorion S., Rivoal J. (2009) A rapid ion exchange procedure that facilitates spectrophotometric assays of phosphorylated metabolites in potato extracts. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 31: 855-859
  • Dorion S., Dumas F., Rivoal J. (2006) Autophosphorylation of Solanum chacoense cytosolic nucleoside diphosphate kinase on Ser117. Journal of Experimental Botany 57: 4079-4088
  • Dorion S., Matton D.P., Rivoal J. (2006) Cloning and characterization of a cytosolic nucleoside diphosphate kinase associated with cell division and growth in potato. Planta 224: 108-124
    Note: Figure 9 of this article was selected by the editor Springer for the cover of the Journal Acta Physiologiae Plantarum issues between January 2007 and December 2011.
  • Dorion S., Parveen N., Jeukens J., Matton D.P., Rivoal J. (2005) Cloning and characterization of a cytosolic triosephosphate isomerase developmentally regulated in potato leaves. Plant Science 168: 183-194
  • Dorion S., Parveen N., Jeukens J., Rivoal J. (2005) Characterization and expression of potato triosephosphate isomerase isoforms. In Photosynthesis: Fundamental Aspects to Global Perspectives, Vol 2 (A. van der Est, D. Bruce eds.), Allen Press. pp 903-905
  • Rivoal J., Dorion S., Claeyssen É., Zhang H. (2004) Organization of the plant cytosolic glycolytic pathway and its regulation by abiotic stresses in nonphotosynthetic tissues. In Recent Research Developments in Environmental Biology, Vol 1. (S.G. Pandalai ed.), Research Signpost. pp 77-100
  • Dorion S., Rivoal J. (2003) The quantification of UDP-glucose by HPLC and its application to a non-radioactive assay for nucleoside diphosphate kinase using UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase as a coupling enzyme. Analytical Biochemistry 323: 188-196
  • Dorion S., Landry J. (2002) Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways by heat shock. Cell Stress Chaperones 7(2):200-206
  • Dorion S., Lambert H., Landry J. (2002) Activation of the p38 signaling pathway by heat shock involves the dissociation of glutathione S-transferase Mu from Ask1. Journal of Biological Chemistry 277:30792-7
  • Dorion S., Bérubé J., Huot J., Landry, J. (1999) A short lived protein involved in the heat shock sensing mechanism responsible for stress-activated protein kinase 2 (SAPK2/p38) activation. Journal of Biological Chemistry 274:37591-37597
  • Dufresne C., Cormier F., Dorion S., Niggli U., Pfister S., Pfander H. (1999) Glycosylation of encapsulated crocetin by a Crocus sativus L. cell culture. Enzyme and Microbial Technology 24: 453-462
  • Dufresne C., Cormier F., Dorion S. (1997) In vitro formation of crocetin glucosyl esters by Crocus sativus L. callus extract. Planta Medica 63:150-153
  • Dorion S., Lalonde S., Saini H.S. (1996) Induction of male sterility in wheat by meiotic-stage water deficit is preceded by a decline in invertase activity and changes in carbohydrate metabolism in anthers. Plant Physiology 111: 137-145
  • Cormier F., Dufresne C., Dorion S. (1995) Enhanced crocetin glucosylation by means of maltosyl-β-cyclodextrin encapsulation. Biotechnology Techniques 9: 553-556

Institut de recherche en biologie vegetale.

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