Plant biology: gatekeepers of the road to protein perdition

A Novel Signaling Pathway Required for Arabidopsis Endodermal Root Organization Shapes the Rhizosphere Microbiome

The Casparian strip (CS) constitutes a physical diffusion barrier to water and nutrients in plant roots, which is formed by the polar deposition of lignin polymer in the endodermis tissue. The precise pattern of lignin deposition is determined by the scaffolding activity of membrane-bound Casparian Strip domain proteins (CASPs), but little is known of the mechanism(s) directing this process. Here, we demonstrate that Endodermis-specific Receptor-like Kinase 1 (ERK1) and, to a lesser extent, ROP Binding Kinase1 (RBK1) are also involved in regulating CS formation, with the former playing an essential role in lignin deposition as well as in the localization of CASP1. We show that ERK1 is localized to the cytoplasm and nucleus of the endodermis and that together with the circadian clock regulator, Time for Coffee (TIC), forms part of a novel signaling pathway necessary for correct CS organization and suberization of the endodermis, with their single or combined loss of function resulting in altered root microbiome composition. In addition, we found that other mutants displaying defects in suberin deposition at the CS also display altered root exudates and microbiome composition. Thus, our work reveals a complex network of signaling factors operating within the root endodermis that establish both the CS diffusion barrier and influence the microbial composition of the rhizosphere.

TOLs Function as Ubiquitin Receptors in the Early Steps of the ESCRT Pathway in Higher Plants

Protein abundance and localization at the plasma membrane (PM) shapes plant development and mediates adaptation to changing environmental conditions. It is regulated by ubiquitination, a post-translational modification crucial for the proper sorting of endocytosed PM proteins to the vacuole for subsequent degradation. To understand the significance and the variety of roles played by this reversible modification, the function of ubiquitin receptors, which translate the ubiquitin signature into a cellular response, needs to be elucidated. In this study, we show that TOL (TOM1-like) proteins function in plants as multivalent ubiquitin receptors, governing ubiquitinated cargo delivery to the vacuole via the conserved Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) pathway. TOL2 and TOL6 interact with components of the ESCRT machinery and bind to K63-linked ubiquitin via two tandemly arranged conserved ubiquitin-binding domains. Mutation of these domains results not only in a loss of ubiquitin binding but also altered localization, abolishing TOL6 ubiquitin receptor activity. Function and localization of TOL6 is itself regulated by ubiquitination, whereby TOL6 ubiquitination potentially modulates degradation of PM-localized cargoes, assisting in the fine-tuning of the delicate interplay between protein recycling and downregulation. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the function and regulation of a ubiquitin receptor that mediates vacuolar degradation of PM proteins in higher plants.

Helping hands for budding prospects: ENTH/ANTH/VHS accessory proteins in endocytosis, vacuolar transport, and secretion

Coated vesicles provide a major mechanism for the transport of proteins through the endomembrane system of plants. Transport between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi involves vesicles with COPI and COPII coats, whereas clathrin is the predominant coat in endocytosis and post-Golgi trafficking. Sorting of cargo, coat assembly, budding, and fission are all complex and tightly regulated processes that involve many proteins. The mechanisms and responsible factors are largely conserved in eukaryotes, and increasing organismal complexity tends to be associated with a greater numbers of individual family members. Among the key factors is the class of ENTH/ANTH/VHS domain-containing proteins, which link membrane subdomains, clathrin, and other adapter proteins involved in early steps of clathrin coated vesicle formation. More than 30 Arabidopsis thaliana proteins contain this domain, but their generally low sequence conservation has made functional classification difficult. Reports from the last two years have greatly expanded our knowledge of these proteins and suggest that ENTH/ANTH/VHS domain proteins are involved in various instances of clathrin-related endomembrane trafficking in plants. This review aims to summarize these new findings and discuss the broader context of clathrin-dependent plant vesicular transport.

Expression of Arabidopsis TOL genes

A strict control of abundance and localization of plasma membrane proteins is essential for plants to be able to respond quickly and accurately to a changing environment. The proteins responsible for the initial recognition and concentration of ubiquitinated plasma membrane proteins destined for degradation, are well characterized in mammals and yeast, (1) yet no clear orthologs were found in plants. (2) Recently, we have identified a family of proteins in higher plants, which function in vacuolar targeting and subsequent degradation of ubiquitinated plasma membrane proteins (3,4) termed TOM1-like (TOL) proteins.