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Huang Y, Xia P. Biomolecular condensates in plant cells: Mediating and integrating environmental signals and development. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 347:112178. [PMID: 38971467 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 06/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
In response to the spatiotemporal coordination of various biochemical reactions and membrane-encapsulated organelles, plants appear to provide another effective mechanism for cellular organization by phase separation that allows the internal compartmentalization of cells to form a variety of membrane-less organelles. Most of the research on phase separation has centralized in various non-plant systems, such as yeast and animal systems. Recent studies have shown a remarkable correlation between the formation of condensates in plant systems and the formation of condensates in these systems. Moreover, the last decade has made new advances in phase separation research in the context of plant biology. Here, we provide an overview of the physicochemical forces and molecular factors that drive liquid-liquid phase separation in plant cells and the biochemical characterization of condensates. We then explore new developments in phase separation research specific to plants, discussing examples of condensates found in green plants and detailing their role in plant growth and development. We propose that phase separation may be a conserved organizational mechanism in plant evolution to help plants respond rapidly and effectively to various environmental stresses as sessile organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Huang
- College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Pengguo Xia
- College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
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2
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Wu P, Li Y. Prion-like Proteins in Plants: Key Regulators of Development and Environmental Adaptation via Phase Separation. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:2666. [PMID: 39339640 PMCID: PMC11435361 DOI: 10.3390/plants13182666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2024] [Revised: 09/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024]
Abstract
Prion-like domains (PrLDs), a unique type of low-complexity domain (LCD) or intrinsically disordered region (IDR), have been shown to mediate protein liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Recent research has increasingly focused on how prion-like proteins (PrLPs) regulate plant growth, development, and stress responses. This review provides a comprehensive overview of plant PrLPs. We analyze the structural features of PrLPs and the mechanisms by which PrLPs undergo LLPS. Through gene ontology (GO) analysis, we highlight the diverse molecular functions of PrLPs and explore how PrLPs influence plant development and stress responses via phase separation. Finally, we address unresolved questions about PrLP regulatory mechanisms, offering prospects for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peisong Wu
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China;
| | - Yihao Li
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China;
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Guangdong Zhuhai–Macao Joint Biotech Laboratory, Advanced Institute of Natural Science, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China
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3
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Legen J, Lenzen B, Kachariya N, Feltgen S, Gao Y, Mergenthal S, Weber W, Klotzsch E, Zoschke R, Sattler M, Schmitz-Linneweber C. A prion-like domain is required for phase separation and chloroplast RNA processing during cold acclimation in Arabidopsis. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:2851-2872. [PMID: 38723165 PMCID: PMC11289645 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koae145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants can produce photosynthetic tissue with active chloroplasts at temperatures as low as 4°C, and this process depends on the presence of the nuclear-encoded, chloroplast-localized RNA-binding protein CP29A. In this study, we demonstrate that CP29A undergoes phase separation in vitro and in vivo in a temperature-dependent manner, which is mediated by a prion-like domain (PLD) located between the two RNA recognition motif domains of CP29A. The resulting droplets display liquid-like properties and are found near chloroplast nucleoids. The PLD is required to support chloroplast RNA splicing and translation in cold-treated tissue. Together, our findings suggest that plant chloroplast gene expression is compartmentalized by inducible condensation of CP29A at low temperatures, a mechanism that could play a crucial role in plant cold resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Legen
- Molecular Genetics, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Philippstrasse 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Benjamin Lenzen
- Molecular Genetics, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Philippstrasse 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Nitin Kachariya
- Helmholtz Munich, Institute of Structural Biology, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, Munich 85764, Germany
- Department of Bioscience, Bavarian NMR Center, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, Garching 85747, Germany
| | - Stephanie Feltgen
- Molecular Genetics, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Philippstrasse 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Yang Gao
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - Simon Mergenthal
- Institute for Biology, Experimental Biophysics/Mechanobiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Willi Weber
- Institute for Biology, Experimental Biophysics/Mechanobiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Enrico Klotzsch
- Institute for Biology, Experimental Biophysics/Mechanobiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Reimo Zoschke
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - Michael Sattler
- Helmholtz Munich, Institute of Structural Biology, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, Munich 85764, Germany
- Department of Bioscience, Bavarian NMR Center, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, Garching 85747, Germany
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4
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Garai S, Raizada A, Kumar V, Sopory SK, Pareek A, Singla-Pareek SL, Kaur C. In silico analysis of fungal prion-like proteins for elucidating their role in plant-fungi interactions. Arch Microbiol 2024; 206:308. [PMID: 38896139 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-04040-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Prion-like proteins (PrLPs) have emerged as beneficial molecules with implications in adaptive responses. These proteins possess a conserved prion-like domain (PrLD) which is an intrinsically disordered region capable of adopting different conformations upon perceiving external stimuli. Owing to changes in protein conformation, functional characteristics of proteins harboring PrLDs get altered thereby, providing a unique mode of protein-based regulation. Since PrLPs are ubiquitous in nature and involved in diverse functions, through this study, we aim to explore the role of such domains in yet another important physiological process viz. plant-microbe interactions to get insights into the mechanisms dictating cross-kingdom interactions. We have evaluated the presence and functions of PrLPs in 18 different plant-associated fungi of agricultural importance to unravel their role in plant-microbe interactions. Of the 241,997 proteins scanned, 3,820 (~ 1.6%) were identified as putative PrLPs with pathogenic fungi showing significantly higher PrLP density than their beneficial counterparts. Further, through GO enrichment analysis, we could predict several PrLPs from pathogenic fungi to be involved in virulence and formation of stress granules. Notably, PrLPs involved in (retro)transposition were observed exclusively in pathogenic fungi. We even analyzed publicly available data for the expression alterations of fungal PrLPs upon their interaction with their respective hosts which revealed perturbation in the levels of some PrLP-encoding genes during interactions with plants. Overall, our work sheds light into the probable role of prion-like candidates in plant-fungi interaction, particularly in context of pathogenesis, paving way for more focused studies for validating their role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sampurna Garai
- Plant Stress Biology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Avi Raizada
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India
| | - Vijay Kumar
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India
| | - Sudhir K Sopory
- Plant Stress Biology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Ashwani Pareek
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India
| | - Sneh L Singla-Pareek
- Plant Stress Biology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Charanpreet Kaur
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
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Svedružić ŽM, Ryou C, Choi D, Lee SH, Cheon YP. Physiology of Cellular Prion Proteins in Reproduction. Dev Reprod 2024; 28:29-36. [PMID: 39055100 PMCID: PMC11268893 DOI: 10.12717/dr.2024.28.2.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Cellular prion protein (PrPC) encoded at Prnp gene is well-known to form a misfolded isoform, termed scrapie PrP (PrPSC) that cause transmissible degenerative diseases in central nervous system. The physiological role of PrPC has been proposed by many studies, showing that PrPC interacts with various intracellular, membrane, and extracellular molecules including mitochondrial inner membrane as a scaffold. PrPC is expressed in most cell types including reproductive organs. Numerous studies using PrPC knockout rodent models found no obvious phenotypic changes, in particular the clear phenotypes in development and reproduction have not demonstrated in these knockout models. However, various roles of PrPC have been evaluated at the cellular levels. In this review, we summarized the known roles of PrPC in various cell types and tissues with a special emphasis on those involved in reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chongsuk Ryou
- Department of Pharmacy, College of
Pharmacy, Hanyang University ERICA, Ansan 15588,
Korea
| | - Donchan Choi
- Department Life Science, College of
Health Science and Welfare, Yong-In University,
Yongin 17092, Korea
| | - Sung-Ho Lee
- Department of Biotechnology, Sangmyung
University, Seoul 03016, Korea
| | - Yong-Pil Cheon
- Division of Developmental Biology and
Physiology, Department of Biotechnology, Institute for Basic Sciences,
Sungshin University, Seoul 02844,
Korea
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6
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Ganie SA, McMulkin N, Devoto A. The role of priming and memory in rice environmental stress adaptation: Current knowledge and perspectives. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:1895-1915. [PMID: 38358119 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Plant responses to abiotic stresses are dynamic, following the unpredictable changes of physical environmental parameters such as temperature, water and nutrients. Physiological and phenotypical responses to stress are intercalated by periods of recovery. An earlier stress can be remembered as 'stress memory' to mount a response within a generation or transgenerationally. The 'stress priming' phenomenon allows plants to respond quickly and more robustly to stressors to increase survival, and therefore has significant implications for agriculture. Although evidence for stress memory in various plant species is accumulating, understanding of the mechanisms implicated, especially for crops of agricultural interest, is in its infancy. Rice is a major food crop which is susceptible to abiotic stresses causing constraints on its cultivation and yield globally. Advancing the understanding of the stress response network will thus have a significant impact on rice sustainable production and global food security in the face of climate change. Therefore, this review highlights the effects of priming on rice abiotic stress tolerance and focuses on specific aspects of stress memory, its perpetuation and its regulation at epigenetic, transcriptional, metabolic as well as physiological levels. The open questions and future directions in this exciting research field are also laid out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Showkat Ahmad Ganie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular Science and Centre of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
| | - Nancy McMulkin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular Science and Centre of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
| | - Alessandra Devoto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular Science and Centre of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
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Crawshaw S, Murphy AM, Rowling PJE, Nietlispach D, Itzhaki LS, Carr JP. Investigating the Interactions of the Cucumber Mosaic Virus 2b Protein with the Viral 1a Replicase Component and the Cellular RNA Silencing Factor Argonaute 1. Viruses 2024; 16:676. [PMID: 38793558 PMCID: PMC11125589 DOI: 10.3390/v16050676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 2b protein is a suppressor of plant defenses and a pathogenicity determinant. Amongst the 2b protein's host targets is the RNA silencing factor Argonaute 1 (AGO1), which it binds to and inhibits. In Arabidopsis thaliana, if 2b-induced inhibition of AGO1 is too efficient, it induces reinforcement of antiviral silencing by AGO2 and triggers increased resistance against aphids, CMV's insect vectors. These effects would be deleterious to CMV replication and transmission, respectively, but are moderated by the CMV 1a protein, which sequesters sufficient 2b protein molecules into P-bodies to prevent excessive inhibition of AGO1. Mutant 2b protein variants were generated, and red and green fluorescent protein fusions were used to investigate subcellular colocalization with AGO1 and the 1a protein. The effects of mutations on complex formation with the 1a protein and AGO1 were investigated using bimolecular fluorescence complementation and co-immunoprecipitation assays. Although we found that residues 56-60 influenced the 2b protein's interactions with the 1a protein and AGO1, it appears unlikely that any single residue or sequence domain is solely responsible. In silico predictions of intrinsic disorder within the 2b protein secondary structure were supported by circular dichroism (CD) but not by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Intrinsic disorder provides a plausible model to explain the 2b protein's ability to interact with AGO1, the 1a protein, and other factors. However, the reasons for the conflicting conclusions provided by CD and NMR must first be resolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Crawshaw
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK; (S.C.); (A.M.M.)
| | - Alex M. Murphy
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK; (S.C.); (A.M.M.)
| | - Pamela J. E. Rowling
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Rd., Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK; (P.J.E.R.); (L.S.I.)
| | - Daniel Nietlispach
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Sanger Building, 80 Tennis Court Rd., Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK;
| | - Laura S. Itzhaki
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Rd., Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK; (P.J.E.R.); (L.S.I.)
| | - John P. Carr
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK; (S.C.); (A.M.M.)
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8
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Mirza Agha M, Tavili E, Dabirmanesh B. Functional amyloids. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 206:389-434. [PMID: 38811086 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2024.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
While amyloid has traditionally been viewed as a harmful formation, emerging evidence suggests that amyloids may also play a functional role in cell biology, contributing to normal physiological processes that have been conserved throughout evolution. Functional amyloids have been discovered in several creatures, spanning from bacteria to mammals. These amyloids serve a multitude of purposes, including but not limited to, forming biofilms, melanin synthesis, storage, information transfer, and memory. The functional role of amyloids has been consistently validated by the discovery of more functional amyloids, indicating a conceptual convergence. The biology of amyloids is well-represented by non-pathogenic amyloids, given the numerous ones already identified and the ongoing rate of new discoveries. In this chapter, functional amyloids in microorganisms, animals, and plants are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoureh Mirza Agha
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elaheh Tavili
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahareh Dabirmanesh
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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9
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Fan S, Zhang Y, Zhu S, Shen L. Plant RNA-binding proteins: Phase separation dynamics and functional mechanisms underlying plant development and stress responses. MOLECULAR PLANT 2024; 17:531-551. [PMID: 38419328 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2024.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) accompany RNA from synthesis to decay, mediating every aspect of RNA metabolism and impacting diverse cellular and developmental processes in eukaryotes. Many RBPs undergo phase separation along with their bound RNA to form and function in dynamic membraneless biomolecular condensates for spatiotemporal coordination or regulation of RNA metabolism. Increasing evidence suggests that phase-separating RBPs with RNA-binding domains and intrinsically disordered regions play important roles in plant development and stress adaptation. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about how dynamic partitioning of RBPs into condensates controls plant development and enables sensing of experimental changes to confer growth plasticity under stress conditions, with a focus on the dynamics and functional mechanisms of RBP-rich nuclear condensates and cytoplasmic granules in mediating RNA metabolism. We also discuss roles of multiple factors, such as environmental signals, protein modifications, and N6-methyladenosine RNA methylation, in modulating the phase separation behaviors of RBPs, and highlight the prospects and challenges for future research on phase-separating RBPs in crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Fan
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, National University of Singapore, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore
| | - Yu Zhang
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, National University of Singapore, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore
| | - Shaobo Zhu
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, National University of Singapore, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore
| | - Lisha Shen
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, National University of Singapore, 1 Research Link, Singapore 117604, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore.
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10
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Lewinski M, Steffen A, Kachariya N, Elgner M, Schmal C, Messini N, Köster T, Reichel M, Sattler M, Zarnack K, Staiger D. Arabidopsis thaliana GLYCINE RICH RNA-BINDING PROTEIN 7 interaction with its iCLIP target LHCB1.1 correlates with changes in RNA stability and circadian oscillation. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 118:203-224. [PMID: 38124335 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The importance of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) for plant responses to environmental stimuli and development is well documented. Insights into the portfolio of RNAs they recognize, however, clearly lack behind the understanding gathered in non-plant model organisms. Here, we characterize binding of the circadian clock-regulated Arabidopsis thaliana GLYCINE-RICH RNA-BINDING PROTEIN 7 (AtGRP7) to its target transcripts. We identified novel RNA targets from individual-nucleotide resolution UV crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (iCLIP) data using an improved bioinformatics pipeline that will be broadly applicable to plant RBP iCLIP data. 2705 transcripts with binding sites were identified in plants expressing AtGRP7-GFP that were not recovered in plants expressing an RNA-binding dead variant or GFP alone. A conserved RNA motif enriched in uridine residues was identified at the AtGRP7 binding sites. NMR titrations confirmed the preference of AtGRP7 for RNAs with a central U-rich motif. Among the bound RNAs, circadian clock-regulated transcripts were overrepresented. Peak abundance of the LHCB1.1 transcript encoding a chlorophyll-binding protein was reduced in plants overexpressing AtGRP7 whereas it was elevated in atgrp7 mutants, indicating that LHCB1.1 was regulated by AtGRP7 in a dose-dependent manner. In plants overexpressing AtGRP7, the LHCB1.1 half-life was shorter compared to wild-type plants whereas in atgrp7 mutant plants, the half-life was significantly longer. Thus, AtGRP7 modulates circadian oscillations of its in vivo binding target LHCB1.1 by affecting RNA stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Lewinski
- RNA Biology and Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Alexander Steffen
- RNA Biology and Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Nitin Kachariya
- Helmholtz Munich, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Institute of Structural Biology, Neuherberg, 85764, Germany
- Department of Bioscience, Bavarian NMR Center, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Garching, 85747, Germany
| | - Mareike Elgner
- RNA Biology and Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Christoph Schmal
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Niki Messini
- Helmholtz Munich, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Institute of Structural Biology, Neuherberg, 85764, Germany
- Department of Bioscience, Bavarian NMR Center, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Garching, 85747, Germany
| | - Tino Köster
- RNA Biology and Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Marlene Reichel
- RNA Biology and Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Michael Sattler
- Helmholtz Munich, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Institute of Structural Biology, Neuherberg, 85764, Germany
- Department of Bioscience, Bavarian NMR Center, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Garching, 85747, Germany
| | - Kathi Zarnack
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS) & Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Dorothee Staiger
- RNA Biology and Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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11
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Kryvokhyzha M, Litvinov S, Danchenko M, Khudolieieva L, Kutsokon N, Baráth P, Rashydov N. How does ionizing radiation affect amyloidogenesis in plants? Int J Radiat Biol 2024; 100:922-933. [PMID: 38530837 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2024.2331126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Ionizing radiation is a harsh environmental factor that could induce plant senescence. We hypothesized that radiation-related senescence remodels proteome, particularly by triggering the accumulation of prion-like proteins in plant tissues. The object of this study, pea (Pisum sativum L.), is an agriculturally important legume. Research on the functional importance of amyloidogenic proteins was never performed on this species. MATERIALS AND METHODS Pea seeds were irradiated in the dose range 5-50 Gy of X-rays. Afterward, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to investigate changes in the secondary structure of proteins in germinated 3-day-old seedlings. Specifically, we evaluated the ratio between the amide I and II peaks. Next, we performed protein staining with Congo red to compare the presence of amyloids in the samples. In parallel, we profiled the detergent-resistant proteome fraction by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). Differentially accumulated proteins were functionally analyzed in MapMan software, and the PLAAC tool was used to predict putative prion-like proteins. RESULTS We showed a reduced germination rate but higher plant height and faster appearance of reproductive organs in the irradiated at dose of 50 Gy group compared with the control; furthermore, we demonstrated more β-sheets and amyloid aggregates in the roots of stressed plants. We detected 531 proteins in detergent-resistant fraction extracted from roots, and 45 were annotated as putative prion-like proteins. Notably, 29 proteins were significantly differentially abundant between the irradiated and the control groups. These proteins belong to several functional categories: amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, cytoskeleton organization, regulatory processes, protein biosynthesis, and RNA processing. Thus, the discovery proteomics provided deep data on novel aspects of plant stress biology. CONCLUSION Our data hinted that protein accumulation stimulated seedlings' growth as well as accelerated ontogenesis and, eventually, senescence, primarily through translation and RNA processing. The increased abundance of primary metabolism-related proteins indicates more intensive metabolic processes triggered in germinating pea seeds upon X-ray exposure. The functional role of detected putative amyloidogenic proteins should be validated in overexpression or knockout follow-up studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryna Kryvokhyzha
- Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology, Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Institute of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Sergii Litvinov
- Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology, Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Maksym Danchenko
- Institute of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Lidiia Khudolieieva
- Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology, Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Nataliia Kutsokon
- Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology, Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Peter Baráth
- Department of Glycobiology, Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Namik Rashydov
- Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology, Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
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12
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Blagojevic A, Baldrich P, Schiaffini M, Lechner E, Baumberger N, Hammann P, Elmayan T, Garcia D, Vaucheret H, Meyers BC, Genschik P. Heat stress promotes Arabidopsis AGO1 phase separation and association with stress granule components. iScience 2024; 27:109151. [PMID: 38384836 PMCID: PMC10879784 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
In Arabidopsis thaliana, ARGONAUTE1 (AGO1) plays a central role in microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing. AGO1 associates to the rough endoplasmic reticulum to conduct miRNA-mediated translational repression, mRNA cleavage, and biogenesis of phased siRNAs. Here, we show that a 37°C heat stress (HS) promotes AGO1 protein accumulation in cytosolic condensates where it colocalizes with components of siRNA bodies and of stress granules. AGO1 contains a prion-like domain in its poorly characterized N-terminal Poly-Q domain, which is sufficient to undergo phase separation independently of the presence of SGS3. HS only moderately affects the small RNA repertoire, the loading of AGO1 by miRNAs, and the signatures of target cleavage, suggesting that its localization in condensates protects AGO1 rather than promoting or impairing its activity in reprogramming gene expression during stress. Collectively, our work sheds new light on the impact of high temperature on a main effector of RNA silencing in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandar Blagojevic
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12, rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Marlene Schiaffini
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12, rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Esther Lechner
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12, rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Nicolas Baumberger
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12, rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Philippe Hammann
- Plateforme Protéomique Strasbourg Esplanade du CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Taline Elmayan
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), 78000 Versailles, France
| | - Damien Garcia
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12, rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Hervé Vaucheret
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), 78000 Versailles, France
| | - Blake C. Meyers
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO 63132, USA
- Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Pascal Genschik
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12, rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg, France
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13
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Dragwidge JM, Wang Y, Brocard L, De Meyer A, Hudeček R, Eeckhout D, Grones P, Buridan M, Chambaud C, Pejchar P, Potocký M, Winkler J, Vandorpe M, Serre N, Fendrych M, Bernard A, De Jaeger G, Pleskot R, Fang X, Van Damme D. Biomolecular condensation orchestrates clathrin-mediated endocytosis in plants. Nat Cell Biol 2024; 26:438-449. [PMID: 38347182 PMCID: PMC7615741 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-024-01354-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is an essential cellular internalization pathway involving the dynamic assembly of clathrin and accessory proteins to form membrane-bound vesicles. The evolutionarily ancient TSET-TPLATE complex (TPC) plays an essential, but ill-defined role in endocytosis in plants. Here we show that two highly disordered TPC subunits, AtEH1 and AtEH2, function as scaffolds to drive biomolecular condensation of the complex. These condensates specifically nucleate on the plasma membrane through interactions with anionic phospholipids, and facilitate the dynamic recruitment and assembly of clathrin, as well as early- and late-stage endocytic accessory proteins. Importantly, condensation promotes ordered clathrin assemblies. TPC-driven biomolecular condensation thereby facilitates dynamic protein assemblies throughout clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, we show that a disordered region of AtEH1 controls the material properties of endocytic condensates in vivo. Alteration of these material properties disturbs the recruitment of accessory proteins, influences endocytosis dynamics and impairs plant responsiveness. Our findings reveal how collective interactions shape endocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Michael Dragwidge
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Yanning Wang
- Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Lysiane Brocard
- Bordeaux Imaging Center, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Andreas De Meyer
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Roman Hudeček
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Dominique Eeckhout
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Grones
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matthieu Buridan
- Bordeaux Imaging Center, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Clément Chambaud
- Laboratoire de Biogenèse Membranaire, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Přemysl Pejchar
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Potocký
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Joanna Winkler
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Michaël Vandorpe
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nelson Serre
- Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matyáš Fendrych
- Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Amelie Bernard
- Laboratoire de Biogenèse Membranaire, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Geert De Jaeger
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Roman Pleskot
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Xiaofeng Fang
- Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Daniël Van Damme
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.
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14
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Kashyap S, Agarwala N, Sunkar R. Understanding plant stress memory traits can provide a way for sustainable agriculture. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 340:111954. [PMID: 38092267 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/01/2024]
Abstract
Being sessile, plants encounter various biotic and abiotic threats in their life cycle. To minimize the damages caused by such threats, plants have acquired sophisticated response mechanisms. One major such response includes memorizing the encountered stimuli in the form of a metabolite, hormone, protein, or epigenetic marks. All of these individually as well as together, facilitate effective transcriptional and post-transcriptional responses upon encountering the stress episode for a second time during the life cycle and in some instances even in the future generations. This review attempts to highlight the recent advances in the area of plant memory. A detailed understanding of plant memory has the potential to offer solutions for developing climate-resilient crops for sustainable agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sampurna Kashyap
- Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi Nagar, Jalukbari, Guwahati, Assam, 781014, India
| | - Niraj Agarwala
- Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi Nagar, Jalukbari, Guwahati, Assam, 781014, India.
| | - Ramanjulu Sunkar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
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15
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Liu Q, Liu W, Niu Y, Wang T, Dong J. Liquid-liquid phase separation in plants: Advances and perspectives from model species to crops. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 5:100663. [PMID: 37496271 PMCID: PMC10811348 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2023.100663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Membraneless biomolecular condensates play important roles in both normal biological activities and responses to environmental stimuli in living organisms. Liquid‒liquid phase separation (LLPS) is an organizational mechanism that has emerged in recent years to explain the formation of biomolecular condensates. In the past decade, advances in LLPS research have contributed to breakthroughs in disease fields. By contrast, although LLPS research in plants has progressed over the past 5 years, it has been concentrated on the model plant Arabidopsis, which has limited relevance to agricultural production. In this review, we provide an overview of recently reported advances in LLPS in plants, with a particular focus on photomorphogenesis, flowering, and abiotic and biotic stress responses. We propose that many potential LLPS proteins also exist in crops and may affect crop growth, development, and stress resistance. This possibility presents a great challenge as well as an opportunity for rigorous scientific research on the biological functions and applications of LLPS in crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianwen Liu
- College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; College of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Wenxuan Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Yiding Niu
- Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China
| | - Tao Wang
- College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Jiangli Dong
- College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
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16
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Peng M, Hutin S, Mironova A, Zubieta C, Wigge PA. Analysis of Phase Separation of EARLY FLOWERING 3. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2795:123-134. [PMID: 38594534 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3814-9_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Phase separation is an important mechanism for regulating various cellular functions. The EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) protein, an essential element of the EVENING COMPLEX (EC) involved in circadian clock regulation, has been shown to undergo phase separation. ELF3 is known to significantly influence elongation growth and flowering time regulation, and this is postulated to be due to whether the protein is in the dilute or phase-separated state. Here, we present a brief overview of methods for analyzing ELF3 phase separation in vitro, including the generation of phase diagrams as a function of pH and salt versus protein concentrations, optical microscopy, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and turbidity assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maolin Peng
- Leibniz-Institut für Gemüse-und Zierpflanzenbau, Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 1, Großbeeren, Germany
| | - Stephanie Hutin
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire and Végétale, Univ. Grenoble Alpes/CNRS/CEA/INRA/IRIG, Grenoble, France
| | - Aleksandra Mironova
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire and Végétale, Univ. Grenoble Alpes/CNRS/CEA/INRA/IRIG, Grenoble, France
| | - Chloe Zubieta
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire and Végétale, Univ. Grenoble Alpes/CNRS/CEA/INRA/IRIG, Grenoble, France
| | - Philip A Wigge
- Leibniz-Institut für Gemüse-und Zierpflanzenbau, Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 1, Großbeeren, Germany.
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17
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Candelise N, Caissutti D, Zenuni H, Nesci V, Scaricamazza S, Salvatori I, Spinello Z, Mattei V, Garofalo T, Ferri A, Valle C, Misasi R. Different Chronic Stress Paradigms Converge on Endogenous TDP43 Cleavage and Aggregation. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:6346-6361. [PMID: 37450246 PMCID: PMC10533643 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03455-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The TAR-DNA binding protein (TDP43) is a nuclear protein whose cytoplasmic inclusions are hallmarks of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Acute stress in cells causes TDP43 mobilization to the cytoplasm and its aggregation through different routes. Although acute stress elicits a strong phenotype, is far from recapitulating the years-long aggregation process. We applied different chronic stress protocols and described TDP43 aggregation in a human neuroblastoma cell line by combining solubility assays, thioflavin-based microscopy and flow cytometry. This approach allowed us to detect, for the first time to our knowledge in vitro, the formation of 25 kDa C-terminal fragment of TDP43, a pathogenic hallmark of ALS. Our results indicate that chronic stress, compared to the more common acute stress paradigm, better recapitulates the cell biology of TDP43 proteinopathies. Moreover, we optimized a protocol for the detection of bona fide prions in living cells, suggesting that TDP43 may form amyloids as a stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niccolò Candelise
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Caissutti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Henri Zenuni
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata" University of Rome, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Nesci
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata" University of Rome, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Illari Salvatori
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179, Rome, Italy
| | - Zaira Spinello
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Mattei
- Biomedicine and Advanced Technologies Rieti Center, Sabina Universitas, 02100, Rieti, Italy
| | - Tina Garofalo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Ferri
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179, Rome, Italy
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR), 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiana Valle
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179, Rome, Italy.
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR), 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Roberta Misasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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18
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Llamas E, Koyuncu S, Lee HJ, Wehrmann M, Gutierrez-Garcia R, Dunken N, Charura N, Torres-Montilla S, Schlimgen E, Mandel AM, Theile EB, Grossbach J, Wagle P, Lackmann JW, Schermer B, Benzing T, Beyer A, Pulido P, Rodriguez-Concepcion M, Zuccaro A, Vilchez D. In planta expression of human polyQ-expanded huntingtin fragment reveals mechanisms to prevent disease-related protein aggregation. NATURE AGING 2023; 3:1345-1357. [PMID: 37783816 PMCID: PMC10645592 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-023-00502-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
In humans, aggregation of polyglutamine repeat (polyQ) proteins causes disorders such as Huntington's disease. Although plants express hundreds of polyQ-containing proteins, no pathologies arising from polyQ aggregation have been reported. To investigate this phenomenon, we expressed an aggregation-prone fragment of human huntingtin (HTT) with an expanded polyQ stretch (Q69) in Arabidopsis thaliana plants. In contrast to animal models, we find that Arabidopsis sp. suppresses Q69 aggregation through chloroplast proteostasis. Inhibition of chloroplast proteostasis diminishes the capacity of plants to prevent cytosolic Q69 aggregation. Moreover, endogenous polyQ-containing proteins also aggregate on chloroplast dysfunction. We find that Q69 interacts with the chloroplast stromal processing peptidase (SPP). Synthetic Arabidopsis SPP prevents polyQ-expanded HTT aggregation in human cells. Likewise, ectopic SPP expression in Caenorhabditis elegans reduces neuronal Q67 aggregation and subsequent neurotoxicity. Our findings suggest that synthetic plant proteins, such as SPP, hold therapeutic potential for polyQ disorders and other age-related diseases involving protein aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Llamas
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Seda Koyuncu
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Integrated Stress Response Signaling, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hyun Ju Lee
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Integrated Stress Response Signaling, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Markus Wehrmann
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Integrated Stress Response Signaling, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ricardo Gutierrez-Garcia
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Integrated Stress Response Signaling, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nick Dunken
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nyasha Charura
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Elena Schlimgen
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Integrated Stress Response Signaling, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Amrei M Mandel
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Department II of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Erik Boelen Theile
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jan Grossbach
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Prerana Wagle
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jan-Wilm Lackmann
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schermer
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Department II of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thomas Benzing
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Department II of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Andreas Beyer
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Pablo Pulido
- Department of Plant Molecular Genetics, Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Alga Zuccaro
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - David Vilchez
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Institute for Integrated Stress Response Signaling, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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19
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Lyu HN, Fu C, Chai X, Gong Z, Zhang J, Wang J, Wang J, Dai L, Xu C. Systematic thermal analysis of the Arabidopsis proteome: Thermal tolerance, organization, and evolution. Cell Syst 2023; 14:883-894.e4. [PMID: 37734376 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2023.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the thermal stability of the plant proteome in the context of the native cellular environment would aid the design of crops with high thermal tolerance, but only limited such data are available. Here, we applied quantitative mass spectrometry to profile the thermal stability of the Arabidopsis proteome and identify thermo-sensitive and thermo-resilient protein networks in Arabidopsis, providing a basis for understanding heat-induced damage. We also show that the similarities of the protein-melting curves can be used as a proxy to evaluate system-wide protein-protein interactions in non-engineered plants and enable the identification of transient interactions exhibited by metabolons in the context of the cellular environment. Finally, we report a systematic comparison of the thermal stability of paralogs in Arabidopsis to aid the investigation and understanding of gene duplication and protein evolution. Taken together, our results could have broad implications for the fields of plant thermal tolerance, plant protein assemblies, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Ning Lyu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Chunjin Fu
- Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases, Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Xin Chai
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Zipeng Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, China
| | - Junzhe Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Jiaqi Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Jigang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases, Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518020, China; School of Traditional Chinese Medicine and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
| | - Lingyun Dai
- Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases, Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518020, China.
| | - Chengchao Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases, Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518020, China.
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20
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Jager K, Orozco-Hidalgo MT, Springstein BL, Joly-Smith E, Papazotos F, McDonough E, Fleming E, McCallum G, Yuan AH, Hilfinger A, Hochschild A, Potvin-Trottier L. Measuring prion propagation in single bacteria elucidates a mechanism of loss. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2221539120. [PMID: 37738299 PMCID: PMC10523482 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2221539120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Prions are self-propagating protein aggregates formed by specific proteins that can adopt alternative folds. Prions were discovered as the cause of the fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in mammals, but prions can also constitute nontoxic protein-based elements of inheritance in fungi and other species. Prion propagation has recently been shown to occur in bacteria for more than a hundred cell divisions, yet a fraction of cells in these lineages lost the prion through an unknown mechanism. Here, we investigate prion propagation in single bacterial cells as they divide using microfluidics and fluorescence microscopy. We show that the propagation occurs in two distinct modes. In a fraction of the population, cells had multiple small visible aggregates and lost the prion through random partitioning of aggregates to one of the two daughter cells at division. In the other subpopulation, cells had a stable large aggregate localized to the pole; upon division the mother cell retained this polar aggregate and a daughter cell was generated that contained small aggregates. Extending our findings to prion domains from two orthologous proteins, we observe similar propagation and loss properties. Our findings also provide support for the suggestion that bacterial prions can form more than one self-propagating state. We implement a stochastic version of the molecular model of prion propagation from yeast and mammals that recapitulates all the observed single-cell properties. This model highlights challenges for prion propagation that are unique to prokaryotes and illustrates the conservation of fundamental characteristics of prion propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Jager
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QCH4B 1R6, Canada
| | | | | | - Euan Joly-Smith
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 1A7, Canada
| | - Fotini Papazotos
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QCH4B 1R6, Canada
| | | | - Eleanor Fleming
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Giselle McCallum
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QCH4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Andy H. Yuan
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Andreas Hilfinger
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 1A7, Canada
- Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 2E4, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Ann Hochschild
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Laurent Potvin-Trottier
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QCH4B 1R6, Canada
- Department of Physics, Concordia University, Montréal, QCH4B 1R6, Canada
- Center for Applied Synthetic Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QCH4B 1R6, Canada
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21
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Cao X, Du Q, Guo Y, Wang Y, Jiao Y. Condensation of STM is critical for shoot meristem maintenance and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis. MOLECULAR PLANT 2023; 16:1445-1459. [PMID: 37674313 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The shoot meristem generates the entire shoot system and is precisely maintained throughout the life cycle under various environmental challenges. In this study, we identified a prion-like domain (PrD) in the key shoot meristem regulator SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM), which distinguishes STM from other related KNOX1 proteins. We demonstrated that PrD stimulates STM to form nuclear condensates, which are required for maintaining the shoot meristem. STM nuclear condensate formation is stabilized by selected PrD-containing STM-interacting BELL proteins in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, condensation of STM promotes its interaction with the Mediator complex subunit MED8 and thereby enhances its transcriptional activity. Thus, condensate formation emerges as a novel regulatory mechanism of shoot meristem functions. Furthermore, we found that the formation of STM condensates is enhanced upon salt stress, which allows enhanced salt tolerance and increased shoot branching. Our findings highlight that the transcription factor partitioning plays an important role in cell fate determination and might also act as a tunable environmental acclimation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuwei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qingwei Du
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Beijing Agro-Biotechnology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Yahe Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ying Wang
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Yuling Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences in Weifang, Weifang, Shandong 261325, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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22
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Kang H, Xu T. N6-methyladenosine RNA methylation modulates liquid‒liquid phase separation in plants. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:3205-3213. [PMID: 37032432 PMCID: PMC10473200 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Membraneless biomolecular condensates form distinct subcellular compartments that enable a cell to orchestrate numerous biochemical reactions in a spatiotemporal-specific and dynamic manner. Liquid‒liquid phase separation (LLPS) facilitates the formation of membraneless biomolecular condensates, which are crucial for many cellular processes in plants, including embryogenesis, the floral transition, photosynthesis, pathogen defense, and stress responses. The main component required for LLPS is a protein harboring key characteristic features, such as intrinsically disordered regions, low-complexity sequence domains, and prion-like domains. RNA is an additional component involved in LLPS. Increasing evidence indicates that modifications in proteins and RNAs play pivotal roles in LLPS. In particular, recent studies have indicated that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of messenger RNA is crucial for LLPS in plants and animals. In this review, we provide an overview of recent developments in the role of mRNA methylation in LLPS in plant cells. Moreover, we highlight the major challenges in understanding the pivotal roles of RNA modifications and elucidating how m6A marks are interpreted by RNA-binding proteins crucial for LLPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hunseung Kang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, Jiangsu Joint International Center of Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu Province, China
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Tao Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, Jiangsu Joint International Center of Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu Province, China
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23
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Zajkowski T, Lee MD, Sharma S, Vallota-Eastman A, Kuska M, Malczewska M, Rothschild LJ. Conserved functions of prion candidates suggest a primeval role of protein self-templating. Proteins 2023; 91:1298-1315. [PMID: 37519023 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid-based prions have simple structures, a wide phylogenetic distribution, and a plethora of functions in contemporary organisms, suggesting they may be an ancient phenomenon. However, this hypothesis has yet to be addressed with a systematic, computational, and experimental approach. Here we present a framework to help guide future experimental verification of candidate prions with conserved functions to understand their role in the early stages of evolution and potentially in the origins of life. We identified candidate prions in all high-quality proteomes available in UniProt computationally, assessed their phylogenomic distributions, and analyzed candidate-prion functional annotations. Of the 27 980 560 proteins scanned, 228 561 were identified as candidate prions (~0.82%). Among these candidates, there were 84 Gene Ontology (GO) terms conserved across the three domains of life. We found that candidate prions with a possible role in adaptation were particularly well-represented within this group. We discuss unifying features of candidate prions to elucidate the primeval roles of prions and their associated functions. Candidate prions annotated as transcription factors, DNA binding, and kinases are particularly well suited to generating diverse responses to changes in their environment and could allow for adaptation and population expansion into more diverse environments. We hypothesized that a relationship between these functions and candidate prions could be evolutionarily ancient, even if individual prion domains themselves are not evolutionarily conserved. Candidate prions annotated with these universally occurring functions potentially represent the oldest extant prions on Earth and are therefore excellent experimental targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Zajkowski
- Universities Space Research Association at NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michael D Lee
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- KBR, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
| | - Siddhant Sharma
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alec Vallota-Eastman
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Mikołaj Kuska
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Malczewska
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lynn J Rothschild
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
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24
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Jung JH, Seo PJ, Oh E, Kim J. Temperature perception by plants. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 28:924-940. [PMID: 37045740 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Plants constantly face fluctuating ambient temperatures and must adapt to survive under stressful conditions. Temperature affects many aspects of plant growth and development through a complex network of transcriptional responses. Although temperature sensing is a crucial primary step in initiating transcriptional responses via Ca2+ and/or reactive oxygen species signaling, an understanding of how plants perceive temperature has remained elusive. However, recent studies have yielded breakthroughs in our understanding of temperature sensors and thermosensation mechanisms. We review recent findings on potential temperature sensors and emerging thermosensation mechanisms, including biomolecular condensate formation through phase separation in plants. We also compare the temperature perception mechanisms of plants with those of other organisms to provide insights into understanding temperature sensing by plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae-Hoon Jung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - Pil Joon Seo
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Eunkyoo Oh
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - Jungmook Kim
- Department of Bioenergy Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea; Department of Integrative Food, Bioscience, and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea.
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25
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Shi H, Zhong S. Light and temperature perceptions go through a phase separation. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 74:102397. [PMID: 37295295 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Light and temperature are two distinct but closely linked environmental factors that profoundly affect plant growth and development. Biomolecular condensates are membraneless micron-scale compartments formed through liquid-liquid phase separation, which have been shown to be involved in a wide range of biological processes. In the last few years, biomolecular condensates are emerged to serve as phase separation-based sensors for plant sensing and/or responding to external environmental cues. This review summarizes the recently reported plant biomolecular condensates in sensing light and temperature signals. The current understanding of the biophysical properties and the action modes of phase separation-based environmental sensors are highlighted. Unresolved questions and possible challenges for future studies of phase-separation sensors are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Shi
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, Beijing, 100048, China.
| | - Shangwei Zhong
- Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences in Weifang, Weifang, 261325, China; State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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26
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Tak Y, Lal SS, Gopan S, Balakrishnan M, Satheesh G, Biswal AK, Verma AK, Cole SJ, Brown RE, Hayward RE, Hines JK, Sahi C. Identification of subfunctionalized aggregate-remodeling J-domain proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:1705-1722. [PMID: 36576197 PMCID: PMC10010614 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
J-domain proteins (JDPs) are critical components of the cellular protein quality control machinery, playing crucial roles in preventing the formation and, solubilization of cytotoxic protein aggregates. Bacteria, yeast, and plants additionally have large, multimeric heat shock protein 100 (Hsp100)-class disaggregases that resolubilize protein aggregates. JDPs interact with aggregated proteins and specify the aggregate-remodeling activities of Hsp70s and Hsp100s. However, the aggregate-remodeling properties of plant JDPs are not well understood. Here we identify eight orthologs of Sis1 (an evolutionarily conserved Class II JDP of budding yeast) in Arabidopsis thaliana with distinct aggregate-remodeling functionalities. Six of these JDPs associate with heat-induced protein aggregates in vivo and co-localize with Hsp101 at heat-induced protein aggregate centers. Consistent with a role in solubilizing cytotoxic protein aggregates, an atDjB3 mutant had defects in both solubilizing heat-induced aggregates and acquired thermotolerance as compared with wild-type seedlings. Next, we used yeast prions as protein aggregate models to show that the six JDPs have distinct aggregate-remodeling properties. Results presented in this study, as well as findings from phylogenetic analysis, demonstrate that plants harbor multiple, evolutionarily conserved JDPs with capacity to process a variety of protein aggregate conformers induced by heat and other stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yogesh Tak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India
| | - Silviya S Lal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India
| | - Shilpa Gopan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India
| | - Madhumitha Balakrishnan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India
| | - Gouri Satheesh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India
| | - Anup K Biswal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India
| | - Amit K Verma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India
| | - Sierra J Cole
- Department of Chemistry, Lafayette College, Easton, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Justin K Hines
- Department of Chemistry, Lafayette College, Easton, PA, USA
| | - Chandan Sahi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India
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27
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Xu Y, Kong X, Guo Y, Wang R, Yao X, Chen X, Yan T, Wu D, Lu Y, Dong J, Zhu Y, Chen M, Cen H, Jiang L. Structural variations and environmental specificities of flowering time-related genes in Brassica napus. TAG. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS. THEORETISCHE UND ANGEWANDTE GENETIK 2023; 136:42. [PMID: 36897406 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-023-04326-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We found that the flowering time order of accessions in a genetic population considerably varied across environments, and homolog copies of essential flowering time genes played different roles in different locations. Flowering time plays a critical role in determining the life cycle length, yield, and quality of a crop. However, the allelic polymorphism of flowering time-related genes (FTRGs) in Brassica napus, an important oil crop, remains unclear. Here, we provide high-resolution graphics of FTRGs in B. napus on a pangenome-wide scale based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and structural variation (SV) analyses. A total of 1337 FTRGs in B. napus were identified by aligning their coding sequences with Arabidopsis orthologs. Overall, 46.07% of FTRGs were core genes and 53.93% were variable genes. Moreover, 1.94%, 0.74%, and 4.49% FTRGs had significant presence-frequency differences (PFDs) between the spring and semi-winter, spring and winter, and winter and semi-winter ecotypes, respectively. SNPs and SVs across 1626 accessions of 39 FTRGs underlying numerous published qualitative trait loci were analyzed. Additionally, to identify FTRGs specific to an eco-condition, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) based on SNP, presence/absence variation (PAV), and SV were performed after growing and observing the flowering time order (FTO) of plants in a collection of 292 accessions at three locations in two successive years. It was discovered that the FTO of plants in a genetic population changed a lot across various environments, and homolog copies of some key FTRGs played different roles in different locations. This study revealed the molecular basis of the genotype-by-environment (G × E) effect on flowering and recommended a pool of candidate genes specific to locations for breeding selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xu
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xiangdong Kong
- Jiguang Gene Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Nanjing, 210000, China
| | - Yuan Guo
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Ruisen Wang
- Jiaxing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiaxing, 31400, China
| | - Xiangtan Yao
- Jiaxing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiaxing, 31400, China
| | - Xiaoyang Chen
- Jinhua Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinhua, 321017, China
| | - Tao Yan
- College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Dezhi Wu
- College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Yunhai Lu
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jie Dong
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yang Zhu
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Mingxun Chen
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Haiyan Cen
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Lixi Jiang
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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28
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Brůna T, Aryal R, Dudchenko O, Sargent DJ, Mead D, Buti M, Cavallini A, Hytönen T, Andrés J, Pham M, Weisz D, Mascagni F, Usai G, Natali L, Bassil N, Fernandez GE, Lomsadze A, Armour M, Olukolu B, Poorten T, Britton C, Davik J, Ashrafi H, Aiden EL, Borodovsky M, Worthington M. A chromosome-length genome assembly and annotation of blackberry (Rubus argutus, cv. "Hillquist"). G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkac289. [PMID: 36331334 PMCID: PMC9911083 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Blackberries (Rubus spp.) are the fourth most economically important berry crop worldwide. Genome assemblies and annotations have been developed for Rubus species in subgenus Idaeobatus, including black raspberry (R. occidentalis), red raspberry (R. idaeus), and R. chingii, but very few genomic resources exist for blackberries and their relatives in subgenus Rubus. Here we present a chromosome-length assembly and annotation of the diploid blackberry germplasm accession "Hillquist" (R. argutus). "Hillquist" is the only known source of primocane-fruiting (annual-fruiting) in tetraploid fresh-market blackberry breeding programs and is represented in the pedigree of many important cultivars worldwide. The "Hillquist" assembly, generated using Pacific Biosciences long reads scaffolded with high-throughput chromosome conformation capture sequencing, consisted of 298 Mb, of which 270 Mb (90%) was placed on 7 chromosome-length scaffolds with an average length of 38.6 Mb. Approximately 52.8% of the genome was composed of repetitive elements. The genome sequence was highly collinear with a novel maternal haplotype-resolved linkage map of the tetraploid blackberry selection A-2551TN and genome assemblies of R. chingii and red raspberry. A total of 38,503 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 72% were functionally annotated. Eighteen flowering gene homologs within a previously mapped locus aligning to an 11.2 Mb region on chromosome Ra02 were identified as potential candidate genes for primocane-fruiting. The utility of the "Hillquist" genome has been demonstrated here by the development of the first genotyping-by-sequencing-based linkage map of tetraploid blackberry and the identification of possible candidate genes for primocane-fruiting. This chromosome-length assembly will facilitate future studies in Rubus biology, genetics, and genomics and strengthen applied breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Brůna
- School of Biological Sciences, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Rishi Aryal
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Olga Dudchenko
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Daniel James Sargent
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Breeding, NIAB-EMR, East Malling, Kent, UK
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Medway Campus, Chatham Maritime, Kent, UK
| | - Daniel Mead
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
- Owlstone Medical Ltd, Cambridge CB4 0GJ, UK
| | - Matteo Buti
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Cavallini
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Timo Hytönen
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Javier Andrés
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Melanie Pham
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, The Center for Genome Architecture, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - David Weisz
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, The Center for Genome Architecture, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Flavia Mascagni
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Usai
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lucia Natali
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nahla Bassil
- USDA-ARS, National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Gina E Fernandez
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Alexandre Lomsadze
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Mitchell Armour
- Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Bode Olukolu
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | | | | | - Jahn Davik
- Department of Molecular Plant Biology, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, N-1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Hamid Ashrafi
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Erez Lieberman Aiden
- Department of Computer Science, Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, The Center for Genome Architecture, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech, Pudong 201210, China
| | - Mark Borodovsky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Computational Science and Engineering, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332USA
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29
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Pintado-Grima C, Santos J, Iglesias V, Manglano-Artuñedo Z, Pallarès I, Ventura S. Exploring cryptic amyloidogenic regions in prion-like proteins from plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1060410. [PMID: 36726678 PMCID: PMC9885169 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1060410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Prion-like domains (PrLDs) are intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of low sequence complexity with a similar composition to yeast prion domains. PrLDs-containing proteins have been involved in different organisms' regulatory processes. Regions of moderate amyloid propensity within IDRs have been shown to assemble autonomously into amyloid fibrils. These sequences tend to be rich in polar amino acids and often escape from the detection of classical bioinformatics screenings that look for highly aggregation-prone hydrophobic sequence stretches. We defined them as cryptic amyloidogenic regions (CARs) and recently developed an integrated database that collects thousands of predicted CARs in IDRs. CARs seem to be evolutionary conserved among disordered regions because of their potential to stablish functional contacts with other biomolecules. Here we have focused on identifying and characterizing CARs in prion-like proteins (pCARs) from plants, a lineage that has been poorly studied in comparison with other prionomes. We confirmed the intrinsic amyloid potential for a selected pCAR from Arabidopsis thaliana and explored functional enrichments and compositional bias of pCARs in plant prion-like proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Pintado-Grima
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaime Santos
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valentín Iglesias
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
- Nanomalaria Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Zoe Manglano-Artuñedo
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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30
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Jager K, Orozco-Hidalgo MT, Springstein BL, Joly-Smith E, Papazotos F, McDonough E, Fleming E, McCallum G, Hilfinger A, Hochschild A, Potvin-Trottier L. Measuring prion propagation in single bacteria elucidates mechanism of loss. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.11.523042. [PMID: 36712035 PMCID: PMC9882039 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.11.523042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Prions are self-propagating protein aggregates formed by specific proteins that can adopt alternative folds. Prions were discovered as the cause of the fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in mammals, but prions can also constitute non-toxic protein-based elements of inheritance in fungi and other species. Prion propagation has recently been shown to occur in bacteria for more than a hundred cell divisions, yet a fraction of cells in these lineages lost the prion through an unknown mechanism. Here, we investigate prion propagation in single bacterial cells as they divide using microfluidics and fluorescence microscopy. We show that the propagation occurs in two distinct modes with distinct stability and inheritance characteristics. We find that the prion is lost through random partitioning of aggregates to one of the two daughter cells at division. Extending our findings to prion domains from two orthologous proteins, we observe similar propagation and loss properties. Our findings also provide support for the suggestion that bacterial prions can form more than one self-propagating state. We implement a stochastic version of the molecular model of prion propagation from yeast and mammals that recapitulates all the observed single-cell properties. This model highlights challenges for prion propagation that are unique to prokaryotes and illustrates the conservation of fundamental characteristics of prion propagation across domains of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Jager
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | | | - Euan Joly-Smith
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fotini Papazotos
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - EmilyKate McDonough
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eleanor Fleming
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Giselle McCallum
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Andreas Hilfinger
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ann Hochschild
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Laurent Potvin-Trottier
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Physics, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Center for Applied Synthetic Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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31
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Flach M, Leu C, Martinisi A, Skachokova Z, Frank S, Tolnay M, Stahlberg H, Winkler DT. Trans-seeding of Alzheimer-related tau protein by a yeast prion. Alzheimers Dement 2022; 18:2481-2492. [PMID: 35142027 PMCID: PMC10078693 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Abnormal tau protein aggregates constitute a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The mechanisms underlying the initiation of tau aggregation in sporadic neurodegeneration remain unclear. Here we investigate whether a non-human prion can seed tau aggregation. Due to their structural similarity with tau aggregates, we chose Sup35NM yeast prion domain fibrils for explorative tau seedings. Upon in vitro incubation with tau monomers, Sup35NM fibrils promoted the formation of morphologically distinct tau fibril strains. In vivo, intrahippocampal inoculation of Sup35NM fibrils accentuated tau pathology in P301S tau transgenic mice. Thus, our results provide first in vivo evidence for heterotypic cross-species seeding of a neurodegenerative human prion-like protein by a yeast prion. This opens up the conceptual perspective that non-mammalian prions present in the human microbiome could be involved in the initiation of protein misfolding in neurodegenerative disorders, a mechanism for which we propose the term "trans-seeding."
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Flach
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cedric Leu
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alfonso Martinisi
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Zhiva Skachokova
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Frank
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus Tolnay
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Henning Stahlberg
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - David T Winkler
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Neurology, Medical University Clinic, Kantonsspital Baselland, Liestal, Switzerland
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32
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Luo J, Harrison PM. Evolution of sequence traits of prion-like proteins linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). PeerJ 2022; 10:e14417. [PMID: 36415860 PMCID: PMC9676014 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are proteinaceous particles that can propagate an alternative conformation to further copies of the same protein. They have been described in mammals, fungi, bacteria and archaea. Furthermore, across diverse organisms from bacteria to eukaryotes, prion-like proteins that have similar sequence characters are evident. Such prion-like proteins have been linked to pathomechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in humans, in particular TDP43, FUS, TAF15, EWSR1 and hnRNPA2. Because of the desire to study human disease-linked proteins in model organisms, and to gain insights into the functionally important parts of these proteins and how they have changed across hundreds of millions of years of evolution, we analyzed how the sequence traits of these five proteins have evolved across eukaryotes, including plants and metazoa. We discover that the RNA-binding domain architecture of these proteins is deeply conserved since their emergence. Prion-like regions are also deeply and widely conserved since the origination of the protein families for FUS, TAF15 and EWSR1, and since the last common ancestor of metazoa for TDP43 and hnRNPA2. Prion-like composition is uncommon or weak in any plant orthologs observed, however in TDP43 many plant proteins have equivalent regions rich in other amino acids (namely glycine and tyrosine and/or serine) that may be linked to stress granule recruitment. Deeply conserved low-complexity domains are identified that likely have functional significance.
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33
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Burkart RC, Eljebbawi A, Stahl Y. Come together now: Dynamic body-formation of key regulators integrates environmental cues in plant development. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1052107. [PMID: 36452084 PMCID: PMC9702078 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1052107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plants as sessile organisms are constantly exposed to changing environmental conditions, challenging their growth and development. Indeed, not only above-ground organs but also the underground root system must adapt accordingly. Consequently, plants respond to these constraints at a gene-regulatory level to ensure their survival and well-being through key transcriptional regulators involved in different developmental processes. Recently, intrinsically disordered domains within these regulators are emerging as central nodes necessary not only for interactions with other factors but also for their partitioning into biomolecular condensates, so-called bodies, possibly driven by phase separation. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about body-forming transcriptional regulators important for plant development and highlight their functions in a possible environmental context. In this perspective article, we discuss potential mechanisms for the formation of membrane-less bodies as an efficient and dynamic program needed for the adaptation to external cues with a particular focus on the Arabidopsis root. Hereby, we aim to provide a perspective for future research on transcriptional regulators to investigate body formation as an expeditious mechanism of plant-environment interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C. Burkart
- Institute for Developmental Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ali Eljebbawi
- Institute for Developmental Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Yvonne Stahl
- Institute for Developmental Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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34
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Ostendorp A, Ostendorp S, Zhou Y, Chaudron Z, Wolffram L, Rombi K, von Pein L, Falke S, Jeffries CM, Svergun DI, Betzel C, Morris RJ, Kragler F, Kehr J. Intrinsically disordered plant protein PARCL colocalizes with RNA in phase-separated condensates whose formation can be regulated by mutating the PLD. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102631. [PMID: 36273579 PMCID: PMC9679465 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In higher plants, long-distance RNA transport via the phloem is crucial for communication between distant plant tissues to align development with stress responses and reproduction. Several recent studies suggest that specific RNAs are among the potential long-distance information transmitters. However, it is yet not well understood how these RNAs enter the phloem stream, how they are transported, and how they are released at their destination. It was proposed that phloem RNA-binding proteins facilitate RNA translocation. In the present study, we characterized two orthologs of the phloem-associated RNA chaperone-like (PARCL) protein from Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus at functional and structural levels. Microscale thermophoresis showed that these phloem-abundant proteins can bind a broad spectrum of RNAs and show RNA chaperone activity in FRET-based in vitro assays. Our SAXS experiments revealed a high degree of disorder, typical for RNA-binding proteins. In agroinfiltrated tobacco plants, eYFP-PARCL proteins mainly accumulated in nuclei and nucleoli and formed cytosolic and nuclear condensates. We found that formation of these condensates was impaired by tyrosine-to-glutamate mutations in the predicted prion-like domain (PLD), while C-terminal serine-to-glutamate mutations did not affect condensation but reduced RNA binding and chaperone activity. Furthermore, our in vitro experiments confirmed phase separation of PARCL and colocalization of RNA with the condensates, while mutation as well as phosphorylation of the PLD reduced phase separation. Together, our results suggest that RNA binding and condensate formation of PARCL can be regulated independently by modification of the C-terminus and/or the PLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ostendorp
- Universität Hamburg, Department of Biology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Hamburg, Germany,For correspondence: Anna Ostendorp
| | - Steffen Ostendorp
- Universität Hamburg, Department of Biology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Department II, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Zoé Chaudron
- Universität Hamburg, Department of Biology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Wolffram
- Universität Hamburg, Department of Biology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Khadija Rombi
- Universität Hamburg, Department of Biology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Linn von Pein
- Universität Hamburg, Department of Biology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sven Falke
- Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, c/o DESY, Hamburg, Germany,Universität Hamburg, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cy M. Jeffries
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Hamburg Site, c/o DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dmitri I. Svergun
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Hamburg Site, c/o DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Betzel
- Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, c/o DESY, Hamburg, Germany,Universität Hamburg, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Richard J. Morris
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Friedrich Kragler
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Department II, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Julia Kehr
- Universität Hamburg, Department of Biology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Hamburg, Germany
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35
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Memory of plants: present understanding. THE NUCLEUS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13237-022-00399-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
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36
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Burkart RC, Strotmann VI, Kirschner GK, Akinci A, Czempik L, Dolata A, Maizel A, Weidtkamp‐Peters S, Stahl Y. PLETHORA‐WOX5 interaction and subnuclear localization control
Arabidopsis
root stem cell maintenance. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e54105. [PMID: 35373503 PMCID: PMC9171415 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202154105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintenance and homeostasis of the stem cell niche (SCN) in the Arabidopsis root is essential for growth and development of all root cell types. The SCN is organized around a quiescent center (QC) maintaining the stemness of cells in direct contact. The key transcription factors (TFs) WUSCHEL‐RELATED HOMEOBOX 5 (WOX5) and PLETHORAs (PLTs) are expressed in the SCN where they maintain the QC and regulate distal columella stem cell (CSC) fate. Here, we describe the concerted mutual regulation of the key TFs WOX5 and PLTs on a transcriptional and protein interaction level. Additionally, by applying a novel SCN staining method, we demonstrate that both WOX5 and PLTs regulate root SCN homeostasis as they control QC quiescence and CSC fate interdependently. Moreover, we uncover that some PLTs, especially PLT3, contain intrinsically disordered prion‐like domains (PrDs) that are necessary for complex formation with WOX5 and its recruitment to subnuclear microdomains/nuclear bodies (NBs) in the CSCs. We propose that this partitioning of PLT‐WOX5 complexes to NBs, possibly by phase separation, is important for CSC fate determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C Burkart
- Institute for Developmental Genetics Heinrich‐Heine University Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Vivien I Strotmann
- Institute for Developmental Genetics Heinrich‐Heine University Düsseldorf Germany
| | | | - Abdullah Akinci
- Institute for Developmental Genetics Heinrich‐Heine University Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Laura Czempik
- Institute for Developmental Genetics Heinrich‐Heine University Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Anika Dolata
- Institute for Developmental Genetics Heinrich‐Heine University Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Alexis Maizel
- Center for Organismal Studies (COS) University of Heidelberg Heidelberg Germany
| | | | - Yvonne Stahl
- Institute for Developmental Genetics Heinrich‐Heine University Düsseldorf Germany
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37
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Kushnirov VV, Dergalev AA, Alieva MK, Alexandrov AI. Structural Bases of Prion Variation in Yeast. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23105738. [PMID: 35628548 PMCID: PMC9147965 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloids are protein aggregates with a specific filamentous structure that are related to a number of human diseases, and also to some important physiological processes in animals and other kingdoms of life. Amyloids in yeast can stably propagate as heritable units, prions. Yeast prions are of interest both on their own and as a model for amyloids and prions in general. In this review, we consider the structure of yeast prions and its variation, how such structures determine the balance of aggregated and soluble prion protein through interaction with chaperones and how the aggregated state affects the non-prion functions of these proteins.
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38
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Khan A, Khan V, Pandey K, Sopory SK, Sanan-Mishra N. Thermo-Priming Mediated Cellular Networks for Abiotic Stress Management in Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:866409. [PMID: 35646001 PMCID: PMC9136941 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.866409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Plants can adapt to different environmental conditions and can survive even under very harsh conditions. They have developed elaborate networks of receptors and signaling components, which modulate their biochemistry and physiology by regulating the genetic information. Plants also have the abilities to transmit information between their different parts to ensure a holistic response to any adverse environmental challenge. One such phenomenon that has received greater attention in recent years is called stress priming. Any milder exposure to stress is used by plants to prime themselves by modifying various cellular and molecular parameters. These changes seem to stay as memory and prepare the plants to better tolerate subsequent exposure to severe stress. In this review, we have discussed the various ways in which plants can be primed and illustrate the biochemical and molecular changes, including chromatin modification leading to stress memory, with major focus on thermo-priming. Alteration in various hormones and their subsequent role during and after priming under various stress conditions imposed by changing climate conditions are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Neeti Sanan-Mishra
- Plant RNAi Biology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
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39
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Zhu S, Gu J, Yao J, Li Y, Zhang Z, Xia W, Wang Z, Gui X, Li L, Li D, Zhang H, Liu C. Liquid-liquid phase separation of RBGD2/4 is required for heat stress resistance in Arabidopsis. Dev Cell 2022; 57:583-597.e6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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40
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Dixson JD, Azad RK. A Protocol for Prion Discovery in Plants. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2396:215-226. [PMID: 34786686 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1822-6_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Recently a likely prion was found in the proteome of Arabidopsis thaliana based on inclusive compositional similarity to known yeast prion-like domains (PrLDs) and gene ontology analysis. A total of 474 proteins in the Arabidopsis thaliana proteome showed significant compositional similarity to known PrLDs in yeast warranting further analysis. In this chapter, we describe the use and limitations of the PLAAC (Prion-Like Amino Acid Composition) software for the identification of prions, specifically as it has recently been applied to identifying the first prion in plants. Our interest in this method, though presented from a plant-based perspective here, is broad and is primarily in using the method for comparative assessment with novel prion identification algorithms currently under development in our lab. This chapter is not meant to serve as a replete description of the architecture and use of HMM in prion prediction in general but is intended to serve as a reference for implementation and interpretation of output from PLAAC and its application to plant proteomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie D Dixson
- Department of Biological Sciences and BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Rajeev K Azad
- Department of Biological Sciences and BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA.
- Department of Mathematics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA.
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41
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Hsiao AS. Plant Protein Disorder: Spatial Regulation, Broad Specificity, Switch of Signaling and Physiological Status. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:904446. [PMID: 35685011 PMCID: PMC9171514 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.904446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- An-Shan Hsiao
- *Correspondence: An-Shan Hsiao ; orcid.org/0000-0002-2485-9034
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42
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Zhao N, Su XM, Liu ZW, Zhou JX, Su YN, Cai XW, Chen L, Wu Z, He XJ. The RNA recognition motif-containing protein UBA2c prevents early flowering by promoting transcription of the flowering repressor FLM in Arabidopsis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:751-765. [PMID: 34724229 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
FLOWERING LOCUS M (FLM) is a well-known MADS-box transcription factor that is required for preventing early flowering under low temperatures in Arabidopsis thaliana. Alternative splicing of FLM is involved in the regulation of temperature-responsive flowering. However, how the basic transcript level of FLM is regulated is largely unknown. Here, we conducted forward genetic screening and identified a previously uncharacterized flowering repressor gene, UBA2c. Genetic analyses indicated that UBA2c represses flowering at least by promoting FLM transcription. We further demonstrated that UBA2c directly binds to FLM chromatin and facilitates FLM transcription by inhibiting histone H3K27 trimethylation, a histone marker related to transcriptional repression. UBA2c encodes a protein containing two putative RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) and one prion-like domain (PrLD). We found that UBA2c forms speckles in the nucleus and that both the RRMs and PrLD are required not only for forming the nuclear speckles but also for the biological function of UBA2c. These results identify a previously unknown flowering repressor and provide insights into the regulation of flowering time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
- Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Xiao-Min Su
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Zhang-Wei Liu
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Jin-Xing Zhou
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yin-Na Su
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xue-Wei Cai
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Ling Chen
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute of Plant and Food Science, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhe Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute of Plant and Food Science, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xin-Jian He
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
- Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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43
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Yan Y, Gan J, Tao Y, Okita TW, Tian L. RNA-Binding Proteins: The Key Modulator in Stress Granule Formation and Abiotic Stress Response. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:882596. [PMID: 35783947 PMCID: PMC9240754 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.882596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
To cope with abiotic environmental stress, plants rapidly change their gene expression transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally, the latter by translational suppression of selected proteins and the assembly of cytoplasmic stress granules (SGs) that sequester mRNA transcripts. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are the major players in these post-transcriptional processes, which control RNA processing in the nucleus, their export from the nucleus, and overall RNA metabolism in the cytoplasm. Because of their diverse modular domain structures, various RBP types dynamically co-assemble with their targeted RNAs and interacting proteins to form SGs, a process that finely regulates stress-responsive gene expression. This review summarizes recent findings on the involvement of RBPs in adapting plants to various abiotic stresses via modulation of specific gene expression events and SG formation. The relationship of these processes with the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Yan
- Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianghuang Gan
- Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yilin Tao
- Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Thomas W. Okita
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- *Correspondence: Thomas W. Okita,
| | - Li Tian
- Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
- Li Tian,
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44
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Lei Z, Wang L, Kim EY, Cho J. Phase separation of chromatin and small RNA pathways in plants. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 108:1256-1265. [PMID: 34585805 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression can be modulated by epigenetic mechanisms, including chromatin modifications and small regulatory RNAs. These pathways are unevenly distributed within a cell and usually take place in specific intracellular regions. Unfortunately, the fundamental driving force and biological relevance of such spatial differentiation is largely unknown. Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a natural propensity of demixing liquid phases and has been recently suggested to mediate the formation of biomolecular condensates that are relevant to diverse cellular processes. LLPS provides a mechanistic explanation for the self-assembly of subcellular structures by which the efficiency and specificity of certain cellular reactions are achieved. In plants, LLPS has been observed for several key factors in the chromatin and small RNA pathways. For example, the formation of facultative and obligate heterochromatin involves the LLPS of multiple relevant factors. In addition, phase separation is observed in a set of proteins acting in microRNA biogenesis and the small interfering RNA pathway. In this Focused Review, we highlight and discuss the recent findings regarding phase separation in the epigenetic mechanisms of plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Lei
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ling Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Eun Yu Kim
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jungnam Cho
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- CAS-JIC Centre of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Science (CEPAMS), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
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45
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Aprile FA, Temussi PA, Pastore A. Man does not live by intrinsically unstructured proteins alone: The role of structured regions in aggregation. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2100178. [PMID: 34674273 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding is a topic that is of primary interest both in biology and medicine because of its impact on fundamental processes and disease. In this review, we revisit the concept of protein misfolding and discuss how the field has evolved from the study of globular folded proteins to focusing mainly on intrinsically unstructured and often disordered regions. We argue that this shift of paradigm reflects the more recent realisation that misfolding may not only be an adverse event, as originally considered, but also may fulfil a basic biological need to compartmentalise the cell with transient reversible granules. We nevertheless provide examples in which structure is an important component of a much more complex aggregation behaviour that involves both structured and unstructured regions of a protein. We thus suggest that a more comprehensive evaluation of the mechanisms that lead to aggregation might be necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco A Aprile
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 82 Wood Lane, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Piero Andrea Temussi
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King's College London, London, UK
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King's College London, London, UK
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46
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Bunsick M, McCullough R, McCourt P, Lumba S. Plant hormone signaling: Is upside down right side up? CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 63:102070. [PMID: 34166978 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Since the early days of plant biology, small molecule hormones have held a central place in our understanding of development. A key feature of plant hormone action is the ability to regulate multiple developmental processes. Despite this pleiotropy, decades of genetic and molecular studies have shown that plant hormone signaling is often canalized through a core pathway. This raises the difficult question of how one signaling pathway produces different outputs in different tissues. Drawing on examples from gibberellin and strigolactone signaling pathways, we propose this conceptual problem arises from an upside-down perspective of hormone signaling. Recent studies have revealed hormone and core pathway-independent mechanisms of regulating downstream signaling components, which could explain multiple developmental responses to the same hormone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Bunsick
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Rachel McCullough
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Peter McCourt
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Shelley Lumba
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, M5S 3B2, Canada.
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47
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Garcia DM, Campbell EA, Jakobson CM, Tsuchiya M, Shaw EA, DiNardo AL, Kaeberlein M, Jarosz DF. A prion accelerates proliferation at the expense of lifespan. eLife 2021; 10:e60917. [PMID: 34545808 PMCID: PMC8455135 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In fluctuating environments, switching between different growth strategies, such as those affecting cell size and proliferation, can be advantageous to an organism. Trade-offs arise, however. Mechanisms that aberrantly increase cell size or proliferation-such as mutations or chemicals that interfere with growth regulatory pathways-can also shorten lifespan. Here we report a natural example of how the interplay between growth and lifespan can be epigenetically controlled. We find that a highly conserved RNA-modifying enzyme, the pseudouridine synthase Pus4/TruB, can act as a prion, endowing yeast with greater proliferation rates at the cost of a shortened lifespan. Cells harboring the prion grow larger and exhibit altered protein synthesis. This epigenetic state, [BIG+] (better in growth), allows cells to heritably yet reversibly alter their translational program, leading to the differential synthesis of dozens of proteins, including many that regulate proliferation and aging. Our data reveal a new role for prion-based control of an RNA-modifying enzyme in driving heritable epigenetic states that transform cell growth and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Garcia
- Department of Chemical & Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Edgar A Campbell
- Department of Chemical & Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Christopher M Jakobson
- Department of Chemical & Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Mitsuhiro Tsuchiya
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Ethan A Shaw
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Acadia L DiNardo
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Matt Kaeberlein
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Daniel F Jarosz
- Department of Chemical & Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
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48
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Gil‐Garcia M, Iglesias V, Pallarès I, Ventura S. Prion-like proteins: from computational approaches to proteome-wide analysis. FEBS Open Bio 2021; 11:2400-2417. [PMID: 34057308 PMCID: PMC8409284 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prions are self-perpetuating proteins able to switch between a soluble state and an aggregated-and-transmissible conformation. These proteinaceous entities have been widely studied in yeast, where they are involved in hereditable phenotypic adaptations. The notion that such proteins could play functional roles and be positively selected by evolution has triggered the development of computational tools to identify prion-like proteins in different kingdoms of life. These algorithms have succeeded in screening multiple proteomes, allowing the identification of prion-like proteins in a diversity of unrelated organisms, evidencing that the prion phenomenon is well conserved among species. Interestingly enough, prion-like proteins are not only connected with the formation of functional membraneless protein-nucleic acid coacervates, but are also linked to human diseases. This review addresses state-of-the-art computational approaches to identify prion-like proteins, describes proteome-wide analysis efforts, discusses these unique proteins' functional role, and illustrates recently validated examples in different domains of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Gil‐Garcia
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia MolecularInstitut de Biotecnologia i de BiomedicinaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpain
| | - Valentín Iglesias
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia MolecularInstitut de Biotecnologia i de BiomedicinaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia MolecularInstitut de Biotecnologia i de BiomedicinaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpain
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia MolecularInstitut de Biotecnologia i de BiomedicinaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpain
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49
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Cascarina SM, Kaplan JP, Elder MR, Brookbank L, Ross ED. Generalizable Compositional Features Influencing the Proteostatic Fates of Polar Low-Complexity Domains. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168944. [PMID: 34445649 PMCID: PMC8396281 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is associated with a growing list of human diseases. A substantial fraction of proteins in eukaryotic proteomes constitutes a proteostasis network—a collection of proteins that work together to maintain properly folded proteins. One of the overarching functions of the proteostasis network is the prevention or reversal of protein aggregation. How proteins aggregate in spite of the anti-aggregation activity of the proteostasis machinery is incompletely understood. Exposed hydrophobic patches can trigger degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, a key branch of the proteostasis network. However, in a recent study, we found that model glycine (G)-rich or glutamine/asparagine (Q/N)-rich prion-like domains differ in their susceptibility to detection and degradation by this system. Here, we expand upon this work by examining whether the features controlling the degradation of our model prion-like domains generalize broadly to G-rich and Q/N-rich domains. Experimentally, native yeast G-rich domains in isolation are sensitive to the degradation-promoting effects of hydrophobic residues, whereas native Q/N-rich domains completely resist these effects and tend to aggregate instead. Bioinformatic analyses indicate that native G-rich domains from yeast and humans tend to avoid degradation-promoting features, suggesting that the proteostasis network may act as a form of selection at the molecular level that constrains the sequence space accessible to G-rich domains. However, the sensitivity or resistance of G-rich and Q/N-rich domains, respectively, was not always preserved in their native protein contexts, highlighting that proteins can evolve other sequence features to overcome the intrinsic sensitivity of some LCDs to degradation.
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50
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Dorone Y, Boeynaems S, Flores E, Jin B, Hateley S, Bossi F, Lazarus E, Pennington JG, Michiels E, De Decker M, Vints K, Baatsen P, Bassel GW, Otegui MS, Holehouse AS, Exposito-Alonso M, Sukenik S, Gitler AD, Rhee SY. A prion-like protein regulator of seed germination undergoes hydration-dependent phase separation. Cell 2021; 184:4284-4298.e27. [PMID: 34233164 PMCID: PMC8513799 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Many organisms evolved strategies to survive desiccation. Plant seeds protect dehydrated embryos from various stressors and can lay dormant for millennia. Hydration is the key trigger to initiate germination, but the mechanism by which seeds sense water remains unresolved. We identified an uncharacterized Arabidopsis thaliana prion-like protein we named FLOE1, which phase separates upon hydration and allows the embryo to sense water stress. We demonstrate that biophysical states of FLOE1 condensates modulate its biological function in vivo in suppressing seed germination under unfavorable environments. We find intragenic, intraspecific, and interspecific natural variation in FLOE1 expression and phase separation and show that intragenic variation is associated with adaptive germination strategies in natural populations. This combination of molecular, organismal, and ecological studies uncovers FLOE1 as a tunable environmental sensor with direct implications for the design of drought-resistant crops, in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanniv Dorone
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Steven Boeynaems
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Eduardo Flores
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, UC Merced, Merced, CA 95340, USA
| | - Benjamin Jin
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Shannon Hateley
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Flavia Bossi
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Elena Lazarus
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Janice G Pennington
- Center for Quantitative Cell Imaging, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Emiel Michiels
- EM-platform@VIB Bio Imaging Core and VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mathias De Decker
- EM-platform@VIB Bio Imaging Core and VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology, and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katlijn Vints
- EM-platform@VIB Bio Imaging Core and VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pieter Baatsen
- EM-platform@VIB Bio Imaging Core and VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - George W Bassel
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Marisa S Otegui
- Center for Quantitative Cell Imaging, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Alex S Holehouse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Center for Science and Engineering of Living Systems (CSELS), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Moises Exposito-Alonso
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Shahar Sukenik
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, UC Merced, Merced, CA 95340, USA
| | - Aaron D Gitler
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Seung Y Rhee
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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