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Xu L, Xiong X, Liu T, Cao J, Yu Y. Heterologous Expression of Two Brassica campestris CCCH Zinc-Finger Proteins in Arabidopsis Induces Cytoplasmic Foci and Causes Pollen Abortion. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16862. [PMID: 38069184 PMCID: PMC10706035 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The membrane-less organelles in cytoplasm that are presented as cytoplasmic foci were successively identified. Although multiple CCCH zinc-finger proteins have been found to be localized in cytoplasmic foci, the relationship between their specific localization and functions still needs further clarification. Here, we report that the heterologous expression of two Brassica campestris CCCH zinc-finger protein genes (BcMF30a and BcMF30c) in Arabidopsis thaliana can affect microgametogenesis by involving the formation of cytoplasmic foci. By monitoring the distribution of proteins and observing pollen phenotypes, we found that, when these two proteins were moderately expressed in pollen, they were mainly dispersed in the cytoplasm, and the pollen developed normally. However, high expression induced the assembly of cytoplasmic foci, leading to pollen abortion. These findings suggested that the continuous formation of BcMF30a/BcMF30c-associated cytoplasmic foci due to high expression was the inducement of male sterility. A co-localization analysis further showed that these two proteins can be recruited into two well-studied cytoplasmic foci, processing bodies (PBs), and stress granules (SGs), which were confirmed to function in mRNA metabolism. Together, our data suggested that BcMF30a and BcMF30c play component roles in the assembly of pollen cytoplasmic foci. Combined with our previous study on the homologous gene of BcMF30a/c in Arabidopsis, we concluded that the function of these homologous genes is conserved and that cytoplasmic foci containing BcMF30a/c may participate in the regulation of gene expression in pollen by regulating mRNA metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liai Xu
- 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 311300, China;
- Laboratory of Cell & Molecular Biology, Institute of Vegetable Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (X.X.); (T.L.)
| | - Xingpeng Xiong
- Laboratory of Cell & Molecular Biology, Institute of Vegetable Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (X.X.); (T.L.)
| | - Tingting Liu
- Laboratory of Cell & Molecular Biology, Institute of Vegetable Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (X.X.); (T.L.)
| | - Jiashu Cao
- Laboratory of Cell & Molecular Biology, Institute of Vegetable Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (X.X.); (T.L.)
| | - Youjian Yu
- 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 311300, China;
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Fan H, Quan S, Ye Q, Zhang L, Liu W, Zhu N, Zhang X, Ruan W, Yi K, Crawford NM, Wang Y. A molecular framework underlying low-nitrogen-induced early leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana. MOLECULAR PLANT 2023; 16:756-774. [PMID: 36906802 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) deficiency causes early leaf senescence, resulting in accelerated whole-plant maturation and severely reduced crop yield. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying N-deficiency-induced early leaf senescence remain unclear, even in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we identified Growth, Development and Splicing 1 (GDS1), a previously reported transcription factor, as a new regulator of nitrate (NO3-) signaling by a yeast-one-hybrid screen using a NO3- enhancer fragment from the promoter of NRT2.1. We showed that GDS1 promotes NO3- signaling, absorption and assimilation by affecting the expression of multiple NO3- regulatory genes, including Nitrate Regulatory Gene2 (NRG2). Interestingly, we observed that gds1 mutants show early leaf senescence as well as reduced NO3- content and N uptake under N-deficient conditions. Further analyses indicated that GDS1 binds to the promoters of several senescence-related genes, including Phytochrome-Interacting Transcription Factors 4 and 5 (PIF4 and PIF5) and represses their expression. Interestingly, we found that N deficiency decreases GDS1 protein accumulation, and GDS1 could interact with Anaphase Promoting Complex Subunit 10 (APC10). Genetic and biochemical experiments demonstrated that Anaphase Promoting Complex or Cyclosome (APC/C) promotes the ubiquitination and degradation of GDS1 under N deficiency, resulting in loss of PIF4 and PIF5 repression and consequent early leaf senescence. Furthermore, we discovered that overexpression of GDS1 could delay leaf senescence and improve seed yield and N-use efficiency (NUE) in Arabidopsis. In summary, our study uncovers a molecular framework illustrating a new mechanism underlying low-N-induced early leaf senescence and provides potential targets for genetic improvement of crop varieties with increased yield and NUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Shuxuan Quan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Qing Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Ning Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Xiaoqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Wenyuan Ruan
- Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 10081, China
| | - Keke Yi
- Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 10081, China
| | - Nigel M Crawford
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Science, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA
| | - Yong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China.
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Wang Q. The role of forkhead-associated (FHA)-domain proteins in plant biology. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 111:455-472. [PMID: 36849846 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-023-01338-4] [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: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The forkhead-associated (FHA) domain, a well-characterized small protein module that mediates protein-protein interactions by targeting motifs containing phosphothreonine, is present in many regulatory molecules like protein kinase, phosphatases, transcription factors, and other functional proteins. FHA-domain containing proteins in yeast and human are involved in a large variety of cellular processes such as DNA repair, cell cycle arrest, or pre-mRNA processing. Since the first FHA-domain protein, kinase-associated protein phosphatase (KAPP) was found in plants, the interest in plant FHA-containing proteins has increased dramatically, mainly due to the important role of FHA domain-containing proteins in plant growth and development. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamental properties of FHA domain-containing proteins in plants, and systematically summarized and analyzed the research progress of proteins containing the FHA domain in plants. We also emphasized that AT5G47790 and its homologs may play an important role as the regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuling Wang
- Institute of Future Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China.
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