Plants, like other eukaryotes, rely on proteolysis to control the abundance of key regulatory proteins and enzymes. Strikingly, genome-wide studies have revealed that the ubiquitin-26S proteasome ...system (UPS) in particular is an exceedingly large and complex route for protein removal, occupying nearly 6% of the Arabidopsis thaliana proteome. But why is the UPS so pervasive in plants? Data accumulated over the past few years now show that it targets numerous intracellular regulators that have central roles in hormone signalling, the regulation of chromatin structure and transcription, tailoring morphogenesis, responses to environmental challenges, self recognition and battling pathogens.
Autophagic turnover of intracellular constituents is critical for cellular housekeeping, nutrient recycling, and various aspects of growth and development in eukaryotes. Here we show that autophagy ...impacts the other major degradative route involving the ubiquitin-proteasome system by eliminating 26S proteasomes, a process we termed proteaphagy. Using Arabidopsis proteasomes tagged with GFP, we observed their deposition into vacuoles via a route requiring components of the autophagy machinery. This transport can be initiated separately by nitrogen starvation and chemical or genetic inhibition of the proteasome, implying distinct induction mechanisms. Proteasome inhibition stimulates comprehensive ubiquitylation of the complex, with the ensuing proteaphagy requiring the proteasome subunit RPN10, which can simultaneously bind both ATG8 and ubiquitin. Collectively, we propose that Arabidopsis RPN10 acts as a selective autophagy receptor that targets inactive 26S proteasomes by concurrent interactions with ubiquitylated proteasome subunits/targets and lipidated ATG8 lining the enveloping autophagic membranes.
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•The Arabidopsis 26S proteasome is degraded by ATG8-mediated autophagy•This degradation is induced by nitrogen starvation and proteasome inhibition•Proteasome inhibition stimulates extensive ubiquitylation of the complex•RPN10 acts as a proteaphagy receptor by binding ubiquitylated proteasomes and ATG8
Marshall et al. have revealed that the 26S proteasome is degraded by ATG8-mediated autophagy in Arabidopsis, a process stimulated separately by nitrogen starvation and chemical or genetic proteasome inhibition. Additionally, they showed that inhibited proteasomes become extensively ubiquitylated and that subsequent autophagic turnover is mediated by the ubiquitin receptor RPN10.
The autophagic clearance of 26S proteasomes (proteaphagy) is an important homeostatic mechanism within the ubiquitin system that modulates proteolytic capacity and eliminates damaged particles. Here, ...we define two proteaphagy routes in yeast that respond to either nitrogen starvation or particle inactivation. Whereas the core autophagic machineries required for Atg8 lipidation and vesiculation are essential for both routes, the upstream Atg1 kinase participates only in starvation-induced proteaphagy. Following inactivation, 26S proteasomes become extensively modified with ubiquitin. Although prior studies with Arabidopsis implicated RPN10 in tethering ubiquitylated proteasomes to ATG8 lining the autophagic membranes, yeast proteaphagy employs the evolutionarily distinct receptor Cue5, which simultaneously binds ubiquitin and Atg8. Proteaphagy of inactivated proteasomes also requires the oligomeric Hsp42 chaperone, suggesting that ubiquitylated proteasomes are directed by Hsp42 to insoluble protein deposit (IPOD)-type structures before encapsulation. Together, Cue5 and Hsp42 provide a quality control checkpoint in yeast directed at recycling dysfunctional 26S proteasomes.
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•The yeast 26S proteasome is degraded by Atg8-mediated autophagy•Nitrogen starvation and inactivation stimulate proteaphagy via distinct pathways•Proteasome inhibition is accompanied by extensive ubiquitylation of the complex•Proteaphagy engages the Cue5 autophagy receptor and the Hsp42 chaperone
Marshall et al. find that 26S proteasomes are degraded by autophagy in yeast, a process stimulated by inactivation or nitrogen starvation. Proteasome inhibition is accompanied by both Hsp42-mediated aggregation and ubiquitylation of the complex, which is then targeted to autophagic membranes by the ubiquitin binding autophagy receptor Cue5.
Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to recycle intracellular constituents. One gaining in appreciation is autophagy, which involves specialized vesicles engulfing and delivering unwanted ...cytoplasmic material to the vacuole for breakdown. Central to this process is the ubiquitin-fold protein autophagy (ATG)-8, which becomes tethered to the developing autophagic membranes by lipidation. Here, we review data showing that the ATG8 moiety provides a docking site not only for proteins that help shape the enclosing vesicles and promote their fusion with the tonoplast, but also for a host of receptors that recruit appropriate autophagic cargo. The identity of these receptors has dramatically altered the view of autophagy as being a relatively nonspecific mechanism to one that may selectively sequester aggregated proteins, protein complexes, organelles, and even invading pathogens.
•Over 1000 mostly nuclear proteins are targets of SUMOylation in Arabidopsis.•Stress-induced SUMO addition is important for abiotic and biotic stress defense.•Reproductive development and success is ...linked to SUMOylation.•SUMO has emerging roles in transcriptional gene silencing and epigenetic regulation.•The SUMO system might be an attractive target for improving stress tolerance in crops.
Conjugation of small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) to intracellular proteins provides a dynamic regulatory mechanism that enables plants to rapidly defend against environmental challenges. SUMOylation of mostly nuclear proteins is among the fastest stress responses observed but precisely how this post-translational modification provides stress resilience remains unclear. Here, we describe the plant SUMO system and its expanding target catalog, which implicates this modification in DNA repair, chromatin modification/remodeling, transcriptional activation/repression, epigenetics, and RNA metabolism, with a likely outcome being extensive nuclear re-wiring to withstand stress. In parallel, studies have linked SUMO to developmental programs such as gametogenesis and gene silencing. The accumulating data support the notion that SUMOylation substantially influences the transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes to promote stress tolerance and developmental progression.
The posttranslational addition of ubiquitin (Ub) helps control the half-life, localization, and action of many intracellular plant proteins. A primary function is the degradation of ubiquitylated ...proteins by the 26S proteasome, which in turn plays important housekeeping and regulatory roles by removing aberrant polypeptides and various normal short-lived regulators. Strikingly, both genetic and genomic studies reveal that Ub conjugation is extraordinarily complex in plants, with more than 1500 Ub-protein ligases (or E3s) possible that could direct the final transfer of the Ub moiety to an equally large number of targets. The cullin-RING ligases (CRLs) are a highly polymorphic E3 collection composed of a cullin backbone onto which binds carriers of activated Ub and a diverse assortment of adaptors that recruit appropriate substrates for ubiquitylation. Here, we review our current understanding of the organization and structure of CRLs in plants and their dynamics, substrates, potential functions, and evolution. The importance of CRLs is exemplified by their ability to serve as sensors of hormones and light; their essential participation in various signaling pathways; their control of the cell cycle, transcription, the stress response, self-incompatibility, and pathogen defense; and their dramatically divergent evolutionary histories in many plant lineages. Given both their organizational complexities and their critical influences, CRLs likely impact most, if not all, aspects of plant biology.
Autophagy-mediated turnover removes damaged organelles and unwanted cytoplasmic constituents and thus plays critical roles in cellular housekeeping and nutrient recycling. This "self eating" is ...tightly regulated by the AUTOPHAGY-RE LATE D1/13 (ATG1/13) kinase complex, which connects metabolic and environmental cues to the vacuolar delivery of autophagic vesicles. Here, we describe the Arabidopsis thaliana accessory proteins ATG11 and ATG101, which help link the ATG1/13 complex to autophagic membranes. ATG11 promotes vesicle delivery to the vacuole but is not essential for synthesizing the ATG12-ATG5 and ATG8-phosphatidylethanolamine adducts that are central to autophagic vesicle assembly. ATG11, ATG101, ATG1, and ATG13 colocalize with each other and with ATG8, with ATG1 tethered to ATG8 via a canonical ATG8-interacting motif. Also, the presence of ATG11 encourages starvation-induced phosphorylation of ATG1 and turnover of ATG1 and ATG13. Like other atg mutants, ATG11-deficient plants senesce prematurely and are hypersensitive to nitrogen and fixed-carbon limitations. Additionally, we discovered that the senescence-induced breakdown of mitochondria-resident proteins and mitochondrial vesicles occurs via an autophagic process requiring ATG11 and other ATG components. Together, our data indicate that ATG11 (and possibly ATG 101) provides important scaffolds connecting the ATG 1/13 complex to both general autophagy and selective mitophagy.
Phytochromes are photochromic photoreceptors responsible for a myriad of red/far-red light-dependent processes in plants and microorganisms. Interconversion is initially driven by photoreversible ...isomerization of bilin, but how this alteration directs the photostate-dependent changes within the protein to actuate signaling is poorly understood. Here, we describe the structure of the Deinococcus phytochrome photosensory module in its near complete far-red light-absorbing Pfr state. In addition to confirming the 180° rotation of the D-pyrrole ring, the dimeric structure clearly identifies downstream rearrangements that trigger large-scale conformational differences between the dark-adapted and photoactivated states. Mutational analyses verified the importance of residues surrounding the bilin in Pfr stabilization, and protease sensitivity assays corroborated photostate alterations that propagate along the dimeric interface. Collectively, these data support a cooperative “toggle” model for phytochrome photoconversion and advance our understanding of the allosteric connection between the photosensory and output modules.
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•Bilin position revealed for Pfr state of a canonical phytochrome•Bilin isomerization drives local structural changes that alter hairpin conformation•Together these changes induce dramatic reorientation of the helical spine
Burgie et al. clarify the mechanism of phytochrome interconversion by describing the structure of the Deinococcus phytochrome photosensory module in its far-red light-absorbing photoactivated state. Bilin isomerization triggers conformational changes that extend to the histidine kinase output module, supporting a “toggle” model for photoconversion.