The Mg-chelatase H Subunit of Arabidopsis Antagonizes a Group of WRKY Transcription Repressors to Relieve ABA-responsive Genes of Inhibition

Overview

Journal Plant Cell

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialties Biology
Cell Biology

Date 2010 Jun 15

PMID 20543028

Citations 241

Authors

Yi Shang

Lu Yan

Zhi-Qiang Liu

Zheng Cao

Chao Mei

Qi Xin

Fu-Qing Wu

Xiao-Fang Wang

Shu-Yuan Du

Tao Jiang

Xiao-Feng Zhang

Rui Zhao

Hai-Li Sun

Rui Liu

Yong-Tao Yu

Da-Peng Zhang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a vital role in plant development and response to environmental challenges, but the complex networks of ABA signaling pathways are poorly understood. We previously reported that a chloroplast protein, the magnesium-protoporphyrin IX chelatase H subunit (CHLH/ABAR), functions as a receptor for ABA in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we report that ABAR spans the chloroplast envelope and that the cytosolic C terminus of ABAR interacts with a group of WRKY transcription factors (WRKY40, WRKY18, and WRKY60) that function as negative regulators of ABA signaling in seed germination and postgermination growth. WRKY40, a central negative regulator, inhibits expression of ABA-responsive genes, such as ABI5. In response to a high level of ABA signal that recruits WRKY40 from the nucleus to the cytosol and promotes ABAR-WRKY40 interaction, ABAR relieves the ABI5 gene of inhibition by repressing WRKY40 expression. These findings describe a unique ABA signaling pathway from the early signaling events to downstream gene expression.

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