title: Auxin is surfacing.
abstract: Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA or auxin) is essential throughout the life cycle of a plant. It controls diverse cellular processes, including gene expression. The hormone is perceived by a ubiquitin protein ligase (E3) and triggers the rapid destruction of repressors, called Aux/IAA proteins. The first structural model of a plant hormone receptor illustrates how auxin promotes Aux/IAA substrate recruitment by extending the hydrophobic protein-interaction surface. This work establishes a novel mechanism of E3 regulation by small molecules and promises a novel strategy for the treatment of human disorders associated with defective ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, University of California-Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA. sabel@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abel
mesh_terms: D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins