title: Biochemical characterization of Arabidopsis complexes containing CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 and SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA proteins in light control of plant development.
abstract: COP1 (for CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1) and the four partially redundant SPA (for SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA) proteins work in concert to repress photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana by targeting key transcription factors and phytochrome A for degradation via the 26S proteasome. Here, we report a detailed biochemical characterization of the SPA-COP1 complexes. The four endogenous SPA proteins can form stable complexes with COP1 in vivo regardless of light conditions but exhibit distinct expression profiles in different tissues and light conditions. The SPA proteins can self-associate or interact with each other, forming a heterogeneous group of SPA-COP1 complexes in which the exact SPA protein compositions vary depending on the abundance of individual SPA proteins. The four SPA proteins could be divided into two functional groups depending on their interaction affinities, their regulation of ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 degradation, and their opposite effects on COP1 protein accumulation. Loss-of-function mutations in a predominant SPA protein may cause a significant reduction in the overall SPA-COP1 E3 ligase activity, resulting in a partial constitutive photomorphogenic phenotype. This study thus provides an in-depth biochemical view of the SPA-COP1 E3 ligase complexes and offers new insights into the molecular basis for their distinct roles in the light control of plant development.
authors.affiliation: Peking-Yale Joint Center of Plant Molecular Genetics and Agrobiotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Danmeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Jae-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laubinger
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saijo
authors.forename: Haiyang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li-Jia
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hoecker
authors.forename: Xing Wang
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000528:radiation effects*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000528:radiation effects*; D015151:Immunoblotting; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D008027:Light; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C118571:SPA1 protein, Arabidopsis; C471983:AT2G32950 protein, Arabidopsis; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D011494:Protein Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C517423:SPA2 protein, Arabidopsis; C517424:SPA3 protein, Arabidopsis; C517425:SPA4 protein, Arabidopsis