Thirsty plants and beyond: structural mechanisms of abscisic acid perception and signaling.
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone with important functions in stress protection and physiology. Recently, the PYR/PYL/RCAR family of intracellular ABA receptors was identified. These receptors directly link ABA perception to a canonical ABA signaling pathway, in which ABA-bound receptors bind and inhibit type 2C phosphatases. High resolution crystal structures of members of this family have been solved in all relevant states: as apo receptors, bound to ABA, and as receptor-ABA-phosphatase complexes. Together, these structures provide a detailed gate-latch-lock mechanism of ABA recognition, receptor-PP2C interaction, and inhibition of the PP2C phosphatase activity and provide a basis for the design of synthetic ABA agonists for stress protection of crop plants.
Laboratory of Structural Sciences, Van Andel Research Institute, 333 Bostwick Ave. N.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA. karsten.melcher@vai.org
Karsten
K
Melcher
X Edward
XE
Zhou
H Eric
HE
Xu
D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D059828:Plant Cells; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071636:Protein Phosphatase 2C; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology
D009281:Naphthalenes; D010940:Plant Proteins; D013449:Sulfonamides; C540973:pyrabactin; D000040:Abscisic Acid; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D000071636:Protein Phosphatase 2C