title: Phosphorylation-coupled proteolysis of the transcription factor MYC2 is important for jasmonate-signaled plant immunity.
abstract: As a master regulator of jasmonic acid (JA)-signaled plant immune responses, the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) Leu zipper transcription factor MYC2 differentially regulates different subsets of JA-responsive genes through distinct mechanisms. However, how MYC2 itself is regulated at the protein level remains unknown. Here, we show that proteolysis of MYC2 plays a positive role in regulating the transcription of its target genes. We discovered a 12-amino-acid element in the transcription activation domain (TAD) of MYC2 that is required for both the proteolysis and the transcriptional activity of MYC2. Interestingly, MYC2 phosphorylation at residue Thr328, which facilitates its turnover, is also required for the MYC2 function to regulate gene transcription. Together, these results reveal that phosphorylation-coupled turnover of MYC2 stimulates its transcription activity. Our results exemplify that, as with animals, plants employ an "activation by destruction" mechanism to fine-tune their transcriptome to adapt to their ever-changing environment.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, National Centre for Plant Gene Research-Beijing, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qingzhe
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.forename: Liuhua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiaqiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Liyan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Meng-Qiu
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Yingchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chuanyou
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs / Q000235:genetics; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D057865:Plant Immunity / Q000235:genetics*; D059748:Proteolysis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D003517:Cyclopentanes; C473611:MYC2 protein, Arabidopsis; D054883:Oxylipins; C011006:jasmonic acid