SnRK1-triggered switch of bZIP63 dimerization mediates the low-energy response in plants.
Metabolic adjustment to changing environmental conditions, particularly balancing of growth and defense responses, is crucial for all organisms to survive. The evolutionary conserved AMPK/Snf1/SnRK1 kinases are well-known metabolic master regulators in the low-energy response in animals, yeast and plants. They act at two different levels: by modulating the activity of key metabolic enzymes, and by massive transcriptional reprogramming. While the first part is well established, the latter function is only partially understood in animals and not at all in plants. Here we identified the Arabidopsis transcription factor bZIP63 as key regulator of the starvation response and direct target of the SnRK1 kinase. Phosphorylation of bZIP63 by SnRK1 changed its dimerization preference, thereby affecting target gene expression and ultimately primary metabolism. A bzip63 knock-out mutant exhibited starvation-related phenotypes, which could be functionally complemented by wild type bZIP63, but not by a version harboring point mutations in the identified SnRK1 target sites.
Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Andrea
A
Mair
Pharmaceutical Biology, Julius-von-Sachs-Institute, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Lorenzo
L
Pedrotti
Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Bernhard
B
Wurzinger
Mass Spectrometry Facility, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Dorothea
D
Anrather
Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Andrea
A
Simeunovic
Pharmaceutical Biology, Julius-von-Sachs-Institute, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Christoph
C
Weiste
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.
Concetta
C
Valerio
Pharmaceutical Biology, Julius-von-Sachs-Institute, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Katrin
K
Dietrich
Department of Plant Physiology, Center for Plant Molecular Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Tobias
T
Kirchler
Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Thomas
T
Nägele
Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Jesús
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6332-1712
J
Vicente Carbajosa
Department of Molecular Plant Physiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Johannes
J
Hanson
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.
Elena
E
Baena-González
Department of Plant Physiology, Center for Plant Molecular Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Christina
C
Chaban
Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Wolfram
W
Weckwerth
Pharmaceutical Biology, Julius-von-Sachs-Institute, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Wolfgang
W
Dröge-Laser
Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Markus
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7204-1379
M
Teige
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D010766:Phosphorylation; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C495668:bZIP63 protein, Arabidopsis; C531469:At3g01090 protein, Arabidopsis
SnRK1 kinase; arabidopsis; bZIP transcription factor; cell biology; metabolic reprogramming; plant biology