Role of RING 1 Protein in Plant Immunity and Gene Expression

Koustav Maiti, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara

Many and different types of pathogens are found in the world that can infect and cause severe diseases in plants. This kind of infection or disease can reduce crop yields in the plants. The pathogens discharge effector proteins into plant cells during the infection. Some effector proteins target the plant proteasomal degradation. This degradation machinery is very much important for recycling the proteins to synchronize several cell operations. Ubiquitin-Activating enzymes (E1), Ubiquitin-Conjugating enzymes (E2), and Ubiquitin Ligases (E3) are associated with the proteasome system. The pathogens probably target the plant ubiquitin system (Mainly involved in several biological activities in the plant body like cell cycle process, circadian rhythm control, hormone signaling growth, and control) to repress the innate plant immunity.

Mostly E3 Ligases are involved as both positive and negative regulators in plant immunity. E3 Ligases can activate many transcription factors (TFs) that are involved in plant defence. For example, Ubiquitin SCF E3 Ligase regulates the Ethylene Intensive 3 (EIN3) type TF. E3 Ligases influences Pathogen-associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs) triggered plant immunity. On the other hand, Arabidopsis PLANT Ubiquitin-BOX PROTEIN22 (PUB22), PUB23 and PUB24 show negative behaviour in plant defence.

The phytochromes such as Jasmonic acid (JA) and Salicylic acid (SA) are the most important components in plant defence. JA pathway manages the signal of exogenous stimuli like stresses from pathogen infection or wounding. JA signalling mechanisms are associated with phosphorylation and ubiquitination. The JA and SA signalling pathways function antagonistically against biotrophic (Plant pathogens derive energy from living cells; For example, Puccinia graminis producing black stem rust of cereals) and necrotrophic (Plant pathogens derive energy from killed cells; For example, Botrytis cinerea producing Grey mould disease) pathogens. Plant stomata present in Arabidopsis shuts down due to few bacterial pathogens. Due to infection of Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato DC3000, stomata reopens because of bacterially produced coronatine (COR) that affects the JA production in plant body and this causes the suppression of SA-mediated plant defence system. 

E3 Ligases are also very useful in the abiotic stress responses of the plants. SALT- AND DROUGHT-INDUCED RING FINGER1 (SDIR1) is an E3 Ubiquitin Ligase that can degrade the regulators of the plant hormone Abscisic Acid (ABA) in the regulation of drought stress. Some of these RING-type E3 proteins are involved in salt stress. The Arabidopsis SDIR1 and ZmRFP1 proteins regulate drought stress. In contrast, Oryza sativa OsSDIR1 performs negatively in salt and drought stress. The role of SDIR1 in biotic stress is yet to be known. The critical role of SDIR1 in bacterial disease resistance is also reported in this study. SDIR1 also regulates the transcripts of many genes that participate in plant defense response. These studies can open up new paths to understanding the SDIR1-associated mechanisms that can enhance crop improvement by changing several plant traits. The SDIR1 can also be a target for genome editing to increase crop protection from harmful pathogens.

Also read: What color is your favorite song? – Decoding Synesthesia

Reference

A Novel Role of Salt- and Drought-Induced RING 1 Protein in Modulating Plant Defense Against Hemibiotrophic and Necrotrophic Pathogens; Vemanna S. Ramu, Sunhee Oh et al. ; APS Publications; February 10, 2021; Volume 34; Number 3; Pages 297-308; doi : https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-09-20-0257-R

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