A selective autophagy cargo receptor NBR1 modulates abscisic acid signalling in Arabidopsis thaliana

Tarnowski, L., Collados Rodriguez, M. , Brzywczy, J., Piecho-Kabacik, M., Krčkova, Z., Martinec, J., Wawrzynska, A. and Sirko, A. (2020) A selective autophagy cargo receptor NBR1 modulates abscisic acid signalling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Scientific Reports, 10, 7778. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-64765-z) (PMID:32385330) (PMCID:PMC7211012)

Abstract

The plant selective autophagy cargo receptor neighbour of breast cancer 1 gene (NBR1) has been scarcely studied in the context of abiotic stress. We wanted to expand this knowledge by using Arabidopsis thaliana lines with constitutive ectopic overexpression of the AtNBR1 gene (OX lines) and the AtNBR1 Knock-Out (KO lines). Transcriptomic analysis of the shoots and roots of one representative OX line indicated differences in gene expression relative to the parental (WT) line. In shoots, many differentially expressed genes, either up- or down-regulated, were involved in responses to stimuli and stress. In roots the most significant difference was observed in a set of downregulated genes that is mainly related to translation and formation of ribonucleoprotein complexes. The link between AtNBR1 overexpression and abscisic acid (ABA) signalling was suggested by an interaction network analysis of these differentially expressed genes. Most hubs of this network were associated with ABA signalling. Although transcriptomic analysis suggested enhancement of ABA responses, ABA levels were unchanged in the OX shoots. Moreover, some of the phenotypes of the OX (delayed germination, increased number of closed stomata) and the KO lines (increased number of lateral root initiation sites) indicate that AtNBR1 is essential for fine-tuning of the ABA signalling pathway. The interaction of AtNBR1 with three regulatory proteins of ABA pathway (ABI3, ABI4 and ABI5) was observed in planta. It suggests that AtNBR1 might play role in maintaining the balance of ABA signalling by controlling their level and/or activity.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Te AS and JM laboratories are the members of the Horizon 2020 COST action TRANSAUTOPHAGY (CA15138). Te work in AS laboratory was supported by the National Science Centre, grant No. 2014/15/B/NZ3/04854. MCR was supported by MSCA-ITN, BIONUT. Te work of ZK and JM was supported by Te Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, grant No. LTC17084.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Collados Rodriguez, Dr Milagros
• Authors: Tarnowski, L., Collados Rodriguez, M., Brzywczy, J., Piecho-Kabacik, M., Krčkova, Z., Martinec, J., Wawrzynska, A., and Sirko, A.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research
• Journal Name: Scientific Reports
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• ISSN (Online): 2045-2322
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Scientific Reports 10: 7778
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License