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    BIG enhances Arg/N-degron pathway-mediated protein degradation to regulate Arabidopsis hypoxia responses and suberin deposition


    Zhang, Hongtao, Rundle, Chelsea, Winter, Nikola, Miricescu, Alexandra, Mooney, Brian C, Bachmair, Andreas, Graciet, Emmanuelle and Theodoulou, Frederica L (2024) BIG enhances Arg/N-degron pathway-mediated protein degradation to regulate Arabidopsis hypoxia responses and suberin deposition. Plant Cell, 36 (9). pp. 3177-3200. ISSN 1040-4651

    Abstract

    BIG/DARK OVEREXPRESSION OF CAB1/TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE3 is a 0.5 MDa protein associated with multiple functions in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) signaling and development. However, the biochemical functions of BIG are unknown. We investigated a role for BIG in the Arg/N-degron pathways, in which substrate protein fate is influenced by the N-terminal residue. We crossed a big loss-of-function allele to 2 N-degron pathway E3 ligase mutants, proteolysis6 (prt6) and prt1, and examined the stability of protein substrates. Stability of model substrates was enhanced in prt6-1 big-2 and prt1-1 big-2 relative to the respective single mutants, and the abundance of the PRT6 physiological substrates, HYPOXIA-RESPONSIVE ERF2 (HRE2) and VERNALIZATION2 (VRN2), was similarly increased in prt6 big double mutants. Hypoxia marker expression was enhanced in prt6 big double mutants; this constitutive response required arginyl transferase activity and RAP-type Group VII ethylene response factor (ERFVII) transcription factors. Transcriptomic analysis of roots not only demonstrated increased expression of multiple hypoxia-responsive genes in the double mutant relative to prt6, but also revealed other roles for PRT6 and BIG, including regulation of suberin deposition through both ERFVII-dependent and independent mechanisms, respectively. Our results show that BIG acts together with PRT6 to regulate the hypoxia-response and broader processes in Arabidopsis.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: BIG enhances; Arg/N-degron pathway-mediated protein degradation; Arabidopsis hypoxia responses; suberin deposition;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Science & Engineering > Biology
    Item ID: 21586
    Identification Number: 10.1093/plcell/koae117
    Depositing User: Emmanuelle Graciet
    Date Deposited: 19 May 2026 14:27
    Journal or Publication Title: Plant Cell
    Publisher: American Society of Plant Biologists
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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