The Arabidopsis DELLA RGA-LIKE3 is a direct target of MYC2 and modulates jasmonate signaling responses

Plant Cell. 2012 Aug;24(8):3307-19. doi: 10.1105/tpc.112.101428. Epub 2012 Aug 14.

Abstract

Gibberellins (GAs) are plant hormones involved in the regulation of plant growth in response to endogenous and environmental signals. GA promotes growth by stimulating the degradation of nuclear growth-repressing DELLA proteins. In Arabidopsis thaliana, DELLAs consist of a small family of five proteins that display distinct but also overlapping functions in repressing GA responses. This study reveals that DELLA RGA-LIKE3 (RGL3) protein is essential to fully enhance the jasmonate (JA)-mediated responses. We show that JA rapidly induces RGL3 expression in a CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (COI1)- and JASMONATE INSENSITIVE1 (JIN1/MYC2)-dependent manner. In addition, we demonstrate that MYC2 binds directly to RGL3 promoter. Furthermore, we show that RGL3 (like the other DELLAs) interacts with JA ZIM-domain (JAZ) proteins, key repressors of JA signaling. These findings suggest that JA/MYC2-dependent accumulation of RGL3 represses JAZ activity, which in turn enhances the expression of JA-responsive genes. Accordingly, we show that induction of primary JA-responsive genes is reduced in the rgl3-5 mutant and enhanced in transgenic lines overexpressing RGL3. Hence, RGL3 positively regulates JA-mediated resistance to the necrotroph Botrytis cinerea and susceptibility to the hemibiotroph Pseudomonas syringae. We propose that JA-mediated induction of RGL3 expression is of adaptive significance and might represent a recent functional diversification of the DELLAs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Biological
  • Arabidopsis / drug effects
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis / microbiology
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Botrytis / pathogenicity
  • Cyclopentanes / metabolism
  • Cyclopentanes / pharmacology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Genes, Plant
  • Gibberellins / pharmacology
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Oxylipins / metabolism
  • Oxylipins / pharmacology*
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / drug effects
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / metabolism
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / microbiology
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Pseudomonas syringae / pathogenicity
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors
  • COI1 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Cyclopentanes
  • Gibberellins
  • JAZ1 protein, Arabidopsis
  • MYC2 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Oxylipins
  • RGL3 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Repressor Proteins
  • jasmonic acid
  • gibberellic acid