SUMOylation inhibition mediated by disruption of SUMO E1-E2 interactions confers plant susceptibility to necrotrophic fungal pathogens

Protein modification by SUMO modulates essential biological processes in eukaryotes. SUMOylation is facilitated by sequential action of the E1-activating, E2-conjugating, and E3-ligase enzymes. In plants, SUMO regulates plant development and stress responses, which are key determinants in agricultur...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Castaño-Miquel, Laura, Mas, Abraham, Teixeira, Inês, Seguí, Josep, Perearnau, Anna|||0000-0002-7925-2942, Thampi, Bhagyasree N., Schapire, Arnaldo L., Rodrigo, Natalia, La Verde, Gaelle, Manrique, Silvia, Coca López, María|||0000-0002-5578-3175, Lois, L. Maria|||0000-0003-0638-1484
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:175752
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/175752
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.molp.2017.01.007
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:SUMO inhibition
Development
Flowering
Necrotrophic fungi
E1-activating enzyme
E1-E2 interaction disruption
Descripción
Sumario:Protein modification by SUMO modulates essential biological processes in eukaryotes. SUMOylation is facilitated by sequential action of the E1-activating, E2-conjugating, and E3-ligase enzymes. In plants, SUMO regulates plant development and stress responses, which are key determinants in agricultural productivity. To generate additional tools for advancing our knowledge about the SUMO biology, we have developed a strategy for inhibiting in vivo SUMO conjugation based on disruption of SUMO E1-E2 interactions through expression of E1 SAE2UFDCt domain. Targeted mutagenesis and phylogenetic analyses revealed that this inhibition involves a short motif in SAE2UFDCt highly divergent across kingdoms. Transgenic plants expressing the SAE2UFDCt domain displayed dose-dependent inhibition of SUMO conjugation, and have revealed the existence of a post-transcriptional mechanism that regulates SUMO E2 conjugating enzyme levels. Interestingly, these transgenic plants displayed increased susceptibility to necrotrophic fungal infections by Botrytis cinerea and Plectosphaerella cucumerina. Early after fungal inoculation, host SUMO conjugation was post-transcriptionally downregulated, suggesting that targeting SUMOylation machinery could constitute a novel mechanism for fungal pathogenicity. These findings support the role of SUMOylation as a mechanism involved in plant protection from environmental stresses. In addition, the strategy for inhibiting SUMO conjugation in vivo described in this study might be applicable in important crop plants and other non-plant organisms regardless of their genetic complexity.