Regulation of stress hormones jasmonates and ethylene by MAPK pathways in plants

Plant stress hormones, such as jasmonates (JAs) and ethylene (ET) are essential in plant defence against stress conditions. JAs are used in cosmetics and food flavouring, and the recently demonstrated anti-cancer activity of JAs highlights their potential in health protection. It reinforces the need for a better understanding of biosynthetic regulation of JAs. Which mechanisms are involved in the regulation of the biosynthesis of JAs and ET? Production of stress hormones is induced in plants after wounding or herbivore attack. ET is a gaseous compound and plant JAs are oxylipins structurally similar to prostaglandins that are induced upon inflammation or injury in mammals. Wounding activates protein phosphorylation cascades involving mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). MAPKs regulate ET production. The induction of JA biosynthesis was suggested to require MAPK activation; however the defined roles of MAPKs in JA production remain unclear. Here we will highlight the most recent findings suggesting the regulation of JA biosynthesis and ethylene production by stress activated MAPKs and phosphatases that inactivate these MAPKs.     

The mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade MKK3-MPK6 is an important part of the jasmonate signal transduction pathway in Arabidopsis

The plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) plays a key role in the environmental stress responses and developmental processes of plants. Although ATMYC2/JASMONATE-INSENSITIVE1 (JIN1) is a major positive regulator of JA-inducible gene expression and essential for JA-dependent developmental processes in Arabidopsis thaliana, molecular mechanisms underlying the control of ATMYC2/JIN1 expression remain largely unknown. Here, we identify a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, MAPK KINASE 3 (MKK3)-MAPK 6 (MPK6), which is activated by JA in Arabidopsis. We also show that JA negatively controls ATMYC2/JIN1 expression, based on quantitative RT-PCR and genetic analyses using gain-of-function and loss-of-function mutants of the MKK3-MPK6 cascade. These results indicate that this kinase unit plays a key role in JA-dependent negative regulation of ATMYC2/JIN1 expression. Both positive and negative regulation by JA may be used to fine-tune ATMYC2/JIN1 expression to control JA signaling. Moreover, JA-regulated root growth inhibition is affected by mutations in the MKK3-MPK6 cascade, which indicates important roles in JA signaling. We provide a model explaining how MPK6 can convert three distinct signals - JA, pathogen, and cold/salt stress - into three different sets of responses in Arabidopsis.     

丹参抗性基因SmORA1的克隆及诱导表达分析

该研究采用PCR方法从丹参中克隆出一条乙烯应答因子结合蛋白(ERF)转录因子编码基因,命名为SmORA1,GenBank登录号为KT359598。经分析发现该基因全长648bp,不包含内含子,编码206个氨基酸残基。编码蛋白SmORA1含有典型的AP2结合结构域。表达分析结果表明,SmORA1主要在丹参根中表达,且该基因的表达明显受到茉莉酸甲酯(MeJA)、脱落酸(ABA)、乙烯(ET)、机械创伤和病原菌等逆境信号的诱导,但低温和脱水情况下SmORA1表达下调。研究表明,SmORA1参与丹参生物胁迫反应,可整合JA、ABA、ET和病原菌等胁迫信号途径。