Plant ubiquitylation and proteolytic systems, the key elements in hormonal signaling pathways

The general function of the ubiquitylation systems is to conjugate ubiquitin to lysine residues within substrate proteins, thus targeting them for degradation by the proteasome. In Arabidopsis thaliana more than 1300 genes (approximately 5% of the proteome) encode components of the ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway. Approximately 90% of these genes encode subunits of the E3 ubiquitin ligases, which confer substrate specificity to the ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway. The plant E3 ubiquitin ligases comprise a large and diverse family of proteins or protein complexes containing either a HECT domain, a RING-finger or U-box domain. The SCF class of E3 ligases is the most thoroughly studied in plants because some of them participate in regulation of hormone signaling pathways. The role of the SCF is to ubiquitylate repressors of hormone response (auxin, gibberellins), whereas in response to ethylene, abscisic acid and brassinosteroids the SCF participate in degradation of positive regulators in the absence of the hormone.