APIP5 functions as a transcription factor and an RNA-binding protein to modulate cell death and immunity in rice

Abstract

Many transcription factors (TFs) in animals bind to both DNA and mRNA, regulating transcription and mRNA turnover. However, whether plant TFs function at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels remains unknown. The rice (Oryza sativa) bZIP TF AVRPIZ-T-INTERACTING PROTEIN 5 (APIP5) negatively regulates programmed cell death and blast resistance and is targeted by the effector AvrPiz-t of the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. We demonstrate that the nuclear localization signal of APIP5 is essential for APIP5-mediated suppression of cell death and blast resistance. APIP5 directly targets two genes that positively regulate blast resistance: the cell wall-associated kinase gene OsWAK5 and the cytochrome P450 gene CYP72A1. APIP5 inhibits OsWAK5 expression and thus limits lignin accumulation; moreover, APIP5 inhibits CYP72A1 expression and thus limits reactive oxygen species production and defense compounds accumulation. Remarkably, APIP5 acts as an RNA-binding protein to regulate mRNA turnover of the cell death- and defense-related genes OsLSD1 and OsRac1. Therefore, APIP5 plays dual roles, acting as TF to regulate gene expression in the nucleus and as an RNA-binding protein to regulate mRNA turnover in the cytoplasm, a previously unidentified regulatory mechanism of plant TFs at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.

Genome-wide association mapping of bruchid resistance loci in soybean

“…Calmodulin-like proteins are known to play an essential role in plants defense against insects and pathogenic bacteria (53), (54), (55). Furthermore, some of the identified candidate genes are known to be involved in encoding for GDSL-like lipase/acylhydrolase superfamily proteins, nucleic acid binding transcription factors, basic chitinase, cysteine-rich RLK, MYB domain protein 9, and Syntaxin/t-SNARE family proteins and in the biosynthesis of phenolic acids and lignin, which all play a crucial role in the plant’s defense against biotic stress(56), (57), (58), (59), (60), (61), (62), (63), (64).…”

A module centered on the transcription factor Msn2 from arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis regulates drought stress tolerance in the host plant

“…Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was performed as described previously (Zhang et al ., 2022). The promoter‐specific primers are listed in Table S3.…”

WRKY1 represses the WHIRLY1 transcription factor to positively regulate plant defense against geminivirus infection

“…Dual-luciferase reporter assay was carried out in N . benthamiana plant leaves as described [ 47 ]. The ~1750-bp promoter sequence of NbWhy1 was amplified from genomic DNA of N .…”

“…Dual-luciferase reporter assay was carried out in N. benthamiana plant leaves as described [47]. The ~1750-bp promoter sequence of NbWhy1 was amplified from genomic DNA of N. benthamiana plant leaves and seamlessly cloned into the pGreenII 0800-LUC vector predigested with BamHI and SalI to generate the reporter plasmid 35S::REN-NbWhy1Pro::LUC.…”