Lysine, Lysine-Rich, Serine, and Serine-Rich Proteins: Link Between Metabolism, Development, and Abiotic Stress Tolerance and the Role of ncRNAs in Their Regulation

Abstract

Lysine (Lys) is indispensable nutritionally, and its levels in plants are modulated by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional control during plant ontogeny. Animal glutamate receptor homologs have been detected in plants, which may participate in several plant processes through the Lys catabolic products. Interestingly, a connection between Lys and serotonin metabolism has been established recently in rice. 2-Aminoadipate, a catabolic product of Lys appears to play a critical role between serotonin accumulation and the color of rice endosperm/grain. It has also been shown that expression of some lysine-methylated proteins and genes encoding lysine-methyltransferases (KMTs) are regulated by cadmium even as it is known that Lys biosynthesis and its degradation are modulated by novel mechanisms. Three complex pathways co-exist in plants for serine (Ser) biosynthesis, and the relative preponderance of each pathway in relation to plant development or abiotic stress tolerance are being unfolded slowly. But the phosphorylated pathway of L-Ser biosynthesis (PPSB) appears to play critical roles and is essential in plant metabolism and development. Ser, which participates indirectly in purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis and plays a pivotal role in plant metabolism and signaling. Also, L-Ser has been implicated in plant responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses. A large body of information implicates Lys-rich and serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins in a very wide array of abiotic stresses. Interestingly, a link exists between Lys-rich K-segment and stress tolerance levels. It is of interest to note that abiotic stresses largely influence the expression patterns of SR proteins and also the alternative splicing (AS) patterns. We have checked if any lncRNAs form a cohort of differentially expressed genes from the publicly available PPSB, sequence read archives of NCBI GenBank. Finally, we discuss the link between Lys and Ser synthesis, catabolism, Lys-proteins, and SR proteins during plant development and their myriad roles in response to abiotic stresses.

Investigating applied drought in Miscanthus sinensis; sensitivity, response mechanisms, and subsequent recovery

“…This could be a form of a negative feedback control to reverse its stress‐induced accumulation to almost toxic levels. Nonetheless, Ser catabolism and accumulation have both been implicated with increased tolerance in various species (Kishor et al, 2020), a discrepancy attributed to its complex functionality and homeostasis. Tryptophan (Trp) and lysine (Lys) levels also increased during stress.…”

Functional characterization of late embryogenesis abundant genes and promoters in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) for abiotic stress tolerance

“…Several biotechnological approaches have been implicated in developing resistance to abiotic stress in crop plants (Bhatnagar‐Mathur et al 2008). The evolution of LEA proteins is one of the adaptive mechanisms acquired by plants for protection against harsh environmental conditions (Kishor et al 2020). LEA proteins mainly consist of hydrophilic amino acids organized in a repeated sequence (e.g., Gly and Lys), conferring hyper‐hydrophilicity and thermal stability that are highly expressed during the late stages of embryo development (Wang et al 2003), mainly in cotyledons, panicles (Zhang et al 2002), stems, leaves, and roots (Federspiel 2000).…”

Identification of Key Genes in ‘Luang Pratahn’, Thai Salt-Tolerant Rice, Based on Time-Course Data and Weighted Co-expression Networks

“…The plant SR proteins may contribute to constitutive and alternative splicing of rice pre-mRNA ( Lopato et al, 1996 ; Isshiki et al, 2006 ). The connection between the function of SR proteins in RNA splicing as a post-transcriptional control and abiotic stress tolerance has been reported in various species ( Morton et al, 2019 ; Kishor et al, 2020 ), including Arabidopsis, rice, and Physcomitrella patens ( Melo et al, 2020 ).…”