Biology subjects

Llamas, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Llamas, E..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Autophagy restricts fungal accommodation in the roots ofArabidopsis thaliana

Endophytic colonization of Arabidopsis thaliana by the beneficial root endophyte Serendipita indica is characterized by an initial biotrophic phase followed by a restricted host cell death-associated phase. This latter phase involves regulated cell death (RCD) for fungal accommodation. However, the host molecular pathways that limit S. indica colonization and govern symbiosis remain largely unknown. Our study demonstrates that autophagy, a major cellular degradation pathway, is activated during S. indica colonization and is required to restrict fungal colonization in Arabidopsis. Independent Arabidopsis knockout (KO) mutants deficient in autophagosome formation are more susceptible to deoxyadenosine (dAdo), a cell death inducer produced by two secreted S. indica effectors at the onset of the cell death-associated phase. In the atg5 autophagy mutant background, impaired dAdo uptake prevents dAdo-induced and symbiosis-mediated cell death. Based on our data, we propose that autophagy-mediated pro-survival responses in the host are crucial for maintaining a balanced symbiotic interaction between S. indica and Arabidopsis. In a NutshellOur study reveals that during colonization of Arabidopsis thaliana roots by the beneficial root endophyte Serendipita indica, autophagy, a key cellular degradation pathway, is activated to limit fungal colonization. Autophagy-deficient Arabidopsis mutants are more susceptible to deoxyadenosine (dAdo), a cell death inducer produced by S. indica. We propose that autophagy-mediated pro-survival responses are essential for maintaining a balanced symbiotic interaction between S. indica and Arabidopsis.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Root cap cell corpse clearance limits microbial colonization

Programmed cell death occurring during plant development (dPCD) is a fundamental process integral for plant growth and reproduction. Here, we investigate the connection between developmentally controlled PCD and fungal accommodation in Arabidopsis thaliana roots, focusing on the root cap-specific transcription factor ANAC033/SOMBRERO (SMB) and the senescence-associated nuclease BFN1. Mutations of both dPCD regulators increase colonization by the beneficial fungus Serendipita indica, primarily in the differentiation zone. smb-3 mutants additionally exhibit hypercolonization around the meristematic zone and a delay of S. indica-induced root-growth promotion. This demonstrates that root cap dPCD and rapid post-mortem clearance of cellular corpses represent a physical defense mechanism restricting microbial invasion of the root. Additionally, reporter lines and transcriptional analysis revealed that BFN1 expression is downregulated during S. indica colonization in mature root epidermal cells, suggesting a transcriptional control mechanism that facilitates the accommodation of beneficial microbes in the roots. Key findings in bullet pointsO_LIThe process of programmed cell death in root development (dPCD) influences the extent and outcomes of fungal symbiosis C_LIO_LIFungal colonization of the root tip and differentiation zone is restricted by SMB-mediated clearance of dead cells, which preserves the meristem and regulates symbiosis C_LIO_LIExpression of plant nuclease BFN1, which is associated with senescence, is modulated to facilitate root accommodation of beneficial microbes C_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Chloroplast protein import determines plant proteostasis and retrograde signaling

Proteins containing polyglutamine (polyQ) repeats are prone to aggregation and can lead to distinct human pathologies. For instance, Huntingtons disease is caused by an abnormal expansion of the polyQ stretch (> Q35) of Huntingtin (HTT) protein. However, plants express hundreds of proteins containing polyQ regions, but no pathologies arising from these factors have been reported to date. Here, we ask how plants maintain the proteostasis of polyQ-containing proteins, which are intrinsically enriched in the plant proteomes. To this end, we overexpressed an aggregation-prone fragment of human HTT (Q69) in plant cells. In contrast to invertebrate and mammalian transgenic models, we find that Arabidopsis thaliana plants suppress Q69 aggregation. This elevated proteostasis ability is mediated through the import and degradation of Q69 in chloroplasts. Conversely, inhibition of chloroplast protein import either genetically or pharmacologically reduces the capacity of plant cells to prevent Q69 aggregation. We find that Q69 interacts with the chloroplast stromal processing peptidase (SPP). Notably, expression of synthetic Arabidopsis SPP is sufficient to suppress aggregation of polyQ-expanded HTT in human cells. Beyond ectopically expressed Q69-HTT, endogenous polyQ-containing proteins also aggregate in Arabidopsis upon inhibition of chloroplast import. Among them, the plastid casein kinase 2 (pCK2), which contains a polyQ region next to the chloroplast targeting sequence motif, can also be localized into the nucleus. Upon inhibition of chloroplast import, pCK2 accumulates at higher levels in the nucleus and forms diamond-shaped amyloid-like fibrils surrounding the chloroplasts. These results indicate that the differential conformation and redistribution of pCK2 to the nucleus depends on chloroplast import efficiency, providing a role of polyQ repeats in chloroplast to nucleus communication (i.e. retrograde signaling). Together, our findings establish chloroplast protein import and proteases as determinants of polyQ proteostasis, with important implications for plant biology that can also lead to therapeutic approaches for human diseases that involve protein aggregation.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

The intrinsic chaperone network of Arabidopsis stem cells confers protection against proteotoxic stress

The biological purpose of plant stem cells is to maintain themselves while providing new pools of differentiated cells that form organs and rejuvenate or replace damaged tissues1-3. Protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, is required for cell function and viability4-7. However, the link between proteostasis and plant stem cell identity remains unknown. In contrast to their differentiated counterparts, we find that root stem cells can prevent the accumulation of aggregated proteins even under proteotoxic stress conditions such as heat stress or proteasome inhibition. Notably, root stem cells exhibit enhanced expression of distinct chaperones that maintain proteome integrity. Particularly, intrinsic high levels of the TRiC/CCT chaperonin determine stem cell maintenance and their remarkable ability to suppress protein aggregation. Overexpression of CCT8, a key activator of TRiC/CCT assembly8, is sufficient to ameliorate protein aggregation in differentiated cells and confer resistance to proteotoxic stress in plants. Taken together, our results indicate that enhanced proteostasis mechanisms in stem cells could be an important requirement for plants to persist under extreme environmental conditions and reach extreme long ages. Thus, proteostasis of stem cells could provide insights to design and breed plants tolerant to environmental challenges caused by the climate change.

plant biology↗