植物が環境変化に対応する分子的謎の鍵を発見(Researchers at UMass Amherst Discover Key to Molecular Mystery of How Plants Respond to Changing Conditions)

2024-02-07

2024-02-06 マサチューセッツ大学アマースト校

マサチューセッツ大学アムハースト校の研究チームが、植物の細胞プロセスがどのようにして様々な刺激に対応し、生存や成長を促進するかを解明する画期的な研究を発表した。特に、ペクチン、受容体タンパク質FERONIAとLLG1、およびシグナルRALFペプチドの相互作用に焦点を当て、細胞の外側での分子凝集過程が多くの細胞プロセスをトリガーすることが示された。

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細胞外ペクチン-RALF相分離がフェロニアのグローバルシグナル機能を媒介する Extracellular pectin-RALF phase separation mediates FERONIA global signaling function

Ming-Che James Liu ,Fang-Ling Jessica Yeh ,Robert Yvon ,… James Chambers,Hen-Ming Wu,Alice Y. Cheung
Cell Published:December 28, 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.11.038

Highlights

•Cell surface pectin-RALF1 phase separation recruits FERONIA-LLG1 into condensates
•RALF induces FERONIA-LLG1-dependent promiscuous receptor clustering and endocytosis
•RALF1-pectin molecular condensates function as surface sensors for stress signals
•FERONIA-LLG1-mediated global endocytosis ensures plant resilience under stress

Summary

The FERONIA (FER)-LLG1 co-receptor and its peptide ligand RALF regulate myriad processes for plant growth and survival. Focusing on signal-induced cell surface responses, we discovered that intrinsically disordered RALF triggers clustering and endocytosis of its cognate receptors and FER- and LLG1-dependent endocytosis of non-cognate regulators of diverse processes, thus capable of broadly impacting downstream responses. RALF, however, remains extracellular. We demonstrate that RALF binds the cell wall polysaccharide pectin. They phase separate and recruit FER and LLG1 into pectin-RALF-FER-LLG1 condensates to initiate RALF-triggered cell surface responses. We show further that two frequently encountered environmental challenges, elevated salt and temperature, trigger RALF-pectin phase separation, promiscuous receptor clustering and massive endocytosis, and that this process is crucial for recovery from stress-induced growth attenuation. Our results support that RALF-pectin phase separation mediates an exoskeletal mechanism to broadly activate FER-LLG1-dependent cell surface responses to mediate the global role of FER in plant growth and survival.