The microtubule-associated RING finger protein 1 (OsMAR1) acts as a negative regulator for salt-stress response through the regulation of OCPI2 (O. sativa chymotrypsin protease inhibitor 2).

Our results suggest that a rice E3 ligase, OsMAR1, physically interacts with a cytosolic protein OCPI2 and may play an important role under salinity stress. Salt is an important abiotic stressor that negatively affects plant growth phases and alters development. Herein, we found that a rice gene, OsMAR1 (Oryza sativa microtubule-associated RING finger protein 1), encoding the RING E3 ligase was highly expressed in response to high salinity, water deficit, and ABA treatment. Fluorescence signals of its recombinant proteins were clearly associated with the microtubules in rice protoplasts. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) showed that OsMAR1 interacted with a cytosolic protein OCPI2 (O. sativa chymotrypsin protease inhibitor 2) and led to its degradation via the 26S proteasome. Heterogeneous overexpression of OsMAR1 in Arabidopsis showed retarded root growth compared with that of control plants, and then led to hypersensitivity phenotypes under high salinity stress. Taken together, OsMAR1 negatively regulates the salt-stress response via the regulation of the OCPI2 protein in rice.