The Arabidopsis thaliana mRNA decay factor PAT1 functions in osmotic stress responses and decaps ABA-responsive genes.

mRNA decapping plays essential roles in regulating gene expression during cellular reprogramming in response to developmental and environmental cues. The evolutionarily conserved PAT1 proteins activate decapping by binding mRNA, recruiting other decapping components, and promoting processing body (PB) assembly. Arabidopsis encodes 3 PAT proteins: PAT1, PATH1, and PATH2. Here, we report that only pat1 mutants exhibit hypersensitivity to ABA and that transcripts of ABA-responsive genes, but not those of ABA biosynthesis genes, persist longer in these mutants. The pat1 mutants also exhibit increased resistance to drought stress and resistance to Pythium irregulare. This is supported by assays showing that PAT1 functions specifically in decapping of the canonical ABA-responsive gene COR15A. In summary, PAT1 protein mediates decay of ABA-responsive genes and, thus, regulates stress responses.