National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Plant Cell. 2022 Apr 26;34(5):1933-1956. doi: 10.1093/plcell/koac044.
Opaque2 (O2) functions as a central regulator of the synthesis of starch and storage proteins and the O2 gene is transcriptionally regulated by a hub coordinator of seed development and grain filling, ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 19 (ZmABI19), in maize (Zea mays). Here, we identified a second hub coordinator, basic Leucine Zipper 29 (ZmbZIP29) that interacts with ZmABI19 to regulate O2 expression. Like zmabi19, zmbzip29 mutations resulted in a dramatic decrease of transcript and protein levels of O2 and thus a significant reduction of starch and storage proteins. zmbzip29 seeds developed slower and had a smaller size at maturity than those of the wild type. The zmbzip29;zmabi19 double mutant displayed more severe seed phenotypes and a greater reduction of storage reserves compared to the single mutants, whereas overexpression of the two transcription factors enhanced O2 expression, storage-reserve accumulation, and kernel weight. ZmbZIP29, ZmABI19, and O2 expression was induced by abscisic acid (ABA). With ABA treatment, ZmbZIP29 and ZmABI19 synergistically transactivated the O2 promoter. Through liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry analysis, we established that the residues threonine(T) 57 in ZmABI19, T75 in ZmbZIP29, and T387 in O2 were phosphorylated, and that SnRK2.2 was responsible for the phosphorylation. The ABA-induced phosphorylation at these sites was essential for maximum transactivation of downstream target genes for endosperm filling in maize.
Opaque2 (O2) 作为淀粉和储存蛋白合成的中央调控因子发挥作用,O2 基因的转录受种子发育和灌浆枢纽协调因子脱落酸不敏感 19 号 (ZmABI19) 调控,ZmABI19 在玉米 (Zea mays) 中。在这里,我们鉴定了第二个枢纽协调因子,碱性亮氨酸拉链 29 (ZmbZIP29),它与 ZmABI19 相互作用调节 O2 的表达。与 zmabi19 一样,zmbzip29 突变导致 O2 的转录本和蛋白水平显著降低,从而导致淀粉和储存蛋白显著减少。zmbzip29 种子发育较慢,成熟时体积较小。与单突变体相比,zmbzip29;zmabi19 双突变体表现出更严重的种子表型和更大的储存储备减少,而这两个转录因子的过表达增强了 O2 的表达、储存储备积累和核仁重量。ZmBZIP29、ZmABI19 和 O2 的表达受脱落酸 (ABA) 诱导。用 ABA 处理后,ZmBZIP29 和 ZmABI19 协同激活 O2 启动子。通过液相色谱串联质谱分析,我们确定 ZmABI19 中的苏氨酸 (T)57、ZmbZIP29 中的 T75 和 O2 中的 T387 残基被磷酸化,SnRK2.2 负责磷酸化。这些位点的 ABA 诱导磷酸化对于玉米灌浆过程中胚乳填充的下游靶基因的最大转录激活至关重要。