Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen 361023, China.
Ann Bot. 2024 Oct 30;134(4):521-536. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcae092.
Plant senescence is an integrated programme of plant development that aims to remobilize nutrients and energy from senescing tissues to developing organs under developmental and stress-induced conditions. Upstream in the regulatory network, a small family of single-stranded DNA/RNA-binding proteins known as WHIRLYs occupy a central node, acting at multiple regulatory levels and via trans-localization between the nucleus and organelles. In this review, we summarize the current progress on the role of WHIRLY members in plant development and stress-induced senescence. WHIRLY proteins can be traced back in evolution to green algae. WHIRLY proteins trade off the balance of plant developmental senescence and stress-induced senescence through maintaining organelle genome stability via R-loop homeostasis, repressing the transcription at a configuration condition, and recruiting RNA to impact organelle RNA editing and splicing, as evidenced in several species. WHIRLY proteins also act as retrograde signal transducers between organelles and the nucleus through protein modification and stromule or vesicle trafficking. In addition, WHIRLY proteins interact with hormones, reactive oxygen species and environmental signals to orchestrate cell fate in an age-dependent manner. Finally, prospects for further research and promotion to improve crop production under environmental constraints are highlighted.
植物衰老（senescence）是一个整合的植物发育计划，旨在重新分配衰老组织中的养分和能量，以满足发育和胁迫诱导条件下发育器官的需要。在调控网络的上游，一小类单链 DNA/RNA 结合蛋白，被称为 WHIRLYs，占据了一个中心节点，在多个调控水平上发挥作用，并通过核和细胞器之间的转位作用。在这篇综述中，我们总结了 WHIRLY 成员在植物发育和胁迫诱导衰老中的作用的最新进展。WHIRLY 蛋白可以追溯到绿藻的进化。WHIRLY 蛋白通过维持细胞器基因组稳定性（通过 R 环稳态）、在特定构型条件下抑制转录、以及招募 RNA 来影响细胞器 RNA 编辑和剪接，在几种物种中发挥作用，从而在植物发育衰老和胁迫诱导衰老之间取得平衡。WHIRLY 蛋白还通过蛋白质修饰和基质小管或囊泡运输，作为细胞器和细胞核之间的逆行信号转导蛋白。此外，WHIRLY 蛋白与激素、活性氧和环境信号相互作用，以依赖于年龄的方式协调细胞命运。最后，强调了进一步研究和促进的前景，以改善环境胁迫下的作物生产。
