RESUMEN
bZIP-type transcription factors AREBs/ABFs bind an abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive cis-acting element named ABRE and transactivate downstream gene expression in Arabidopsis. Because AREB1 overexpression could not induce downstream gene expression, activation of AREB1 requires ABA-dependent posttranscriptional modification. We confirmed that ABA activated 42-kDa kinase activity, which, in turn, phosphorylated Ser/Thr residues of R-X-X-S/T sites in the conserved regions of AREB1. Amino acid substitutions of R-X-X-S/T sites to Ala suppressed transactivation activity, and multiple substitution of these sites resulted in almost complete suppression of transactivation activity in transient assays. In contrast, substitution of the Ser/Thr residues to Asp resulted in high transactivation activity without exogenous ABA application. A phosphorylated, transcriptionally active form was achieved by substitution of Ser/Thr in all conserved R-X-X-S/T sites to Asp. Transgenic plants overexpressing the phosphorylated active form of AREB1 expressed many ABA-inducible genes, such as RD29B, without ABA treatment. These results indicate that the ABA-dependent multisite phosphorylation of AREB1 regulates its own activation in plants.
Asunto(s)
Ácido Abscísico/farmacología , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Arabidopsis/efectos de los fármacos , Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción con Cremalleras de Leucina de Carácter Básico/metabolismo , Regulación de la Expresión Génica de las Plantas/efectos de los fármacos , Transactivadores/metabolismo , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Sustitución de Aminoácidos , Arabidopsis/química , Arabidopsis/crecimiento & desarrollo , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/química , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Factores de Transcripción con Cremalleras de Leucina de Carácter Básico/química , Factores de Transcripción con Cremalleras de Leucina de Carácter Básico/genética , Secuencia Conservada , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Mutación/genética , Análisis de Secuencia por Matrices de Oligonucleótidos , Fragmentos de Péptidos/química , Fragmentos de Péptidos/genética , Fragmentos de Péptidos/metabolismo , Fosforilación/efectos de los fármacos , ARN Mensajero/genética , Alineación de Secuencia , Transactivadores/química , Transactivadores/genéticaRESUMEN
Many abiotic stress-inducible genes contain two cis-acting elements, namely a dehydration-responsive element (DRE; TACCGACAT) and an ABA-responsive element (ABRE; ACGTGG/TC), in their promoter regions. We precisely analyzed the 120 bp promoter region (-174 to -55) of the Arabidopsis rd29A gene whose expression is induced by dehydration, high-salinity, low-temperature, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments and whose 120 bp promoter region contains the DRE, DRE/CRT-core motif (A/GCCGAC), and ABRE sequences. Deletion and base substitution analyses of this region showed that the DRE-core motif functions as DRE and that the DRE/DRE-core motif could be a coupling element of ABRE. Gel mobility shift assays revealed that DRE-binding proteins (DREB1s/CBFs and DREB2s) bind to both DRE and the DRE-core motif and that ABRE-binding proteins (AREBs/ABFs) bind to ABRE in the 120 bp promoter region. In addition, transactivation experiments using Arabidopsis leaf protoplasts showed that DREBs and AREBs cumulatively transactivate the expression of a GUS reporter gene fused to the 120 bp promoter region of rd29A. These results indicate that DRE and ABRE are interdependent in the ABA-responsive expression of the rd29A gene in response to ABA in Arabidopsis.