A role for nuclear localised proteasomes in mediating auxin action

• Published in: The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 691 - 698
• Main Authors: R. Bahrami, Ahmad, Rolfe, Stephen, Price, Clive, Gray, Julie E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.06.2002; Blackwell
• Subjects: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid - pharmacology; Adenosine Triphosphatases - metabolism; antisense; auxin; Biological and medical sciences; Cysteine Endopeptidases - drug effects; Cysteine Endopeptidases - genetics; Cysteine Endopeptidases - physiology; DNA, Antisense - genetics; Fertility - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic Complementation Test; Indoleacetic Acids - pharmacology; Multienzyme Complexes - drug effects; Multienzyme Complexes - genetics; Multienzyme Complexes - physiology; Nicotiana - drug effects; Nicotiana - genetics; Nicotiana - physiology; NLS; Nuclear Localization Signals - genetics; Nuclear Proteins - drug effects; Nuclear Proteins - genetics; Nuclear Proteins - physiology; Phenotype; Phosphorylation - drug effects; Plant physiology and development; Plant Proteins - drug effects; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - physiology; Plant Shoots - growth & development; Plants, Genetically Modified; proteasome; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; RNA, Plant - metabolism; root; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; stamen; Ubiquitins - metabolism; Peptidases; Multicatalytic endopeptidase complex; proteasome; Flower; Auxin; Stamen; Root; NLS; Enzyme; Hydrolases; Plant growth substance; antisense
• ISSN: 0960-7412; 1365-313X
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313X.2002.01320.x

Summary A number of important cellular events in animals and yeast are regulated by protein degradation, and it is becoming apparent that such regulated proteolysis is involved in many facets of plant physiology and development. We have investigated the role of protein degradation by proteasomes in plants using NtPSA1, a tobacco gene that is predominantly expressed in young developing tobacco tissues and has extensive homology to yeast and human α‐type proteasome subunit genes. The NtPSA1 cDNA was used to complement a lethal mutation of the yeast PRC1α subunit gene indicating that NtPSA1 encodes a functional proteasome subunit, and transient expression of an NtPSA1::GUS protein fusion in onion cells confirmed that the nuclear localisation signal that is present in the NtPSA1 peptide sequence is active in plant cells. Plants transformed with an antisense NtPSA1 gene had reduced levels of NtPSA1 mRNA and exhibited reduced apical dominance. In addition, these low NtPSA1 plants displayed several morphological defects associated with auxin resistance such as reduced stamen length, and showed increased tolerance to high concentrations of auxin. These results support a role for nuclear localised proteasomes in floral development and auxin responses.