The BTB/POZ domain of the Arabidopsis disease resistance protein NPR1 interacts with the repression domain of TGA2 to negate its function

Plant Cell. 2009 Nov;21(11):3700-13. doi: 10.1105/tpc.109.069971. Epub 2009 Nov 13.

Abstract

TGA2 and NONEXPRESSER OF PR GENES1 (NPR1) are activators of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and of the SAR marker gene pathogenesis-related-1 (PR-1) in Arabidopsis thaliana. TGA2 is a transcriptional repressor required for basal repression of PR-1, but during SAR, TGA2 recruits NPR1 as part of an enhanceosome. Transactivation by the enhanceosome requires the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain. However, the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain does not contain an autonomous transactivation domain; thus, its molecular role within the enhanceosome remains elusive. We now show by gel filtration analyses that TGA2 binds DNA as a dimer, tetramer, or oligomer. Using in vivo plant transcription assays, we localize the repression domain of TGA2 to the N terminus and demonstrate that this domain is responsible for modulating the DNA binding activity of the oligomer both in vitro and in vivo. We confirm that the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain interacts with and negates the molecular function of the TGA2 repression domain by excluding TGA2 oligomers from cognate DNA. These data distinguish the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain from other known BTB/POZ domains and establish its molecular role in the context of the Arabidopsis PR-1 gene enhanceosome.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis / genetics*
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / chemistry
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / chemistry
  • Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / genetics*
  • Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Chromatography, Gel
  • DNA, Plant / genetics
  • DNA, Plant / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Enhancer Elements, Genetic / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / genetics*
  • Immunity, Innate / genetics*
  • Nuclear Proteins / chemistry
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics*
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Organelles / genetics
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics*
  • Transcriptional Activation / genetics

Substances

  • AHBP-1b protein, Arabidopsis
  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors
  • DNA, Plant
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • NPR1 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins