BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE2 negatively regulates cellulose synthesis in Arabidopsis by phosphorylating cellulose synthase 1

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Mar 28;114(13):3533-3538. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1615005114. Epub 2017 Mar 13.

Abstract

The deposition of cellulose is a defining aspect of plant growth and development, but regulation of this process is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the protein kinase BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE2 (BIN2), a key negative regulator of brassinosteroid (BR) signaling, can phosphorylate Arabidopsis cellulose synthase A1 (CESA1), a subunit of the primary cell wall cellulose synthase complex, and thereby negatively regulate cellulose biosynthesis. Accordingly, point mutations of the BIN2-mediated CESA1 phosphorylation site abolished BIN2-dependent regulation of cellulose synthase activity. Hence, we have uncovered a mechanism for how BR signaling can modulate cellulose synthesis in plants.

Keywords: brassinosteroid; cellulose synthase; plant cell wall; protein kinase; regulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Arabidopsis / enzymology
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / growth & development
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / chemistry
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cellulose / biosynthesis*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant*
  • Glucosyltransferases / chemistry
  • Glucosyltransferases / genetics
  • Glucosyltransferases / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phosphorylation
  • Point Mutation
  • Protein Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Kinases / metabolism*
  • Sequence Alignment

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Cellulose
  • CESA1 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Glucosyltransferases
  • cellulose synthase
  • Protein Kinases
  • BIN2 protein, Arabidopsis