Abiotic stress tolerance mediated by protein ubiquitination

J Exp Bot. 2012 Jan;63(2):599-616. doi: 10.1093/jxb/err310. Epub 2011 Oct 20.

Abstract

Plant growth and development is largely influenced by ubiquitin-mediated regulation of protein stability. Specificity of the ubiquitination pathway is controlled mainly by the substrate-recruiting E3 ubiquitin ligases, and consequently, E3 ligases control numerous cellular processes. Recent evidence that ubiquitination plays a critical role in regulating plant responses to abiotic stresses has launched intensive efforts to identify E3 ligases that mediate plant tolerance of adverse environmental conditions. Most stress-related E3 ligases identified to date facilitate responses to environmental stimuli by modulating the abundance of key downstream stress-responsive transcription factors. In this review, the regulatory roles of ubiquitin during the plant's response to abiotic stress are summarized and highlighted.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Abscisic Acid / metabolism
  • Adaptation, Physiological / physiology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / physiology
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism*
  • Plants / metabolism*
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex / metabolism
  • Protein Stability
  • Signal Transduction / physiology
  • Stress, Physiological / physiology
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism*
  • Ubiquitination / physiology*

Substances

  • Plant Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Abscisic Acid
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex
  • ATP dependent 26S protease