β-carbonic anhydrases play a role in salicylic acid perception in Arabidopsis

PLoS One. 2017 Jul 28;12(7):e0181820. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181820. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

The plant hormone salicylic acid (SA) is required for defense responses. NON EXPRESSER OF PATHOGENESIS RELATED 1 (NPR1) and NON RECOGNITION OF BTH-4 (NRB4) are required for the response to SA in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we isolated several interactors of NRB4 using yeast two-hybrid assays. Two of these interactors, βCA1 and βCA2, are β-carbonic anhydrase family proteins. Since double mutant βca1 βca2 plants did not show any obvious phenotype, we investigated other βCAs and found that NRB4 also interacts with βCA3 and βCA4. Moreover, several βCAs interacted with NPR1 in yeast, including one that interacted in a SA-dependent manner. This interaction was abolished in loss-of-function alleles of NPR1. Interactions between βCAs and both NRB4 and NPR1 were also detected in planta, with evidence for a triple interaction, NRB4-βCA1-NPR1. The quintuple mutant βca1 βca2 βca3 βca4 βca6 showed partial insensitivity to SA. These findings suggest that one of the functions of carbonic anhydrases is to modulate the perception of SA in plants.

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis / enzymology*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Carbonic Anhydrases / metabolism*
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional / genetics
  • Phenotype
  • Protein Binding
  • Salicylic Acid / metabolism*

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • NPR1 protein, Arabidopsis
  • NRB4 protein, Arabidopsis
  • T-DNA
  • Carbonic Anhydrases
  • Salicylic Acid

Grants and funding

This study was supported by “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad” of Spain (grant BIO2013-45444-P to PT, http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/portal/site/MICINN/) and “Generalitat Valenciana” of Spain (grant ACOMP/2013/052 to PT, http://www.ceice.gva.es/web/ciencia/becas-ayudas-y-subvenciones-cientificas). MLC was awarded with a fellowship from CONICET (Argentina, http://convocatorias.conicet.gov.ar/becas/) and Erasmus Mundus Action 2, Arcoiris Project (EU, http://www.arcoiris.polito.it/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.