A HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase negatively regulates Arabidopsis leaf senescence through degradation of the transcription factor WRKY53.

WRKY transcription factors play a central role in controlling leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. One important member, WRKY53, is tightly regulated by various mechanisms, and is a convergence node between senescence and pathogen responses. Using WRKY53 in a yeast two-hybrid screen, we isolated the HECT domain E3 ubiquitin ligase UPL5. In contrast to mammals, Arabidopsis contains only seven HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases, whose targets and functions are largely unknown. In yeast cells, UPL5 interacts with WRKY53 via its leucine zipper domain, and this interaction was confirmed in the cytoplasm of plant cells by a bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay. UPL5 was able to use the WRKY53 protein as a substrate for polyubiquitination in an in vitro system, and induction of UPL5 expression by an ethanol-inducible system in upl5 plants led to degradation of the WRKY53 protein. Expression of both genes is regulated antagonistically in response to hydrogen peroxide, jasmonic acid and plant development. Two T-DNA insertion lines (upl5-1 and upl5-2) showed the same senescence phenotype as WRKY53 over-expressers. Over-expression of WRKY53 in the upl5 background enhanced the accelerated senescence phenotype of WRKY53 over-expressers. Therefore, we conclude that UPL5 regulates leaf senescence in Arabidopsis through degradation of WRKY53 and ensures that senescence is executed in the correct time frame.

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