2. Academic Validation
  3. A TT1-SCE1 module integrates ubiquitination and SUMOylation to regulate heat tolerance in rice

A TT1-SCE1 module integrates ubiquitination and SUMOylation to regulate heat tolerance in rice

  • Mol Plant. 2024 Dec 2;17(12):1899-1918. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2024.11.007.
Hong-Xiao Yu 1,  Ying-Jie Cao 1,  Yi-Bing Yang 2,  Jun-Xiang Shan 3,  Wang-Wei Ye 3,  Nai-Qian Dong 3,  Yi Kan 3,  Huai-Yu Zhao 1,  Zi-Qi Lu 4,  Shuang-Qin Guo 1,  Jie-Jie Lei 1,  Ben Liao 4,  Hong-Xuan Lin 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
  • 2 Joint Center for Single Cell Biology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
  • 3 National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China.
  • 4 National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
  • 5 National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China. Electronic address: hxlin@cemps.ac.cn.
PMID: 39552084 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2024.11.007
Abstract

Heat stress poses a significant threat to grain yield. As an α2 subunit of the 26S Proteasome, TT1 has been shown to act as a critical regulator of rice heat tolerance. However, the heat tolerance mechanisms mediated by TT1 remain elusive. In this study, we unveiled that small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-conjugating Enzyme 1 (SCE1), which interacts with TT1 and acts as a downstream component of TT1, is engaged in TT1-mediated 26S Proteasome degradation. We showed that SCE1 functions as a negative regulator of heat tolerance in rice, which is associated with its ubiquitination modification. Furthermore, we observed that small heat-shock proteins (sHSPs) such as Hsp24.1 and HSP40 can undergo SUMOylation mediated by SCE1, leading to increased accumulation of sHSPs in the absence of SCE1. Reducing protein levels of SCE1 significantly enhanced grain yield under high-temperature stress by improving seed-setting rate and rice grain filling capacity. Taken together, these results uncover the critical role of SCE1 in the TT1-mediated heat tolerance pathway by regulating the abundance of sHSPs and SUMOylation, and ultimately modulating rice heat tolerance. These findings underscore the great potential of the TT1-SCE1 module in improving the heat tolerance of crops.

Keywords

SUMOylation; heat tolerance; heat-shock protein; rice; ubiquitination.

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