Light Changes Promote Distinct Responses of Plastid Protein Acetylation Marks.

Protein acetylation is a key co- and post-translational modification. However, how different types of acetylation respond to environmental stress is still unknown. To address this, we investigated the role of a member of the newly discovered family of plastid acetyltransferases (GNAT2), which features both lysine- and N-terminal acetyltransferase activities.

Nature of barriers determines first passage times in heterogeneous media.

Intuition suggests that passage times across a region increase with the number of barriers along the path. Can this fail depending on the nature of the barrier? To probe this fundamental question, we exactly solve for the first passage time in general -dimensions for diffusive transport through a spatially patterned array of obstacles - either entropic or energetic, depending on the nature of the obstacles. For energetic barriers, we show that first passage times vary non-monotonically with the number of barriers, while for entropic barriers it increases monotonically.

Transcriptomics reveal a mechanism of niche defense: two beneficial root endophytes deploy an antimicrobial GH18-CBM5 chitinase to protect their hosts.

Effector secretion is crucial for root endophytes to establish and protect their ecological niche. We used time-resolved transcriptomics to monitor effector gene expression dynamics in two closely related Sebacinales, Serendipita indica and Serendipita vermifera, during symbiosis with three plant species, competition with the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana, and cooperation with root-associated bacteria. We observed increased effector gene expression in response to biotic interactions, particularly with plants, indicating their importance in host colonization.

Nα-acetyltransferase NAA50 mediates plant immunity independent of the Nα-acetyltransferase A complex.

In humans and plants, 40% of the proteome is cotranslationally acetylated at the N-terminus by a single Nα-acetyltransferase (Nat) termed NatA. The core NatA complex is comprised of the catalytic subunit Nα-acetyltransferase 10 (NAA10) and the ribosome-anchoring subunit NAA15. The regulatory subunit Huntingtin Yeast Partner K (HYPK) and the acetyltransferase NAA50 join this complex in humans.

Nt-acetylation-independent turnover of SQUALENE EPOXIDASE 1 by Arabidopsis DOA10-like E3 ligases.

The acetylation-dependent (Ac/)N-degron pathway degrades proteins through recognition of their acetylated N-termini (Nt) by E3 ligases called Ac/N-recognins. To date, specific Ac/N-recognins have not been defined in plants. Here we used molecular, genetic, and multiomics approaches to characterize potential roles for Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) DEGRADATION OF ALPHA2 10 (DOA10)-like E3 ligases in the Nt-acetylation-(NTA)-dependent turnover of proteins at global- and protein-specific scales.