Plant aminopropyltransferases consist of a group of enzymes that transfer aminopropyl groups derived from decarboxylated S-adenosyl-methionine (dcAdoMet or dcSAM) to propylamine acceptors to produce polyamines, ubiquitous metabolites with positive charge at physiological pH. Spermidine synthase (SPDS) uses putrescine as amino acceptor to form spermidine, whereas spermine synthase (SPMS) and thermospermine synthase (TSPMS) use spermidine as acceptor to synthesize the isomers spermine and thermospermine respectively. In previous work it was shown that both SPDS1 and SPDS2 can physically interact with SPMS although no data concerning the subcellular localization was reported. Here we study the subcellular localization of these enzymes and their protein dimer complexes with gateway-based Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) binary vectors. In addition, we have characterized the molecular weight of the enzyme complexes by gel filtration chromatography with in vitro assembled recombinant enzymes and with endogenous plant protein extracts. Our data suggest that aminopropyltransferases display a dual subcellular localization both in the cytosol and nuclear enriched fractions, and they assemble preferably as dimers. The BiFC transient expression data suggest that aminopropyltransferase heterodimer complexes take place preferentially inside the nucleus.

Environmental conditions are an important factor driving pathogens’ evolution. Here, we explore the effects of drought stress in plant virus evolution. We evolved turnip mosaic potyvirus in well-watered and drought conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana accessions that differ in their response to virus infection. Virus adaptation occurred in all accessions independently of watering status. Drought-evolved viruses conferred a significantly higher drought tolerance to infected plants. By contrast, nonsignificant increases in tolerance were observed in plants infected with viruses evolved under standard watering. The magnitude of this effect was dependent on the plant accessions. Differences in tolerance were correlated to alterations in the expression of host genes, some involved in regulation of the circadian clock, as well as in deep changes in the balance of phytohormones regulating defense and growth signaling pathways. Our results show that viruses can promote host survival in situations of abiotic stress, with the magnitude of such benefit being a selectable trait. Significance Viruses are seen as selfish pathogens that harm their hosts to ensure their own survival. However, metagenomic studies are drawing a new picture in which viruses are present everywhere and not always associated to diseases. A classic observation in plant pathology is that the outcome of infection depends on environmental conditions. Here, using experimental evolution, we show that the relationship between a plant virus and its natural host can evolve from pathogenic to mutualistic under severe drought conditions. While viral strains evolved in normal watering conditions increased their virulence, drought-evolved viral strains confer plants with greater resistance to drought. We show that this transition to mutualism depends on a complex reorganization of hormone-induced signaling pathways and changes in gene expression.