Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is often a limiting plant nutrient. In members of the Brassicaceae family, such as Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), Pi deprivation reshapes root system architecture to favor topsoil foraging. It does so by inhibiting primary root extension and stimulating lateral root formation. Root growth inhibition from phosphate (Pi) deficiency is triggered by iron-stimulated, apoplastic reactive oxygen species generation and cell wall modifications, which impair cell-to-cell communication and meristem maintenance. These processes require LOW PHOSPHATE RESPONSE1 (LPR1), a cell wall-targeted ferroxidase, and PHOSPHATE DEFICIENCY RESPONSE2 (PDR2), the single endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident P5-type ATPase (AtP5A), which is thought to control LPR1 secretion or activity. Autophagy is a conserved process involving the vacuolar degradation of cellular components. While the function of autophagy is well established under nutrient starvation (C, N, or S), it remains to be explored under Pi deprivation. Because AtP5A/PDR2 likely functions in the ER stress response, we analyzed the effect of Pi limitation on autophagy. Our comparative study of mutants defective in the local Pi deficiency response, ER stress response, and autophagy demonstrated that ER stress-dependent autophagy is rapidly activated as part of the developmental root response to Pi limitation and requires the genetic PDR2-LPR1 module. We conclude that Pi-dependent activation of autophagy in the root apex is a consequence of local Pi sensing and the associated ER stress response, rather than a means for systemic recycling of the macronutrient.

UFMylation involves the covalent modification of substrate proteins with UFM1 (Ubiquitin‐fold modifier 1) and is important for maintaining ER homeostasis. Stalled translation triggers the UFMylation of ER‐bound ribosomes and activates C53‐mediated autophagy to clear toxic polypeptides. C53 contains noncanonical shuffled ATG8‐interacting motifs (sAIMs) that are essential for ATG8 interaction and autophagy initiation. However, the mechanistic basis of sAIM‐mediated ATG8 interaction remains unknown. Here, we show that C53 and sAIMs are conserved across eukaryotes but secondarily lost in fungi and various algal lineages. Biochemical assays showed that the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has a functional UFMylation pathway, refuting the assumption that UFMylation is linked to multicellularity. Comparative structural analyses revealed that both UFM1 and ATG8 bind sAIMs in C53, but in a distinct way. Conversion of sAIMs into canonical AIMs impaired binding of C53 to UFM1, while strengthening ATG8 binding. Increased ATG8 binding led to the autoactivation of the C53 pathway and sensitization of Arabidopsis thaliana to ER stress. Altogether, our findings reveal an ancestral role of sAIMs in UFMylation‐dependent fine‐tuning of C53‐mediated autophagy activation.

Arabidopsis primary root growth response to phosphate (Pi) deficiency is mainly controlled by changes in apoplastic iron (Fe). Upon Pi deficiency, apoplastic Fe deposition in the root apical meristem activates pathways leading to the arrest of meristem maintenance and inhibition of cell elongation. Here, we report that a member of the uncharacterized cytochrome b561 and DOMON domain (CYBDOM) protein family, named CRR, promotes iron reduction in an ascorbate-dependent manner and controls apoplastic iron deposition. Under low Pi, the crr mutant shows an enhanced reduction of primary root growth associated with increased apoplastic Fe in the root meristem and a reduction in meristematic cell division. Conversely, CRR overexpression abolishes apoplastic Fe deposition rendering primary root growth insensitive to low Pi. The crr single mutant and crr hyp1 double mutant, harboring a null allele in another member of the CYDOM family, shows increased tolerance to high-Fe stress upon germination and seedling growth. Conversely, CRR overexpression is associated with increased uptake and translocation of Fe to the shoot and results in plants highly sensitive to Fe excess. Our results identify a ferric reductase implicated in Fe homeostasis and developmental responses to abiotic stress, and reveal a biological role for CYBDOM proteins in plants.

Jasmonates (JAs) are lipid-derived signals in plant stress responses and development. A crucial step in JA biosynthesis is catalyzed by allene oxide cyclase (AOC). Four genes encoding functional AOCs (AOC1, AOC2, AOC3 and AOC4) have been characterized for Arabidopsis thaliana in terms of organ- and tissue-specific expression, mutant phenotypes, promoter activities and initial in vivo protein interaction studies suggesting functional redundancy and diversification, including first hints at enzyme activity control by protein-protein interaction. Here, these analyses were extended by detailed analysis of recombinant proteins produced in Escherichia coli. Treatment of purified AOC2 with SDS at different temperatures, chemical cross-linking experiments and protein structure analysis by molecular modelling approaches were performed. Several salt bridges between monomers and a hydrophobic core within the AOC2 trimer were identified and functionally proven by site-directed mutagenesis. The data obtained showed that AOC2 acts as a trimer. Finally, AOC activity was determined in heteromers formed by pairwise combinations of the four AOC isoforms. The highest activities were found for heteromers containing AOC4 + AOC1 and AOC4 + AOC2, respectively. All data are in line with an enzyme activity control of all four AOCs by heteromerization, thereby supporting a putative fine-tuning in JA formation by various regulatory principles.

In plants, the protein RPM1-INTERACTING PROTEIN4 (RIN4) is a central regulator of both pattern-triggered immunity and effector-triggered immunity. RIN4 is targeted by several effectors, including the Pseudomonas syringae protease effector AvrRpt2. Cleavage of RIN4 by AvrRpt2 generates potentially unstable RIN4 fragments, whose degradation leads to the activation of the resistance protein RESISTANT TO P. SYRINGAE2. Hence, identifying the determinants of RIN4 degradation is key to understanding RESISTANT TO P. SYRINGAE2–mediated effector-triggered immunity, as well as virulence functions of AvrRpt2. In addition to RIN4, AvrRpt2 cleaves host proteins from the nitrate-induced (NOI) domain family. Although cleavage of NOI domain proteins by AvrRpt2 may contribute to pattern-triggered immunity regulation, the (in)stability of these proteolytic fragments and the determinants regulating their stability remain unexamined. Notably, a common feature of RIN4, and of many NOI domain protein fragments generated by AvrRpt2 cleavage, is the exposure of a new N-terminal residue that is destabilizing according to the N-end rule. Using antibodies raised against endogenous RIN4, we show that the destabilization of AvrRpt2-cleaved RIN4 fragments is independent of the N-end rule pathway (recently renamed the N-degron pathway). By contrast, several NOI domain protein fragments are genuine substrates of the N-degron pathway. The discovery of this set of substrates considerably expands the number of known proteins targeted for degradation by this ubiquitin-dependent pathway in plants. These results advance our current understanding of the role of AvrRpt2 in promoting bacterial virulence.

Chemistry assigns phosphorus and its most oxidized form, inorganic phosphate, unique roles for propelling bioenergetics and metabolism in all domains of life, possibly since its very origin on prebiotic Earth. For plants, access to the vital mineral nutrient profoundly affects growth, development and vigour, thus constraining net primary productivity in natural ecosystems and crop production in modern agriculture. Unlike other major biogenic elements, the low abundance and uneven distribution of phosphate in Earth’s crust result from the peculiarities of phosphorus cosmochemistry and geochemistry. Here, we trace the chemical evolution of the element, the geochemical phosphorus cycle and its acceleration during Earth’s history until the present (Anthropocene) as well as during the evolution and rise of terrestrial plants. We highlight the chemical and biological processes of phosphate mobilization and acquisition, first evolved in bacteria, refined in fungi and algae and expanded into powerful phosphate-prospecting strategies during land plant colonization. Furthermore, we review the evolution of the genetic and molecular networks from bacteria to terrestrial plants, which monitor intracellular and extracellular phosphate availabilities and coordinate the appropriate responses and adjustments to fluctuating phosphate supply. Lastly, we discuss the modern global phosphorus cycle deranged by human activity and the challenges imposed ahead. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Evolution and diversity of plant metabolism’.