Ca²⁺ signaling is an early and necessary event in plant immunity. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) kinase Pto triggers localized programmed cell death (PCD) upon recognition of Pseudomonas syringae effectors AvrPto or AvrPtoB. In a virus-induced gene silencing screen in Nicotiana benthamiana, we independently identified two components of a Ca²⁺-signaling system, Cbl10 (for calcineurin B-like protein) and Cipk6 (for calcineurin B-like interacting protein kinase), as their silencing inhibited Pto/AvrPto-elicited PCD. N. benthamiana Cbl10 and Cipk6 are also required for PCD triggered by other plant resistance genes and virus, oomycete, and nematode effectors and for host susceptibility to two P. syringae pathogens. Tomato Cipk6 interacts with Cbl10 and its in vitro kinase activity is enhanced in the presence of Cbl10 and Ca²⁺, suggesting that tomato Cbl10 and Cipk6 constitute a Ca²⁺-regulated signaling module. Overexpression of tomato Cipk6 in N. benthamiana leaves causes accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which requires the respiratory burst homolog RbohB. Tomato Cbl10 and Cipk6 interact with RbohB at the plasma membrane. Finally, Cbl10 and Cipk6 contribute to ROS generated during effector-triggered immunity in the interaction of P. syringae pv tomato DC3000 and N. benthamiana. We identify a role for the Cbl/Cipk signaling module in PCD, establishing a mechanistic link between Ca²⁺ and ROS signaling in plant immunity.

Tudor Staphylococcal Nuclease (TSN or Tudor-SN; also known as SND1) is an evolutionarily conserved protein involved in the transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression in animals. Although TSN was found to be indispensable for normal plant development and stress tolerance, the molecular mechanisms underlying these functions remain elusive. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana TSN is essential for the integrity and function of cytoplasmic messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) complexes called stress granules (SGs) and processing bodies (PBs), sites of posttranscriptional gene regulation during stress. TSN associates with SGs following their microtubule-dependent assembly and plays a scaffolding role in both SGs and PBs. The enzymatically active tandem repeat of four SN domains is crucial for targeting TSN to the cytoplasmic mRNA complexes and is sufficient for the cytoprotective function of TSN during stress. Furthermore, our work connects the cytoprotective function of TSN with its positive role in stress-induced mRNA decapping. While stress led to a pronounced increase in the accumulation of uncapped mRNAs in wild-type plants, this increase was abrogated in TSN knockout plants. Taken together, our results establish TSN as a key enzymatic component of the catabolic machinery responsible for the processing of mRNAs in the cytoplasmic mRNP complexes during stress.

Biomolecular condensates are membraneless organelle-like structures that can concentrate molecules and often form through liquid-liquid phase separation. Biomolecular condensate assembly is tightly regulated by developmental and environmental cues. Although research on biomolecular condensates has intensified in the past 10 years, our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms and components underlying their formation remains in its infancy, especially in plants. However, recent studies have shown that the formation of biomolecular condensates may be central to plant acclimation to stress conditions. Here, we describe the mechanism, regulation, and properties of stress-related condensates in plants, focusing on stress granules and processing bodies, 2 of the most well-characterized biomolecular condensates. In this regard, we showcase the proteomes of stress granules and processing bodies in an attempt to suggest methods for elucidating the composition and function of biomolecular condensates. Finally, we discuss how biomolecular condensates modulate stress responses and how they might be used as targets for biotechnological efforts to improve stress tolerance.

Cell death and differentiation is a monthly research journal focused on the exciting field of programmed cell death and apoptosis. It provides a single accessible source of information for both scientists and clinicians, keeping them up-to-date with advances in the field. It encompasses programmed cell death, cell death induced by toxic agents, differentiation and the interrelation of these with cell proliferation.

Tudor staphylococcal nuclease (TSN; also known as Tudor-SN, p100, or SND1) is a multifunctional, evolutionarily conserved regulator of gene expression, exhibiting cytoprotective activity in animals and plants and oncogenic activity in mammals. During stress, TSN stably associates with stress granules (SGs), in a poorly understood process. Here, we show that in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, TSN is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) acting as a scaffold for a large pool of other IDPs, enriched for conserved stress granule components as well as novel or plant-specific SG-localized proteins. While approximately 30% of TSN interactors are recruited to stress granules de novo upon stress perception, 70% form a protein-protein interaction network present before the onset of stress. Finally, we demonstrate that TSN and stress granule formation promote heat-induced activation of the evolutionarily conserved energy-sensing SNF1-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1), the plant orthologue of mammalian AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Our results establish TSN as a docking platform for stress granule proteins, with an important role in stress signalling.