CPK28-mediated Ca2+ signaling regulates STOP1 localization and accumulation to facilitate plant aluminum resistance

Abstract The transcription factor SENSITIVE TO PROTON RHIZOTOXICITY 1 (STOP1) functions as a crucial integrator of plant responses to various stresses, including aluminum (Al) stress. Its stability and accumulation are modulated by stress-specific post-translational mechanisms such as phosphorylatio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yingtang Ma, Hailiang Zheng, Ina Schmitz-Thom, Jiawen Wang, Fanglin Zhou, Chongyang Li, Yaling Zhang, Yiqiu Cheng, Daisuke Miki, Jörg Kudla, Chao-Feng Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-06-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60427-8
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract The transcription factor SENSITIVE TO PROTON RHIZOTOXICITY 1 (STOP1) functions as a crucial integrator of plant responses to various stresses, including aluminum (Al) stress. Its stability and accumulation are modulated by stress-specific post-translational mechanisms such as phosphorylation and ubiquitination. However, the upstream signaling mechanisms governing these modifications remain poorly understood. Here, we reveal that Ca2+ signaling and Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation are essential for Al stress-responsive regulation of STOP1. Al exposure specifically induces rapid, spatio-temporally defined biphasic Ca2+ signals in Arabidopsis roots and concomitantly activates the Ca2+-dependent kinase CPK28. Al-activated CPK28 phosphorylates STOP1 at Ser163, a modification that promotes the nuclear localization of STOP1 and prevents its degradation by inhibiting its interaction with the F-box protein RAE1. This phosphorylation enhances STOP1 accumulation and Al resistance. Our findings identify Ser163 phosphorylation as a key molecular switch and establish a Ca2+-CPK28-STOP1 signaling axis critical for plant adaptation to Al stress.
ISSN:2041-1723