Plant cysteine oxidase oxygen-sensing function is conserved in early land plants and algae

Taylor-Kearney, LJ; Madden, S; Wilson, J; Myers, WK; Gunawardana, DM; Pires, E; Holdship, P; Tumber, A; Rickaby, REM; Tumber, A; Flashman, E

Journal article

Plant cysteine oxidase oxygen-sensing function is conserved in early land plants and algae

Abstract:: All aerobic organisms require O2 for survival. When their O2 is limited (hypoxia), a response is required to reduce demand and/or improve supply. A hypoxic response mechanism has been identified in flowering plants: the stability of certain proteins with N-terminal cysteine residues is regulated in an O2-dependent manner by the Cys/Arg branch of the N-degron pathway. These include the Group VII ethylene response factors (ERF-VIIs), which can initiate adaptive responses to hypoxia. Oxidation of their N-terminal cysteine residues is catalyzed by plant cysteine oxidases (PCOs), destabilizing these proteins in normoxia; PCO inactivity in hypoxia results in their stabilization. Biochemically, the PCOs are sensitive to O2 availability and can therefore act as plant O2 sensors. It is not known whether oxygen-sensing mechanisms exist in other phyla from the plant kingdom. Known PCO targets are only conserved in flowering plants, however PCO-like sequences appear to be conserved in all plant species. We sought to determine whether PCO-like enzymes from the liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha (MpPCO), and the freshwater algae, Klebsormidium nitens (KnPCO), have a similar function as PCO enzymes from Arabidopsis thaliana. We report that MpPCO and KnPCO show O2-sensitive N-terminal cysteine dioxygenase activity toward known AtPCO ERF-VII substrates as well as a putative endogenous substrate, MpERF-like, which was identified by homology to the Arabidopsis ERF-VIIs transcription factors. This work confirms functional and O2-dependent PCOs from Bryophyta and Charophyta, indicating the potential for PCO-mediated O2-sensing pathways in these organisms and suggesting PCO O2-sensing function could be important throughout the plant kingdom.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Peer reviewed

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APA Style

Taylor-Kearney, L. J., Madden, S., Wilson, J., Myers, W. K., Gunawardana, D. M., Pires, E., Holdship, P., Tumber, A., Rickaby, R. E. M., Tumber, A., & Flashman, E. (2022). Plant cysteine oxidase oxygen-sensing function is conserved in early land plants and algae. ACS Bio & Med Chem Au, 2(5), 521–528.

MLA Style

Taylor-Kearney, L. J., et al. “Plant Cysteine Oxidase Oxygen-Sensing Function Is Conserved in Early Land Plants and Algae.” ACS Bio & Med Chem Au, vol. 2, no. 5, American Chemical Society, 2022, pp. 521–28.

Chicago Style

Taylor-Kearney, LJ, S Madden, J Wilson, WK Myers, DM Gunawardana, E Pires, P Holdship, et al. 2022. “Plant Cysteine Oxidase Oxygen-Sensing Function Is Conserved in Early Land Plants and Algae.” ACS Bio & Med Chem Au 2 (5): 521–28.
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