AI Insight
Researchers discovered that the soybean ethylene receptor GmERS1-1 undergoes proteolytic cleavage, releasing a C-terminal domain that translocates to the nucleus and directly controls cell cycle progression by inducing G2/M phase arrest. This mechanism operates through formation of a trimeric complex with GmACR1 and GmCDK7 proteins, representing a direct link between ethylene hormone perception and cell division that functions independently of traditional transcriptional ethylene responses. Similar ethylene-induced cell cycle blockade was observed in apple fruit maturation, suggesting this pathway is conserved across flowering plants.
Why it matters
This discovery reveals a novel mechanism for modulating plant growth and development through ethylene receptor processing, offering potential biotechnology targets for improving crop yield and architecture. The identification of tunable parameters like receptor cleavage efficiency could enable precision breeding strategies to optimize agricultural productivity without compromising stress responses.
Understand the Science
⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Ethylene signaling orchestrates plant development and stress adaptation, yet how post-translational modifications of its receptors coordinate growth regulation remains unresolved. Here, we uncover a proteolytic processing mechanism of the soybean ethylene receptor GmERS1-1 that directly gates cell cycle progression. The GmERS1-1 mutants exhibit elevated yield under field conditions, whereas overexpression suppresses growth and hypersensitizes plants to ethylene. Ethylene triggers nuclear translocation of C-terminal domain (GmERS1-1-CEND), which is indispensable for receptor function. Mechanistically, GmERS1-1-CEND scaffolds a trimeric complex with GmACR1 and GmCDK7, enforcing G2/M phase arrest, thereby decoupling cell division from canonical ethylene transcriptional responses. Strikingly, ethylene-induced cell cycle blockade during apple fruit maturation mirrors this pathway, suggesting deep conservation across angiosperms. Our work defines a receptor processing-dependent signaling axis that directly interlinks phytohormone perception with cell cycle control, proposing tunable targets (e.g., GmERS1-1 cleavage efficiency) for engineering crop architecture and productivity.
Source: The cleaved C-terminal domain of GmERS1-1 modulates cell cycle via GmACR1