RESUMO
The leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1 (BRI1) is the main ligand-perceiving receptor for brassinosteroids (BRs) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Binding of BRs to the ectodomain of plasma membrane (PM)-located BRI1 receptors initiates an intracellular signal transduction cascade that influences various aspects of plant growth and development. Even though the major components of BR signaling have been revealed and the PM was identified as the main site of BRI1 signaling activity, the very first steps of signal transmission are still elusive. Recently, it was shown that the initiation of BR signal transduction requires the interaction of BRI1 with its SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE (SERK) coreceptors. In addition, the resolved structure of the BRI1 ectodomain suggested that BRI1-ASSOCIATED KINASE1 [BAK1](SERK3) may constitute a component of the ligand-perceiving receptor complex. Therefore, we investigated the spatial correlation between BRI1 and BAK1(SERK3) in the natural habitat of both leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases using comparative colocalization analysis and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. We show that activation of BR signaling by exogenous ligand application resulted in both elevated colocalization between BRI1 and BAK1(SERK3) and an about 50% increase of receptor heterooligomerization in the PM of live Arabidopsis root epidermal cells. However, large populations of BRI1 and BAK1(SERK3) colocalized independently of BRs. Moreover, we could visualize that approximately 7% of the BRI1 PM pool constitutively heterooligomerizes with BAK1(SERK3) in live root cells. We propose that only small populations of PM-located BRI1 and BAK1(SERK3) receptors participate in active BR signaling and that the initiation of downstream signal transduction involves preassembled BRI1-BAK1(SERK3) heterooligomers.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Brassinosteroides/metabolismo , Proteínas Quinases/metabolismo , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/metabolismo , Arabidopsis/efeitos dos fármacos , Arabidopsis/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Brefeldina A/metabolismo , Brefeldina A/farmacologia , Membrana Celular/metabolismo , Microscopia de Fluorescência/métodos , Raízes de Plantas/citologia , Raízes de Plantas/metabolismo , Plantas Geneticamente Modificadas , Proteínas Quinases/genética , Multimerização Proteica , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/genética , Transdução de Sinais , Triazóis/farmacologiaRESUMO
Wnt proteins are secreted signaling molecules that play a central role in development and adult tissue homeostasis. Although several Wnt signal transduction mechanisms have been described in detail, it is still largely unknown how cells are specified to adopt such different Wnt signaling responses. Here, we have used the stereotypic migration of the C. elegans Q neuroblasts as a model to study how two initially equivalent cells are instructed to activate either ß-catenin dependent or independent Wnt signaling pathways to control the migration of their descendants along the anteroposterior axis. We find that the specification of this difference in Wnt signaling response is dependent on the thrombospondin repeat containing protein MIG-21, which acts together with the netrin receptor UNC-40/DCC to control an initial left-right asymmetric polarization of the Q neuroblasts. Furthermore, we show that the direction of this polarization determines the threshold for Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, with posterior polarization sensitizing for activation of this pathway. We conclude that MIG-21 and UNC-40 control the asymmetry in Wnt signaling response by restricting posterior polarization to one of the two Q neuroblasts.