Arabidopsis immunophilin-like TWD1 functionally interacts with vacuolar ABC transporters.

Previously, the immunophilin-like protein TWD1 from Arabidopsis has been demonstrated to interact with the ABC transporters AtPGP1 and its closest homologue, AtPGP19. Physiological and biochemical investigation of pgp1/pgp19 and of twd1 plants suggested a regulatory role of TWD1 on AtPGP1/AtPGP19 transport activities. To further understand the dramatic pleiotropic phenotype that is caused by loss-of-function mutation of the TWD1 gene, we were interested in other TWD1 interacting proteins. AtMRP1, a multidrug resistance-associated (MRP/ABCC)-like ABC transporter, has been isolated in a yeast two-hybrid screen. We demonstrate molecular interaction between TWD1 and ABC transporters AtMRP1 and its closest homologue, AtMRP2. Unlike AtPGP1, AtMRP1 binds to the C-terminal tetratricopeptide repeat domain of TWD1, which is well known to mediate protein-protein interactions. Domain mapping proved that TWD1 binds to a motif of AtMRP1 that resembles calmodulin-binding motifs; and calmodulin binding to the C-terminus of MRP1 was verified. By membrane fractionation and GFP-tagging, we localized AtMRP1 to the central vacuolar membrane and the TWD1-AtMRP1 complex was verified in vivo by coimmunoprecipitation. We were able to demonstrate that TWD1 binds to isolated vacuoles and has a significant impact on the uptake of metolachlor-GS and estradiol-beta-glucuronide, well-known substrates of vacuolar transporters AtMRP1 and AtMRP2.

TWISTED DWARF1, a unique plasma membrane-anchored immunophilin-like protein, interacts with Arabidopsis multidrug resistance-like transporters AtPGP1 and AtPGP19.

Null-mutations of the Arabidopsis FKBP-like immunophilin TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1) gene cause a pleiotropic phenotype characterized by reduction of cell elongation and disorientated growth of all plant organs. Heterologously expressed TWD1 does not exhibit cis-trans-peptidylprolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity and does not complement yeast FKBP12 mutants, suggesting that TWD1 acts indirectly via protein-protein interaction. Yeast two-hybrid protein interaction screens with TWD1 identified cDNA sequences that encode the C-terminal domain of Arabidopsis multidrug-resistance-like ABC transporter AtPGP1. This interaction was verified in vitro. Mapping of protein interaction domains shows that AtPGP1 surprisingly binds to the N-terminus of TWD1 harboring the cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase-like domain and not to the tetratrico-peptide repeat domain, which has been shown to mediate protein-protein interaction. Unlike all other FKBPs, TWD1 is shown to be an integral membrane protein that colocalizes with its interacting partner AtPGP1 on the plasma membrane. TWD1 also interacts with AtPGP19 (AtMDR1), the closest homologue of AtPGP1. The single gene mutation twd1-1 and double atpgp1-1/atpgp19-1 (atmdr1-1) mutants exhibit similar phenotypes including epinastic growth, reduced inflorescence size, and reduced polar auxin transport, suggesting that a functional TWD1-AtPGP1/AtPGP19 complex is required for proper plant development.