The transcription factor AtbZIP63: importance of regulating its abundance in the management of energy homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Grant number: 21/05512-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: June 01, 2021
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Agreement: BBSRC, UKRI
• Principal Investigator: Michel Georges Albert Vincentz
• Grantee: Pamela Tavares Carlson
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética (CBMEG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/25710-4 - The role of sugar-responsive bZIP transcription factors in the regulation of the circadian oscillator of Arabidopsis, AP.TEM

Abstract

In order for an organism to guarantee its development and reproduction, it must manage its energetic resources in a refined manner. Sessile beings, as plants, have developed efficient adaptive mechanisms in order to enhance their energetic resources in response to environmental changes. The photosynthetic process generates carbohydrates, which are partially stored in the leaves in the form of starch during the day. At night, this starch is broken down at a rate which allows to sustain plant growth until dawn. This process is regulated by the circadian clock through an intricate control process which involves the regulation of the transcription factor (FT) AtbZIP63 (bZIP63) by the circadian clock, as well as PRR7, a key component of the circadian clock, which is regulated by bZIP63. The kinase SnRK1/KIN10 activates energetic stress responses through the phosphorylation of bZIP63, which leads to transcriptional changes. The interaction between bZIP63 and the APC10 protein, a component of the Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC, an E3 ubiquitin complex), which is involved in the progression of the cellular cycle, shows that bZIP63's stability might be regulated by APC. The project aims at investigating the role of the regulation of the abundance of bZIP63 in the formation of regulation networks involving bZIP63. (AU)