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Thirsty plants and beyond: structural mechanisms of abscisic acid perception and signaling
Karsten Melcher1, X Edward Zhou, H Eric Xu
1Laboratory of Structural Sciences, Van Andel Research Institute, 333 Bostwick Ave. N.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA. karsten.melcher@vai.org
Abstract:
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone with important functions in stress protection and physiology. Recently, the PYR/PYL/RCAR family of intracellular ABA receptors was identified. These receptors directly link ABA perception to a canonical ABA signaling pathway, in which ABA-bound receptors bind and inhibit type 2C phosphatases. High resolution crystal structures of members of this family have been solved in all relevant states: as apo receptors, bound to ABA, and as receptor-ABA-phosphatase complexes. Together, these structures provide a detailed gate-latch-lock mechanism of ABA recognition, receptor-PP2C interaction, and inhibition of the PP2C phosphatase activity and provide a basis for the design of synthetic ABA agonists for stress protection of crop plants.
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