Lipid transporter LSR1 positively regulates leaf senescence in Arabidopsis

Senescence is the final stage in the life history of a leaf, whereby plants relocate nutrients from leaves to other developing organs. Recent efforts have begun to focus on understanding the network-based molecular mechanism that incorporates various environmental signals and leaf age information and involves a complex process with the coordinated actions of multiple pathways. Here, we identified a novel participant, named LSR1 (Leaf Senescence Related 1), that involved in the regulation of leaf senescence. Loss-of-function lsr1-1 mutant showed delayed leaf senescence whereas the overexpression of LSR1 accelerated senescence. LSR1 encodes a lipid transfer protein, and the results show that the protein is located in chloroplast and intercellular space. The LSR1 may be involved in the regulation of leaf senescence by transporting lipids in plants.