Molecular Cell
Volume 70, Issue 1, 5 April 2018, Pages 136-149.e7
Journal home page for Molecular Cell

Article
Injury Activates Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Phosphorylation of JAV1-JAZ8-WRKY51 Complex for Jasmonate Biosynthesis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2018.03.013Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Highlights

  • The JAV1-JAZ8-WRKY51 (JJW) complex represses expression of JA biosynthesis genes

  • Injury rapidly triggers Ca2+ influxes to activate phosphorylation of JAV1

  • Calmodulins sense Ca2+ and interact with JAV1 to determine JAV1 phosphorylation

  • Phosphorylation of JAV1 disintegrates JJW complex to de-repress JA biosynthesis

Summary

Insect herbivory causes severe damage to plants and threatens the world’s food production. During evolutionary adaptation, plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to rapidly accumulate a key defense hormone, jasmonate (JA), that triggers plant defense against herbivory. However, little is known about how plants initially activate JA biosynthesis at encounter with herbivory. Here, we uncover that a novel JAV1-JAZ8-WRKY51 (JJW) complex controls JA biosynthesis to defend against insect attack. In healthy plants, the JJW complex represses JA biosynthesis to restrain JA at a low basal level to ensure proper plant growth. When plants are injured by insect attack, injury rapidly triggers calcium influxes to activate calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of JAV1, which disintegrates JJW complex and activates JA biosynthesis, giving rise to the rapid burst of JA for plant defense. Our findings offer new insights into the highly sophisticated defense systems evolved by plants to defend against herbivory.

Keywords

insect herbivory
wounding
calcium influxes
calmodulins
protein phosphorylation
protein degradation
jasmonate biosynthesis
plant defense
VQ domain protein
JAV1-JAZ8-WRKY51 complex

Cited by (0)

3

These authors contributed equally

4

Lead Contact