Functional divergence of plant SCAR/WAVE proteins is determined by intrinsically disordered regions.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40397725.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adt6107 and PMC identifier 12094195.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Dynamic actin cytoskeleton reorganization enables plant developmental processes requiring polarized transport such as root hair and leaf trichome formation. The SCAR/WAVE complex plays a crucial role in regulating these dynamics through ARP2/3-mediated actin branching. <i>SCAR/WAVE</i> genes occur as small families across a wide range of plant species, but whether and how they fulfill different functions remains unclear. We use a systematic chimera approach to define the differential functionality of two closely related <i>Medicago truncatula</i> SCAR proteins in plant development. We show that SCAR/WAVE contribution to <i>M. truncatula</i> root hair or <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> trichome formation is dependent on two central intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). Differential functionalities of <i>M. truncatula</i> SCAR proteins were furthermore associated with the presence/absence of a 42-amino acid sequence within the IDR that affected protein stability. Through uncovering a molecular basis for functional differences, we advance our understanding of plant SCAR/WAVE complexes.
Medical subject headings
- Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
- Medicago truncatula
- Plant Proteins
- Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Protein Family