Jun 2022
Abstract:
Constant
perception of the environment and stress adaptation are crucial for
survival and driving forces of biological evolution. A eukaryotic
conserved mechanism that responds to environmental signal perception and
stress is the compartmentalization of proteins and mRNAs stalled in
translation into cytoplasmic condensates, known as stress granules
(SGs). The molecular mechanisms underlying SG assembly remain elusive.
In a first study, we identified that Tudor staphylococcal nuclease (TSN)
is an evolutionarily conserved protein required for the proper dynamics
of SGs in plants (Gutierrez-Beltran et al., 2015). More recently, we
have found that TSN is an intrinsically disordered protein acting as a
scaffold for a large pool of conserved stress granule components as well
as novel or plant- specific SG-localized proteins, including the
evolutionarily conserved energy-sensing SNF1-related protein kinase 1
(SnRK1) (Gutierrez-Beltran et al., 2021). Our data demonstrate that TSN
and formation of SGs confer heat- induced activation of the
catalytic a-subunit (SnRK1a) of SnRK1 heterotrimeric complex, thus
linking TSN and SGs to the energy status of the plant cells.
Bio:
Emilio Gutierrez-Beltran
is an Associate Professor in the Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis
(IBVF) institute, joint center of the National Research Council
(CSIC) and the University of Sevilla (US). He completed his PhD in plant
pathogen interaction at University of Sevilla (Spain) and post-doctoral
work at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in
Uppsala (Sweden) on protein condensates. Currently, his research focuses
on unraveling the molecular pathways underlying the assembly of stress
granules in plants.
Light refreshment will be served before the lecture.