STCH4/REIL2 Confers Cold Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis by Promoting rRNA Processing and CBF Protein Translation
Hasi Yu,
Xiangfeng Kong,
Huan Huang,
Wenwu Wu,
Junghoon Park,
Dae-Jin Yun,
Byeong-ha Lee,
Huazhong Shi,
Jian-Kang Zhu
Affiliations
Hasi Yu
Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China
Xiangfeng Kong
Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China
Huan Huang
Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China
Wenwu Wu
The Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, 311300 Lin’an, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
Junghoon Park
Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, South Korea
Dae-Jin Yun
Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, South Korea
Byeong-ha Lee
Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul 04107, South Korea
Huazhong Shi
Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; Corresponding author
Jian-Kang Zhu
Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Plants respond to cold stress by inducing the expression of transcription factors that regulate downstream genes to confer tolerance to freezing. We screened an Arabidopsis transfer DNA (T-DNA) insertion library and identified a cold-hypersensitive mutant, which we named stch4 (sensitive to chilling 4). STCH4/REIL2 encodes a ribosomal biogenesis factor that is upregulated upon cold stress. Overexpression of STCH4 confers chilling and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis. The stch4 mutation reduces CBF protein levels and thus delayed the induction of C-repeat-binding factor (CBF) regulon genes. Ribosomal RNA processing is reduced in stch4 mutants, especially under cold stress. STCH4 associates with multiple ribosomal proteins, and these interactions are modulated by cold stress. These results suggest that the ribosome is a regulatory node for cold stress responses and that STCH4 promotes an altered ribosomal composition and functions in low temperatures to facilitate the translation of proteins important for plant growth and survival under cold stress. : Yu et al. show that the ribosomal biogenesis factor STCH4 confers cold stress tolerance in Arabidopsis by maintaining rRNA processing and promoting CBF protein translation. The ribosome is likely a site for cold stress response. Keywords: cold stress, rRNA processing, STCH4, protein translation, CBF, ribosome
