Recombinant Arabidopsis thaliana RING-H2 finger protein ATL20 (ATL20)

General Information

Recombinant Arabidopsis thaliana RING-H2 finger protein ATL20 (ATL20) is a protein that belongs to the ATL family of RING-H2 ubiquitin ligases . These proteins contain a RING-H2 domain and a transmembrane domain . RING finger proteins, including those of the RING-H2 type, are known to play a role in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses .

• UniProt Accession Number: Q9C7E9

• Species: Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress)

• Gene Name: ATL20

• Ordered Locus Names: At1g28040

• ORF Names: F13K9.14

Structure and Function

The ATL family proteins, including ATL20, are characterized by the presence of a RING-H2 domain, a hydrophobic amino acid-rich region, and a GLD region . The RING-H2 domain is a variation of the canonical RING finger and contains a specific arrangement of eight zinc ligands, along with other conserved amino acid residues .

• RING Finger Domain: The RING finger domain is a particular class of zinc finger domains consisting of 8 precisely spaced cysteine and histidine residues that coordinate 2 zinc ions in a cross-brace arrangement .

• E3 Ligase Activity: RING finger proteins are a component of the ubiquitination pathway . As E3 ubiquitin ligases, they facilitate the transfer of ubiquitin to target proteins, influencing various cellular processes .

• Interaction with E2 Enzymes: The RING finger domain directly binds to E2 enzymes, which are also involved in the ubiquitination process .

Expression and Localization

The ShATL78L gene, an ATL78-like gene in tomato, is constitutively expressed in various tissues such as root, leaf, petiole, stem, flower, and fruit . Its expression is also regulated under different stresses such as drought, salt, heat, wound, osmotic stress, and exogenous hormones .

• Expression Region: The expression region for the recombinant protein is the full-length protein .

Role in Stress Response

ShATL78L, a cold-induced RING-H2 finger gene in wild tomato, is identified as an abiotic stress-responsive gene . Overexpression of ShATL78L in cultivated tomato improved tolerance to cold, drought, and oxidative stresses .

• Abiotic Stress Tolerance: Overexpression of ShATL78L enhances cold, drought, and oxidative stress tolerance in tomato .

• Hormonal Regulation: The expression of ShATL78L is induced by plant hormone treatments such as ETH, IAA, and SA, suggesting its role as a regulator in mediating different signaling pathways in response to abiotic stresses .

Interactions

• RAV2 and CSN5B: RAV2 can bind to the promoter of ShATL78L and activates/alters its transcription, and CSN5B can interact with ShATL78L to regulate abiotic stress responses .

Research Findings

• Antifungal Properties: Arabidopsis thaliana TCP21 (AtTCP21), a member of the TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR1 (TCP) family of transcription factors, has been identified as a novel antifungal protein (AFP) . Bacterially purified recombinant AtTCP21 inhibited the growth of various pathogenic fungal cells .

• Transcriptional Regulation: The transcriptional landscape of Arabidopsis thaliana pattern-triggered immunity has been investigated .

• Gene Family Expansion: The ATL family has been instrumental in evolution studies for showing how gene families are expanded in plant genomes .