Unveiling the SnRK1.1-mediated response in plants to non-optimal growth conditions

CALDO, AGUSTÍN; FUSARI, CORINA; CANTOIA, ALEJO; ROSANO, GERMÁN L.; LIEBSCH, DANIELA; DENGJEL, JOERN; BLANCO, NICOLÁS E

Workshop; EMBO workshop Target of rapamycin signaling in photosynthetic organisms; 2021

EMBO

Mounting evidence in photosynthetic organisms has confirmed the tight connectionbetween TOR and SnRK1 -mediated signalling pathways to adjust plant cellular metabolismto energy status (1, 2). This crosstalk represents one of the central adaptive mechanismsdeployed by plants to face changeable external conditions, which affect photosynthesisyield and consequently energy status. In this scenario, the intracellular behaviour of thecatalytic α subunit (SnRK1.1) of the SnRK1 complex (SnRK1) is an important step in themechanism to restore energy homeostasis (3, 4).Chloroplasts are one of the central intracellular hotspots where changes in growthconditions provoke energy imbalance in photosynthetic cells (5). To reveal how SnRK1commands the response to buffer this energy perturbations, we survey for SnRK1interactors after challenging photosynthetic yield. Our treatment mimics the induction ofphotoprotective ?photosynthetic control? by plastids in response to decreases inphotosynthetic performance. In addition to well- known SnRK1.1 targets (e.g. nitratereductase), we found a previously unreported set of potential SnRK1.1 interactors includingcomponents of the energy metabolism and metabolite transporters. The relevance of theseresults, their physiological and intracellular significance in the context of SnRK1-TOR cross-regulation and implications in the plant response to changing environmental conditions willbe discussed in the presentation.