A chemical switch helps plants sense and survive UV light
Tong B, Wangzha M, Wang J, Wu B, Zhang C
Plant Signaling
Every tomato plant and pepper in your garden relies on this same molecular dimmer switch to ramp up sun protection on bright days, and understanding it could help breeders develop crops that handle intense UV better as summers get sunnier.
Plants have a built-in sensor protein called UVR8 that detects harmful UV-B rays from sunlight. Researchers found that adding a small phosphate tag to one spot on this protein acts like flipping a switch, making the sensor break apart faster and stay 'activated' longer so the plant can turn on its sun-protection genes. The same switch works in both a lab mustard plant and tomatoes, meaning it's likely a trick used across many plant species, not just one.
Key Findings
Phosphorylation at threonine 356 (T356) of the UVR8 photoreceptor is enhanced by UV-B exposure and promotes dissociation of UVR8 dimers into active monomers
This phosphorylation delays redimerization, shifting the dimer/monomer balance toward the signaling-active monomer form
The same T356 phosphorylation mechanism is conserved in tomato, and it strengthens UVR8 binding to COP1, extends UVR8's time in the nucleus, and boosts overall UV-B signaling output
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered that plants attach a chemical tag to their UV-sensing protein that makes it respond faster and stronger to sun damage, a trick found in both a lab plant and tomatoes, suggesting it's a universal tool plants use to protect themselves from UV light.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Phosphorylation of the plant photoreceptor UVR8 regulates its dimer/monomer status and enhances UV-B signaling across species.
Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) is an integral component of sunlight that profoundly shapes plant growth, development, and survival. Plant photoreceptor UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8) homodimers perceive UV-B a...
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