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CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASE8 (CDK8) is a widely studied component of eukaryotic Mediator complexes. However, the biological and molecular functions of plant CDK8 are not well understood. Here, we provide evidence for regulatory functions of Arabidopsis thaliana CDK8 in defense and demonstrate its functional and molecular interactions with other Mediator and non-Mediator subunits. The cdk8 mutant exhibits enhanced resistance to Botrytis cinerea but susceptibility to Alternaria brassicicola. The contributions of CDK8 to the transcriptional activation of defensin gene PDF1.2 and its interaction with MEDIATOR COMPLEX SUBUNIT25 (MED25) implicate CDK8 in jasmonate-mediated defense. Moreover, CDK8 associates with the promoter of AGMATINE COUMAROYLTRANSFERASE to promote its transcription and regulate the biosynthesis of the defense-active secondary metabolites hydroxycinnamic acid amides. CDK8 also interacts with the transcription factor WAX INDUCER1, implying its additional role in cuticle development. In addition, overlapping functions of CDK8 with MED12 and MED13 and interactions between CDK8 and C-type cyclins suggest the conserved configuration of the plant Mediator kinase module. In summary, while CDK8's positive transcriptional regulation of target genes and its phosphorylation activities underpin its defense functions, the impaired defense responses in the mutant are masked by its altered cuticle, resulting in specific resistance to B. cinerea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowering is a critical agricultural trait that substantially affects tomato fruit yield. Although drought stress influences flowering time, the molecular mechanism underlying drought-regulated flowering in tomato remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrated that loss of function of tomato OPEN STOMATA 1 (SlOST1), a protein kinase essential for abscisic acid (ABA) signaling and abiotic stress responses, lowers the tolerance of tomato plants to drought stress. slost1 mutants also exhibited a late flowering phenotype under both normal and drought stress conditions. We also established that SlOST1 directly interacts with and phosphorylates the NAC (NAM, ATAF and CUC)-type transcription factor VASCULAR PLANT ONE-ZINC FINGER 1 (SlVOZ1), at residue serine 67, thereby enhancing its stability and nuclear translocation in an ABA-dependent manner. Moreover, we uncovered several SlVOZ1 binding motifs from DNA affinity purification sequencing analyses and revealed that SlVOZ1 can directly bind to the promoter of the major flowering-integrator gene SINGLE FLOWER TRUSS to promote tomato flowering transition in response to drought. Collectively, our data uncover the essential role of the SlOST1–SlVOZ1 module in regulating flowering in response to drought stress in tomato and offer insights into a novel strategy to balance drought stress response and flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant phospholipase Ds (PLDs), essential regulators of phospholipid signaling, function in multiple signal transduction cascades; however, the mechanisms regulating PLDs in response to pathogens remain unclear. Here, we found that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PLDΔ accumulated in cells at the entry sites of the barley powdery mildew fungus, Blumeria graminis f. sp hordei. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and single-molecule analysis, we observed higher PLDΔ density in the plasma membrane after chitin treatment; PLDΔ also underwent rapid exocytosis. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy showed that the interaction between PLDΔ and the microdomain marker AtREMORIN1.3 (AtREM1.3) increased in response to chitin, indicating that exocytosis facilitates rapid, efficient sorting of PLDΔ into microdomains upon pathogen stimulus. We further unveiled a trade-off between brefeldin A (BFA)–resistant and –sensitive pathways in secretion of PLDΔ under diverse conditions. Upon pathogen attack, PLDΔ secretion involved syntaxin-associated VAMP721/722-mediated exocytosis sensitive to BFA. Analysis of phosphatidic acid (PA), hydrogen peroxide, and jasmonic acid (JA) levels and expression of related genes indicated that the relocalization of PLDΔ is crucial for its activation to produce PA and initiate reactive oxygen species and JA signaling pathways. Together, our findings revealed that the translocation of PLDΔ to papillae is modulated by exocytosis, thus triggering PA-mediated signaling in plant innate immunity. Open in new tab Download slide Open in new tab Download slide [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]