A complex containing SNF1-related kinase (SnRK1) and adenosine kinase in Arabidopsis

PLoS One. 2014 Jan 30;9(1):e87592. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087592. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

SNF1-related kinase (SnRK1) in plants belongs to a conserved family that includes sucrose non-fermenting 1 kinase (SNF1) in yeast and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in animals. These kinases play important roles in the regulation of cellular energy homeostasis and in response to stresses that deplete ATP, they inhibit energy consuming anabolic pathways and promote catabolism. Energy stress is sensed by increased AMP:ATP ratios and in plants, 5'-AMP inhibits inactivation of phosphorylated SnRK1 by phosphatase. In previous studies, we showed that geminivirus pathogenicity proteins interact with both SnRK1 and adenosine kinase (ADK), which phosphorylates adenosine to generate 5'-AMP. This suggested a relationship between SnRK1 and ADK, which we investigate in the studies described here. We demonstrate that SnRK1 and ADK physically associate in the cytoplasm, and that SnRK1 stimulates ADK in vitro by an unknown, non-enzymatic mechanism. Further, altering SnRK1 or ADK activity in transgenic plants altered the activity of the other kinase, providing evidence for in vivo linkage but also revealing that in vivo regulation of these activities is complex. This study establishes the existence of SnRK1-ADK complexes that may play important roles in energy homeostasis and cellular responses to biotic and abiotic stress.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Kinase / genetics
  • Adenosine Kinase / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / genetics
  • Homeostasis / genetics
  • Phosphorylation / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / metabolism
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Yeasts / genetics
  • Yeasts / metabolism

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Adenosine Kinase
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • SnRK1 protein, Arabidopsis

Grants and funding

This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (MCB-0743261 and MCB-1158262) to DMB. JNJ was supported by Fellowships from the Ohio State University Center for RNA Biology and Pelotonia. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.