RAP2.3 negatively regulates nitric oxide biosynthesis and related responses through a rheostat-like mechanism in Arabidopsis

[EN] Nitric oxide (NO) is sensed through a mechanism involving the degradation of group-VII ERF transcription factors (ERFVIIs) that is mediated by the N-degron pathway. However, the mechanisms regulating NO homeostasis and downstream responses remain mostly unknown. To explore the role of ERFVIIs in regulating NO production and signaling, genome-wide transcriptome analyses were performed on single and multiple erfvii mutants of Arabidopsis following exposure to NO. Transgenic plants overexpressing degradable or non-degradable versions of RAP2.3, one of the five ERFVIIs, were also examined. Enhanced RAP2.3 expression attenuated the changes in the transcriptome upon exposure to NO, and thereby acted as a brake for NO-triggered responses that included the activation of jasmonate and ABA signaling. The expression of non-degradable RAP2.3 attenuated NO biosynthesis in shoots but not in roots, and released the NO-triggered inhibition of hypocotyl and root elongation. In the guard cells of stomata, the control of NO accumulation depended on PRT6-triggered degradation of RAP2.3 more than on RAP2.3 levels. RAP2.3 therefore seemed to work as a molecular rheostat controlling NO homeostasis and signaling. Its function as a brake for NO signaling was released upon NO-triggered PRT6-mediated degradation, thus allowing the inhibition of growth, and the potentiation of jasmonate- and ABA-related signaling.We would like to acknowledge Lorena Latorre (Genomic Service at IBMCP) for her support in the hybridizing Agilent microarrays. This work was supported by grants BIO2014-56067-P and BIO2017-82945-P from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, and by FEDER funds. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.Leon Ramos, J.; Costa-Broseta, Á.; Castillo López Del Toro, MC. (2020). RAP2.3 negatively regulates nitric oxide biosynthesis and related responses through a rheostat-like mechanism in Arabidopsis. 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