LOS2, a genetic locus required for cold-responsive gene transcription encodes a bi-functional enolase

Lee Hojoung, Yan Guo, Masaru Ohta, Liming Xiong, Becky Stevenson, Jian Kang Zhu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

297 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Arabidopsis mutation, los2, impairs cold-responsive gene transcription, acquired freezing tolerance and plant resistance to chilling under certain conditions. LOS2 was isolated through positional cloning and shown to encode an enolase in the glycolytic pathway. In animal cells, enolase has also been known to function as a transcription factor that represses the expression of c-myc by binding to the c-myc gene promoter. LOS2 fused to green fluorescent protein is targeted to the nucleus as well as to the cytoplasm. LOS2/enolase protein can bind to the cis-element of the human c-myc gene promoter and to the gene promoter of STZ/ZAT10, a zinc finger transcriptional repressor from Arabidopsis. STZ/ZAT10 expression is induced rapidly and transiently by cold in the wild type, and this induction is stronger and more sustained in the los2 mutant. Furthermore, the expression of a RD29A-LUC reporter gene is repressed significantly by STZ/ZAT10 in transient expression assays in Arabidopsis leaves. Our results demonstrate that cold-responsive gene transcription in plants is controlled by a bi-functional enolase.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2692-2702
Number of pages11
JournalEMBO JOURNAL
Volume21
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 3 2002
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cold signaling
  • Enolase
  • LOS2
  • Transcription factor
  • ZAT10 (STZ)

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Immunology and Microbiology

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