Selective regulation of maize plasma membrane aquaporin trafficking and activity by the SNARE SYP121

Plant Cell. 2012 Aug;24(8):3463-81. doi: 10.1105/tpc.112.101758. Epub 2012 Aug 31.

Abstract

Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) are aquaporins facilitating the diffusion of water through the cell membrane. We previously showed that the traffic of the maize (Zea mays) PIP2;5 to the plasma membrane is dependent on the endoplasmic reticulum diacidic export motif. Here, we report that the post-Golgi traffic and water channel activity of PIP2;5 are regulated by the SNARE (for soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor protein attachment protein receptor) SYP121, a plasma membrane resident syntaxin involved in vesicle traffic, signaling, and regulation of K(+) channels. We demonstrate that the expression of the dominant-negative SYP121-Sp2 fragment in maize mesophyll protoplasts or epidermal cells leads to a decrease in the delivery of PIP2;5 to the plasma membrane. Protoplast and oocyte swelling assays showed that PIP2;5 water channel activity is negatively affected by SYP121-Sp2. A combination of in vitro (copurification assays) and in vivo (bimolecular fluorescence complementation, Förster resonance energy transfer, and yeast split-ubiquitin) approaches allowed us to demonstrate that SYP121 and PIP2;5 physically interact. Together with previous data demonstrating the role of SYP121 in regulating K(+) channel trafficking and activity, these results suggest that SYP121 SNARE contributes to the regulation of the cell osmotic homeostasis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Aquaporins / genetics
  • Aquaporins / metabolism*
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism*
  • Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant*
  • Golgi Apparatus / metabolism
  • Homeostasis
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Mesophyll Cells / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oocytes / metabolism
  • Osmosis
  • Plant Epidermis / metabolism
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism*
  • Potassium Channels / genetics
  • Potassium Channels / metabolism
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Protein Transport
  • Protoplasts / metabolism
  • Qa-SNARE Proteins / genetics
  • Qa-SNARE Proteins / metabolism*
  • Transfection
  • Water / metabolism
  • Xenopus / genetics
  • Xenopus / metabolism
  • Zea mays / genetics
  • Zea mays / metabolism*

Substances

  • Aquaporins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Plant Proteins
  • Potassium Channels
  • Qa-SNARE Proteins
  • Water