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Lysine catabolism, an effective versatile regulator of lysine level in plants

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Summary.

Lysine is a nutritionally important essential amino acid, whose synthesis in plants is strongly regulated by the rate of its synthesis. Yet, lysine level in plants is also finely controlled by a super-regulated catabolic pathway that catabolizes lysine into glutamate and acetyl Co-A. The first two enzymes of lysine catabolism are synthesized from a single LKR/SDH gene. Expression of this gene is subject to compound developmental, hormonal and stress-associated regulation. Moreover, the LKR/SDH gene of different plant species encodes up to three distinct polypeptides: (i) a bifunctional enzyme containing the linked lysine-ketoglutarate (LKR) and saccharopine dehydrogenase (SDH) whose LKR activity is regulated by its linked SDH enzyme; (ii) a monofunctional SDH encoded by an internal promoter, which is a part of the coding DNA region of the LKR/SDH gene; and (iii) a monofunctional, highly potent LKR that is formed by polyadenylation within an intron. LKR activity in the bifunctional LKR/SDH polypeptide is also post-translationally regulated by phosphorylation by casein kinase-2 (CK2), but the consequence of this regulation is still unknown. Why is lysine metabolism super-regulated by synthesis and catabolism? A hypothesis addressing this important question is presented, suggesting that lysine may serve as a regulator of plant growth and interaction with the environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

    A. Stepansky, H. Less, R. Angelovici, R. Aharon, X. Zhu & G. Galili

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  1. A. Stepansky
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  2. H. Less
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  3. R. Angelovici
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  4. R. Aharon
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  5. X. Zhu
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  6. G. Galili
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Stepansky, A., Less, H., Angelovici, R. et al. Lysine catabolism, an effective versatile regulator of lysine level in plants. Amino Acids 30, 121–125 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-005-0246-1

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