Putting a finger on plant stress response

(University of Tsukuba) Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have found that a PHD zinc finger-like domain in SUMO E3 ligase SIZ1 is essential for protein function in Arabidopsis. Deletion or mutation of the domain failed to complement a siz1 mutant, confirming its role in sumoylation. They also showed that the finger recognizes tri-methylated histone proteins, suggesting a role for the finger domain in SIZ1/SUMO-mediated transcriptional regulation of stress response-associated genes.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news