DWARF14, A Receptor Covalently Linked with the Active Form of Strigolactones, Undergoes Strigolactone-Dependent Degradation in Rice

Strigolactones (SLs) are the latest confirmed phytohormones that regulate shoot branching by inhibiting bud outgrowth in higher plants. Perception of SLs depends on a novel mechanism employing an enzyme-receptor DWARF14 (D14) that hydrolyzes SLs and becomes covalently modified. This stimulates the interaction between D14 and D3, leading to the ubiquitination and degradation of the transcriptional repressor protein D53. However, the regulation of SL perception in rice remains elusive. In this study, we provide evidences that D14 is ubiquitinated after SL treatment and degraded through the 26S proteasome system. The Lys280 site of the D14 amino acid sequence was important for SL-induced D14 degradation, but did not change the subcellular localization of D14 nor disturbed the interaction between D14 and D3, nor D53 degradation. Biochemical and genetic analysis indicated that the key amino acids in the catalytic center of D14 were essential for D14 degradation. We further showed that D14 degradation is dependent on D3 and is tightly correlated with protein levels of D53. These findings revealed that D14 degradation takes place following D53 degradation and functions as an important feedback regulation mechanism of SL perception in rice.