Engineering hormonal crosstalk to enhance serotonin/melatonin levels in rice.

ABSTRACT: Enhancing crop nutritional value is important for advancing sustainable human health. Serotonin (5-HT) and its derivative melatonin (MT) are versatile physiological regulators, known for their roles in sleep enhancement, anxiety reduction, and immune modulation. Here, we discover that abscisic acid (ABA) induces the biosynthesis of 5-HT. This induction depends on the regulation by Abscisic Acid Insensitive 5 (ABI5) and negatively feedback-controlled by the possible PP2Cs-SAPK2-ABI5 interaction. This feedback regulation likely involves ABA signaling crosstalk. Specifically, 5-HT modulates ABA-mediated PP2C activity, thereby influencing the SAPK2 phosphorylation. This modulation subsequently reduces the phosphorylation and transcriptional activity of ABI5, ultimately attenuating the ABA sign

SUBMITTER: Cui Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12627605 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature