The non-tandem CCCH zinc finger protein AtC3H26 modulates salt stress response and phosphate starvation response through its ribonuclease activity in Arabidopsis.

ABSTRACT: CCCH-type zinc finger (ZF) proteins comprise a diverse family of RNA- and DNA-binding regulators that play crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Although tandem CCCH ZF (TZF) proteins have been extensively studied, their molecular functions remain poorly understood. In this study, Arabidopsis thaliana AtC3H26, a non-TZF CCCH protein and paralog of AtC3H3, was characterized, and its role as a ribonuclease (RNase) in salt tolerance and phosphate (Pi) homeostasis was demonstrated. AtC3H26 expression was rapidly induced by salt, mannitol, and abscisic acid (ABA), and its overexpression (OX) lines exhibited enhanced salt tolerance but not drought resistance. Moreover, AtC3H26 modulated both ABA-dependent and -independent stress marker genes, which suggests that both

SUBMITTER: Seok HY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12777328 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature