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Characterization of a legumain/vacuolar processing enzyme and YVADase activity in Papaver pollen

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Abstract

Legumains, also known as Vacuolar Processing Enzymes (VPEs) have received considerable attention recently, as they share structural properties with mammalian caspase-1 and exhibit YVADase/caspase-1-like cleavage activity. Although many legumains have been cloned, knowledge about their detailed characteristics and intracellular localization is relatively limited. We previously identified several caspase-like activities activated by self-incompatibility (SI) in pollen; a DEVDase was required for programmed cell death (PCD), but YVADase was not (Bosch and Franklin-Tong in Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:18327–18332, 2007; Thomas and Franklin-Tong in Nature 429:305–309, 2004). Here we report identification of a legumain/VPE from Papaver rhoeas pollen (PrVPE1) that binds to the DEVD tetrapeptide, a signature substrate for caspase-3. A detailed characterization of the recombinant PrVPE1 cleavage activity revealed that, like other VPEs, it has YVADase activity and requires an acidic pH for activity. Unlike other legumain/VPEs, it also exhibits DEVDase and IETDase activities and apparently does not require processing for activity. The pollen-expressed PrVPE1 localizes to a reticulate compartment resembling the vacuole. Examination of YVADase activity using live-cell imaging of pollen tubes revealed YVADase activity in mitochondria of growing pollen tubes. The unexpected features of PrVPE1, together with evidence for YVADase activity in plant mitochondria, indicate that VPEs, YVADases, their localization and functions in plant cells merit further investigation.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the horticultural staff for growing the plants and helping harvest material. This work was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (B.B.S.R.C.). K.A.W. was funded by a BBSRC studentship. We thank Ikuko Hara-Nishimura for sharing reagents and unpublished data with us. We thank Takashi Okamoto for the sample of the VmPE-1 antibody. The Papaver pollen PrVPE1 cDNA sequence has been deposited in the EMBL sequence database with the accession number FN870624.

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  1. Maurice Bosch

    Present address: Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EB, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

    Maurice Bosch, Natalie S. Poulter, Ruth M. Perry, Katie A. Wilkins & Vernonica E. Franklin-Tong

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  1. Maurice Bosch
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  2. Natalie S. Poulter
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Correspondence to Vernonica E. Franklin-Tong.

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Bosch, M., Poulter, N.S., Perry, R.M. et al. Characterization of a legumain/vacuolar processing enzyme and YVADase activity in Papaver pollen. Plant Mol Biol 74, 381–393 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-010-9681-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-010-9681-9

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