Fig. 7: A proposed working model of the WAKL4-NRAMP1 module in controlling Cd uptake and tolerance. | Nature Communications

Fig. 7: A proposed working model of the WAKL4-NRAMP1 module in controlling Cd uptake and tolerance.

From: The Arabidopsis receptor-like kinase WAKL4 limits cadmium uptake via phosphorylation and degradation of NRAMP1 transporter

Fig. 7

In WT plants, exposure to Cd toxicity triggers the accumulation of WAKL4 protein rapidly through enhancement of WAKL4 transcription and suppression of WAKL4 degradation. This process may involve an unknown E3 ligase to sense or respond to Cd. Then, WAKL4 confers the phosphorylation of NRAMP1 at Tyr488 residue. The phosphorylated NRAMP1Tyr488 further undergoes endocytosis and vacuole-targeted degradation, which may likewise require unknown E3 ligase, thereby restricting Cd uptake and accumulation in plants. This Cd switch mechanism is generally blocked in wakl4 mutants. The constitution of the WAKL4-NRAMP1 signaling pathway allows for effectively regulating plant Cd uptake and tolerance under Cd stress.

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