A dynamic model of UVR8 photoreceptor signalling in UV-B-acclimated Arabidopsis

The photoreceptor UVR8 mediates numerous photomorphogenic responses of plants to UV-B wavelengths by regulating transcription. Studies with purified UVR8 and seedlings not previously exposed to UV-B have generated a model for UVR8 action in which dimeric UVR8 rapidly monomerises in response to UV-B exposure to initiate signalling. However, the mechanism of UVR8 action in UV-B-acclimated plants growing under photoperiodic conditions, where UVR8 exists in a dimer/monomer photo-equilibrium, is poorly understood. We examined UVR8 dimer/monomer status, gene expression responses, amounts of key UVR8 signalling proteins and their interactions with UVR8 in UV-B-acclimated Arabidopsis. We show that in UV-B-acclimated plants UVR8 can mediate a response to a 15-fold increase in UV-B without any increase in abundance of UVR8 monomer. Following transfer to elevated UV-B, monomers show increased interaction with both COP1, to initiate signalling and RUP2, to maintain the photo-equilibrium when the dimer/monomer cycling rate increases. Native RUP1 is present in low abundance compared with RUP2. We present a model for UVR8 action in UV-B-acclimated plants growing in photoperiodic conditions that incorporates dimer and monomer photoreception, dimer/monomer cycling, abundance of native COP1 and RUP proteins, and interactions of the monomer population with COP1, RUP2 and potentially other proteins.