Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit B′γ interacts with cytoplasmic ACONITASE 3 and modulates the abundance of AOX1A and AOX1D in Arabidopsis thaliana

Organellar reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling is a key mechanism that promotes the onset of defensive measures in stress-exposed plants. The underlying molecular mechanisms and feedback regulation loops, however, still remain poorly understood. Our previous work has shown that a specific regulatory B subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is required to control organellar ROS signalling and associated metabolic adjustments in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we addressed the mechanisms through which PP2A-B impacts on organellar metabolic crosstalk and ROS homeostasis in leaves. Genetic, biochemical and pharmacological approaches, together with a combination of data-dependent acquisition (DDA) and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) MS techniques, were utilized to assess PP2A-B-dependent adjustments in Arabidopsis thaliana. We show that PP2A-B' physically interacts with the cytoplasmic form of aconitase, a central metabolic enzyme functionally connected with mitochondrial respiration, oxidative stress responses and regulation of cell death in plants. Furthermore, PP2A-B' impacts ROS homeostasis by controlling the abundance of specific alternative oxidase isoforms, AOX1A and AOX1D, in leaf mitochondria. We conclude that PP2A-B'-dependent regulatory actions modulate the functional status of metabolic enzymes that essentially contribute to intracellular ROS signalling and metabolic homeostasis in plants.