NTUBST2023EN

We study light-stress signaling crosstalk in plants

In our lab, our main goal is trying to understand the mechanism of how plants cope with stresses and manage to find the balance of growth and defense. Light is not only essential for photosynthetic energy production, but also functions as one of the most important environmental factors affecting plant growth and development. We want to know whether light signaling affect plant stress response. Translation is in the center of cellular responses to different stress signals; however, there is a fundamental gap in our understanding of the regulation of translation in plants. We use numerous genomics and proteomic approaches to study photobiology and stress biology in plants. Here are our major projects:

1.    Light treatment greatly enhances global translation in seedling developmental stages. We want to understand the molecular mechanism regulating this phenomenon. Using various mutants that show constitutive photomorphogenic phenotypes in the dark, we study their protein interaction and post-translational modification to elucidte the translational regulatory network that happens during dark-to-light transition.

2.    ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 1 (ERF1) plays an important role in integrating hormone crosstalk and stress responses. Our studies have shown that ERF1 is unstable in the dark and its degradation is mediated by UBIQUITIN-CONJUGATING ENZYME 18. We are trying to find out more ERF1-interacting proteins and understand their functions in stress response.

3.    Using translatome analyses we can identify the selective protein synthesis under light-stress crosstalk by performing polysomal profiling and ribo-seq in cop mutants, and thus to construct the hierarchical translational regulatory network to serve as a model for future genetic engineering. We have successfully identified several stress-related genes. By isolating the mutant lines and generating their overexpression lines, we discovered their cooperative roles in stress signaling.
 

1. Chang, H.H., Huang, L.C., Browning, K.S., Huq, E. and Cheng M.C. (2024) The phosphorylation of carboxyl-terminal eIF2α by SPA kinases contributes to enhanced translation efficiency during photomorphogenesis. Nature Communications 15: 3467. (5-yr IF: 17.0)
2. Lin, W.C., Chang, H.H., Huang, Z.-B., Huang, L.C., Kuo, W.C., Cheng, M.C. (2024) COP1-ERF1-SCE1 regulatory module fine-tunes stress response under light-dark cycle in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell & Environment 47: 1877-1894. (5-yr IF: 8.1)
3. Cheng, M.C., Kathare, P.K., Paik, I., Huq, E. (2021) Phytochrome signaling networks. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 72: 217-244. (5-yr IF: 30.5; #citation: 114)
4. Cheng, M.C., Enderle, B., Kathare, P.K., Hiltbrunner, A., Huq, E. (2020) PCH1 and PCHL directly interact with PIF1, promote its degradation and inhibit its transcriptional function during photomorphogenesis. Molecular Plant 13: 499-514. (5-yr IF: 22.6; #citation: 19)
5. Cheng, M.C., Wang, Y.M., Kuo, W.C., Lin, T.P. (2017) UBC18 mediates ERF1 degradation under light-dark cycles. New Phytologist 213: 1156-1167. (5-yr IF: 8.085; #citation: 24)
6. Chen, H.Y., Hsieh, E.J., Cheng, M.C., Chen, C.Y., Hwang, S.Y., Lin, T.P. (2016) ORA47 (octadecanoid-responsive AP2/ERF-domain transcription factor 47) regulates jasmonic acid and abscisic acid biosynthesis and signaling through binding to a novel cis-element. New Phytologist 211: 599-613. (5-yr IF: 8.085; #citation: 111)
7. Cheng, M.C., Ko, K., Chang, W.L., Kuo, W.C., Chen, G.H., Lin, T.P. (2015). Increased level of glutathione contributes to stress tolerances and global translational change in Arabidopsis. Plant Journal 83: 926-939. (5-yr IF: 6.292; #citation: 144)
8. Cheng, M.C., Liao, P.M., Kuo, W.W., Lin, T.P. (2013) The Arabidopsis ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR1 regulates abiotic stress-responsive gene expression by binding to different cis-acting elements in response to different stress signals. Plant Physiology 162: 1566-1582. (5-yr IF: 8.7; #citation: 555)
9. Hsieh, E.J., Cheng, M.C., Lin, T.P. (2013) Functional characterization of an abiotic stress-inducible transcription factor AtERF53 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Molecular Biology 82: 223-237. (5-yr IF: 3.903; #citation: 105)
10. Cheng, M.C., Hsieh, E.J., Chen, J.H., Chen, H.Y., Tsan-Piao Lin, T.P. (2012). Arabidopsis RGLG2, functioning as a RING E3 ligase, interacts with AtERF53 and negatively regulates the plant drought stress response. Plant Physiology 158: 363-375. (5-yr IF: 8.7; #citation: 223)