AUTHOR=Du Xinzhe , Jin Zhuping , Liu Zhiqiang , Liu Danmei , Zhang Liping , Ma Xiaoli , Yang Guangdong , Liu Sha , Guo Yarong , Pei Yanxi 

TITLE=H2S Persulfidated and Increased Kinase Activity of MPK4 to Response Cold Stress in Arabidopsis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2021.635470

DOI=10.3389/fmolb.2021.635470

ISSN=2296-889X

ABSTRACT=<p>Hydrogen sulfide (H<sub>2</sub>S) is a gasotransmitter along with nitric oxide and carbon oxide, which is involved in plant growth and development as well as biotic and abiotic stress resistance. In a previous study, we reported that mitogen-activated protein kinases, especially MPK4, are important downstream components of H<sub>2</sub>S involved in alleviating cold stress; however the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we determined that the ability of H<sub>2</sub>S to alleviate cold stress is impaired in <italic>mpk4</italic> mutants, but not in the upstream <italic>mek2</italic> and <italic>crlk1</italic> mutants. MPK4 was basically persulfidated, and NaHS (H<sub>2</sub>S donor) further increased the persulfidation level of MPK4. MEK2 was not persulfidated by H<sub>2</sub>S. NaHS treatments increased the MPK4 activity level nearly tenfold. The persulfidation signal of MPK4 did not disappear after eight cystein residues in MPK4 were site-mutated, respectively. Above all, our results suggested that H<sub>2</sub>S alleviates cold stress directly by persulfidating MPK4 and increasing the MPK4 kinase activity.</p>