Structural insights into brassinosteroid export mediated by the Arabidopsis ABC transporter ABCB1

Wei H, Zhu H, Ying W, Janssens H, Kvasnica M, Winne J, Gao Y, Friml J, Ma Q, Tan S, Liu X, Russinova E, Sun L. 2025. Structural insights into brassinosteroid export mediated by the Arabidopsis ABC transporter ABCB1. Plant Communications. 6(1), 101181.

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Author
Wei, H; Zhu, H; Ying, W; Janssens, H; Kvasnica, M; Winne, JM; Gao, Y; Friml, JiríISTA ; Ma, Q; Tan, S; Liu, X; Russinova, E
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Abstract
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroidal phytohormones indispensable for plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stresses. The export of bioactive BRs to the apoplast is essential for BR signalling initiation, which requires binding of BR molecule to the extracellular domains of the plasma membrane-localized receptor complex. We have previously shown that the Arabidopsis thaliana ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, ABCB19, functions as a BR exporter, and together with its close homologue, ABCB1, positively regulate BR signalling. Here, we demonstrate that ABCB1 is another BR transporter. The ATP hydrolysis activity of ABCB1 was stimulated by bioactive BRs, and its transport activity was confirmed in proteoliposomes and protoplasts. Structures of ABCB1 in substrate-unbound (apo), brassinolide (BL)-bound, and ATP plus BL-bound states were determined. In the BL-bound structure, BL was bound to the hydrophobic cavity formed by the transmembrane domain, and triggered local conformational changes. Together, our data provide additional insights into the ABC transporter-mediated BR export.
Publishing Year
Date Published
2025-01-13
Journal Title
Plant Communications
Publisher
Elsevier
Acknowledgement
We thank the Cryo-EM Center of the University of Science and Technology of China for the EM facility support. We thank Yaowei Wang, Yongming Luo, and Nemanja Vukašinović (VIB-UGhent, Belgium) for useful discussions and technical support. L.S. is supported by an Outstanding Young Scholar Award from the Qiu Shi Science and Technologies Foundation and a Young Scholar Award from the Cyrus Tang Foundation. No conflict of interest is declared.
Volume
6
Issue
1
Article Number
101181
ISSN
IST-REx-ID

Cite this

Wei H, Zhu H, Ying W, et al. Structural insights into brassinosteroid export mediated by the Arabidopsis ABC transporter ABCB1. Plant Communications. 2025;6(1). doi:10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101181
Wei, H., Zhu, H., Ying, W., Janssens, H., Kvasnica, M., Winne, J., … Sun, L. (2025). Structural insights into brassinosteroid export mediated by the Arabidopsis ABC transporter ABCB1. Plant Communications. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101181
Wei, H, H Zhu, W Ying, H Janssens, M Kvasnica, JM Winne, Y Gao, et al. “Structural Insights into Brassinosteroid Export Mediated by the Arabidopsis ABC Transporter ABCB1.” Plant Communications. Elsevier, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101181.
H. Wei et al., “Structural insights into brassinosteroid export mediated by the Arabidopsis ABC transporter ABCB1,” Plant Communications, vol. 6, no. 1. Elsevier, 2025.
Wei H, Zhu H, Ying W, Janssens H, Kvasnica M, Winne J, Gao Y, Friml J, Ma Q, Tan S, Liu X, Russinova E, Sun L. 2025. Structural insights into brassinosteroid export mediated by the Arabidopsis ABC transporter ABCB1. Plant Communications. 6(1), 101181.
Wei, H., et al. “Structural Insights into Brassinosteroid Export Mediated by the Arabidopsis ABC Transporter ABCB1.” Plant Communications, vol. 6, no. 1, 101181, Elsevier, 2025, doi:10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101181.
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