Publications [#324246] of Tai-ping Sun

Papers Published

1. Hirano, Y; Nakagawa, M; Suyama, T; Murase, K; Shirakawa, M; Takayama, S; Sun, T-P; Hakoshima, T, Structure of the SHR-SCR heterodimer bound to the BIRD/IDD transcriptional factor JKD., Nature plants, vol. 3 no. 3 (February, 2017), pp. 17010 [doi]
   (last updated on 2026/01/13)

   Abstract:
   The plant-specific GAI, RGA and SCR (GRAS) family proteins play critical roles in plant development and signalling. Two GRAS proteins, SHORT-ROOT (SHR) and SCARECROW (SCR), cooperatively direct asymmetric cell division and the patterning of root cell types by transcriptional control in conjunction with BIRD/INDETERMINATE DOMAIN (IDD) transcription factors, although precise details of these specific interactions and actions remain unknown. Here, we present the crystal structures of the SHR-SCR binary and JACKDAW (JKD)/IDD10-SHR-SCR ternary complexes. Each GRAS domain comprises one α/β core subdomain with an α-helical cap that mediates heterodimerization by forming an intermolecular helix bundle. The α/β core subdomain of SHR forms the BIRD binding groove, which specifically recognizes the zinc fingers of JKD. We identified a conserved SHR-binding motif in 13 BIRD/IDD transcription factors. Our results establish a structural basis for GRAS-GRAS and GRAS-BIRD interactions and provide valuable clues towards our understanding of these regulators, which are involved in plant-specific signalling networks.