Sweet Sensor, Surprising Partners

Abstract

Hexokinase1 (HXK1) is an evolutionarily conserved glucose sensor in plants. However, the molecular mechanism through which HXK1 controls the expression of genes encoding proteins involved in photosynthesis is a mystery. Recent research demonstrates that a previously unknown HXK1 nuclear complex controls the expression of specific photosynthetic genes, a process that is independent of glucose metabolism but requires two unexpected partners, VHA-B1 and RPT5B. Both VHA-B1 and RPT5B have well-established and conserved functions in processes that are seemingly unrelated to glucose-dependent regulation of gene expression, and neither of them is a predominantly nuclear protein. Biochemical, genetic, and molecular evidence demonstrates that VHA-B1 and RPT5B directly interact with HXK1 in the nucleus and that the HXK1 complex binds to the cis-acting elements of chlorophyll a/b binding protein 2, a photosynthetic gene that is transcriptionally suppressed by glucose. The identification of the HXK1 nuclear complex reveals an unexpected glucose-signaling mechanism and reinforces the notion that metabolic enzymes can play unique roles in signal transduction by directly controlling gene expression in the nucleus.