AtPPRT1, an E3 Ubiquitin Ligase, Enhances the Thermotolerance in Arabidopsis

E3 ubiquitin ligase plays a vital role in the ubiquitin-mediated heat-related protein degradation pathway. Herein, we report that the expression of AtPPRT1, a C3HC4 zinc-finger ubiquitin E3 ligase gene, was induced by heat stress, and the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene driven by the AtPPRT1 promoter has shown increased activity after basal and acquired thermotolerance. To further explore the function of AtPPRT1 in heat stress response (HSR), we used the atpprt1 mutant and AtPPRT1-overexpressing lines (OE2 and OE10) to expose in heat shock. In this study, the atpprt1 mutant had a lower germination and survival rate than those of Col-0 when suffered from the heat stress, whereas OEs enhanced basal and acquired thermotolerance in Arabidopsis seedlings. When compared to Col-0 and OEs, loss-of-function in AtPPRT1 resulted in lower chlorophyll retention and higher content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after heat treatment. Moreover, the transcript levels of AtPPRT1 and several heat-related genes (AtZAT12, AtHSP21 and AtHSFA7a) were upregulated to greater extents in OEs and lower extents in atpprt1 compared to Col-0 after heat treated. Hence, we suggest that AtPPRT1 may act as a positive role in regulating the high temperature by mediating the degradation of unknown target proteins.