Jasmonate Signaling Enhances Submergence Tolerance by Stabilizing ERF-VII Transcription Factor RAP2.12 in Arabidopsis

Jasmonate Signaling Enhances Submergence Tolerance by Stabilizing ERF-VII Transcription Factor RAP2.12 in Arabidopsis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Jasmonate Signaling Enhances Submergence Tolerance by Stabilizing ERF-VII Transcription Factor RAP2.12 in Arabidopsis Shi Xiao, Weicheng Wang, Lin-Na Wang, Rui Li, Yongfang Yang, Ying Zhou, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9376873/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Submergence, which creates a hypoxic environment around plants, is a major abiotic stress that significantly reduces crop productivity worldwide. Although ERF-VII transcription factors are established as central regulators of plant responses to hypoxia and submergence, the role of upstream phytohormone signaling in hypoxia tolerance remains largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that jasmonate (JA) acts as a critical positive regulator of hypoxia and submergence resistance in Arabidopsis by inhibiting the degradation of the ERF-VII transcription factor RAP2.12. To elucidate the mechanism by which JA signaling inhibits RAP2.12 degradation, we found that MYC2, a master transcription factor downstream of JA signaling, interacts with and stabilizes RAP2.12, thereby promoting the expression of downstream hypoxia-responsive genes to enhance plant survival under submergence. Our findings provide new insights into the regulation of submergence tolerance by phytohormones and expand the classical role of MYC2 beyond transcriptional regulation, introducing a new perspective on its function in the post-translational regulation of target proteins. Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant hormones/Jasmonic acid Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant stress responses/Flooding Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant molecular biology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTable1PrimersUsedinThisResearch.xlsx Supplementary Table 1 SupplementaryJARAP2.1220260410.pdf Supplementary figures Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9376873","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":631691354,"identity":"fdab4125-ce91-4660-a881-281c9c58007d","order_by":0,"name":"Shi Xiao","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZiBmbJCw4wfSBx7ARHmI0JIs2QDUkkCUFgawFgbGDQeADKK0GBxnfvjw5w4LZuNrhx8CbalLnD8jgfHB2zYGeXMcWiSb2YyNec9I8JndTjMAajmcuOFGArPh3DYGw50N2LXwMzOYSTO2STCb3U4AaTmQuEEigU2at40ByMWuhY2Z/ZvkzzYJxs2z0z/AHMb+G58WfmYeMwleoJYN0jkgW5gTG24ksDHj0yLZzFNsDNSSLHE7p+BAgsFh4w1nHjZLzjknYbgBhxaD88c3PvzZVmfHPzt984cPFXWy89uTD354U2Yjj8sWdBMYHBtA0cTAIEGUejCwJ17pKBgFo2AUjBQAADxdWgBuzn6uAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6632-8952","institution":"Sun Yat-sen University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shi","middleName":"","lastName":"Xiao","suffix":""},{"id":631691355,"identity":"ab468b18-a443-4aa6-855d-b313c23416e5","order_by":1,"name":"Weicheng Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tsinghua University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Weicheng","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":631691356,"identity":"899a5a52-406e-4e41-a84b-57b7b08c9242","order_by":2,"name":"Lin-Na Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sun Yat-sen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lin-Na","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":631691357,"identity":"66bd393b-e36e-407e-9d7f-604b54ae4fbf","order_by":3,"name":"Rui Li","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8041-7135","institution":"Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rui","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":631691358,"identity":"9a537c34-251b-48f8-b9ca-d72782a92013","order_by":4,"name":"Yongfang Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yongfang","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":631691359,"identity":"03ee6381-fb7e-4ca3-bf23-70c7dc444062","order_by":5,"name":"Ying Zhou","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sun Yat-sen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ying","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhou","suffix":""},{"id":631691362,"identity":"29fcf51f-b9aa-496e-a917-b4a30c52825b","order_by":6,"name":"Xiaoyi Shan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tsinghua University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xiaoyi","middleName":"","lastName":"Shan","suffix":""},{"id":631691368,"identity":"36e53915-816b-4dfc-87c6-4acad1021fdb","order_by":7,"name":"Daoxin Xie","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0493-4295","institution":"Tsinghua University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Daoxin","middleName":"","lastName":"Xie","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-10 08:44:36","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9376873/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9376873/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108183533,"identity":"5b6e79ae-2a0c-425e-97d1-0e22d244729d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-30 09:01:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1879009,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"MSJARAP2.1220260410.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9376873/v1_covered_949380d5-7025-42ae-b581-962b772d6fc8.pdf"},{"id":108162126,"identity":"dfa6deab-ad4c-42c1-a1af-751254f6cf55","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-30 04:36:05","extension":"xlsx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":11097,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Supplementary Table 1","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryTable1PrimersUsedinThisResearch.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9376873/v1/a56489a3a459f3bed43951be.xlsx"},{"id":108182965,"identity":"afd4beb4-de61-4be6-bbb1-85ef30200f3b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-30 08:59:43","extension":"pdf","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":1387772,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Supplementary figures","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryJARAP2.1220260410.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9376873/v1/4a4d7f320614227ce239eefe.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Jasmonate Signaling Enhances Submergence Tolerance by Stabilizing ERF-VII Transcription Factor RAP2.12 in Arabidopsis","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9376873/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9376873/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Submergence, which creates a hypoxic environment around plants, is a major abiotic stress that significantly reduces crop productivity worldwide. Although ERF-VII transcription factors are established as central regulators of plant responses to hypoxia and submergence, the role of upstream phytohormone signaling in hypoxia tolerance remains largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that jasmonate (JA) acts as a critical positive regulator of hypoxia and submergence resistance in Arabidopsis by inhibiting the degradation of the ERF-VII transcription factor RAP2.12. To elucidate the mechanism by which JA signaling inhibits RAP2.12 degradation, we found that MYC2, a master transcription factor downstream of JA signaling, interacts with and stabilizes RAP2.12, thereby promoting the expression of downstream hypoxia-responsive genes to enhance plant survival under submergence. Our findings provide new insights into the regulation of submergence tolerance by phytohormones and expand the classical role of MYC2 beyond transcriptional regulation, introducing a new perspective on its function in the post-translational regulation of target proteins.","manuscriptTitle":"Jasmonate Signaling Enhances Submergence Tolerance by Stabilizing ERF-VII Transcription Factor RAP2.12 in Arabidopsis","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-30 04:36:00","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9376873/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-communications","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"NCOMMS","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature Communications](http://www.nature.com/ncomms/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://mts-ncomms.nature.com/","title":"Nature Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature Communications","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"df862e40-8eaa-4a65-9f62-72d4bab8cef2","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 30th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"This content is not available.","date":"2026-05-08T09:57:19+00:00","index":3,"fulltext":"This content is not available."},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"This content is not available.","date":"2026-04-30T10:16:19+00:00","index":1,"fulltext":"This content is not available."},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"This content is not available.","date":"2026-04-29T20:10:35+00:00","index":2,"fulltext":"This content is not available."},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"This content is not available.","date":"2026-04-29T11:07:23+00:00","index":1,"fulltext":"This content is not available."},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"7","date":"2026-04-29T10:37:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":67237386,"name":"Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant hormones/Jasmonic acid"},{"id":67237387,"name":"Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant stress responses/Flooding"},{"id":67237388,"name":"Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant molecular biology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-30T04:36:00+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-30 04:36:00","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9376873","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9376873","identity":"rs-9376873","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}