What question did this study set out to answer?

The goal is to understand how PgLEA2-50 interacts with other proteins to aid ginseng's resistance to stress.

February 8, 2026Open Access

Deciphering the PgLEA2-50 interactome: implications for abiotic stress responses in Panax ginseng

QWQi WangJilin Medical University JLJinlong LiuJilin Medical University MZMengyang ZhangJilin Agricultural University

Key Points

The goal is to understand how PgLEA2-50 interacts with other proteins to aid ginseng's resistance to stress.
Used immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry (IP-MS) to identify interacting proteins.
Applied bioinformatics to analyze protein networks and stress-related processes.
Conducted molecular interaction assays to study the role of PgLEA2-50 under stress.
Performed transcriptome analysis to assess gene expression changes in response to stress.
PgLEA2-50 interacts with proteins involved in gibberellin (GA) signaling and oxidative stress response.
Interaction with PgRGA4 is confirmed, which is down-regulated under stress conditions.
Transcriptional analysis shows significant responses of interacting targets to abiotic stress.

Abstract

Ginseng's prolonged development renders it susceptible to environmental stresses. Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are essential for plant resistance to abiotic stress. Our previous study demonstrated that PgLEA2-50, a member of the LEA protein family, plays a significant role in stress resistance. In this study, we employed IP-MS, bioinformatics, and molecular interaction assays to investigate the mechanisms underlying its stress resistance. PgLEA2-50 formed complex networks with multiple interacting proteins, which were enriched in stress-related processes such as gibberellin (GA) signal transduction, saponin biosynthesis, and the oxidative stress response. Transcriptome analysis revealed that its interacting targets exhibited significant responses to abiotic stress at the transcriptional level. An investigation of the DELLA protein PgRGA4 showed that it was down-regulated following GA induction, with its transcriptional activity inhibited under stress conditions. PgRGA4 was found to be localized in both the nucleus and cytoplasm, and co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP) confirmed its interaction with PgLEA2-50, suggesting that PgLEA2-50 indirectly regulates GA-mediated stress resistance. This study provides a ginseng-specific case for the role of LEA proteins in stress resistance and identifies a novel gene target for molecular breeding in medicinal plants.

KI fragen

Bookmark

View Full Paper