Signaling control of SOS1 mRNA stability.

Regulation of mRNA decay rates appears to be an important control point in determining the abundance of gene transcripts. Rapid change in decay rates of mRNAs could provide prompt responses of the plants to environmental fluctuations. SOS1 is a plasma-membrane Na(+)/H(+) antiporter crucial for salt tolerance in Arabidopsis. In our recent paper in The Plant Journal, we have shown that SOS1 mRNA is inherently instable at normal growth conditions, but its stability is substantially elevated by salt and oxidative stress treatments. Salt stress-induced SOS1 mRNA stability is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced, at least in part, through NADPH oxidases. We proposed a hypothetical model for the signaling pathway controlling SOS1 mRNA stability. In this addendum, we discuss the possible involvement of other components in conferring inherent instability and stress-induced stability of SOS1 mRNA.