JA-INDUCIBLE MYC2-LIKE1 acts as a repressor and negatively regulates jasmonate signaling in Arabidopsis. Arabidopsis thaliana

Jasmonate (JA) is a plant hormone that controls trade-offs between plant growth and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Although recent studies uncover core mechanism for JA-induced responses in Arabidopsis thaliana, it remains elusive how plants attenuate those responses. We report here that a basic-helix-loop-helix type transcription factor named JA-INDUCIBLE MYC2-LIKE1 (JAM1) acts as a transcriptional repressor and negatively regulates JA signaling. Arabidopsis plants expressing the chimeric repressor for JAM1 exhibited a substantial reduction of JA responses, including JA-induced inhibition of root growth, accumulation of anthocyanin, and male fertility. These plants were also compromised in resistance to attack by Spodoptera exigua. Conversely, jam1-4 loss-of-function mutants showed enhanced JA responsiveness, including increased resistance to the insect attack. Competitive binding of JAM1 and MYC2 to the target sequence of MYC2 suggested negative regulation of JA signaling by JAM1 and suppression of MYC2 function. These results indicate that JAM1 plays a pivotal role in fine-tuning of JA-mediated stress responses and plant growth by negatively regulating JA signaling. Overall design: Transcriptomes of ProJAM1:JAM1-SRDX, ProMYC2:MYC2-SRDX and wild-type Arabidopsis seedlings with or without jasmonic acid were compared.