Unveiling the novel role of spermidine in leaf senescence: A study of eukaryotic translation factor 5A-independent and dependent mechanisms

Abstract

Senescence is a crucial and highly active process in plants, optimising resource allocation and promoting phenotypic plasticity under restricted conditions. It involves global metabolic reprogramming for the organised disintegration and remobilization of resources. Polyamines (PAs) are polycationic biogenic amines prevalent in all eukaryotes and are necessary for cell survival. The commonly used PAs in plants include putrescine, spermidine, and spermine. Notably, the leaf's expression of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase and spermidine synthase gene family transcripts significantly changes during senescence. This suggests these genes are critical in spermidine metabolism and may condition metabolic reprogramming. One key role of spermidine in eukaryotes is to provide the 4-aminobutyl group for the posttranslational modification of lysine in eukaryotic translation factor 5A (eIF5A). This modification is catalysed by two sequential enzymatic steps leading to the activation of eIF5A by converting lysine to the unusual amino acid hypusine. Although eIF5A is well characterised to be involved in the translation of proline-rich repeat proteins and other hard-to-read motifs, the biological role of eIF5A has recently been clarified only in mammals. It could be better described at the plant functional level. The expression patterns of eIF5A isoforms and genes encoding machinery responsible for hypusination, differ between induced and developmental leaf senescence. In this paper, we summarise the existing knowledge on spermidine-dependent senescence control mechanisms in plants, raising the possibility that spermidine could be an element of a biological switch controlling the onset of a different type of senescence in an eIF5A-independent and dependent manner.