C-terminal armadillo repeats are essential and sufficient for association of the plant U-box armadillo E3 ubiquitin ligase SAUL1 with the plasma membrane

Ubiquitination plays important roles in plant growth and development. Whereas ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation and modulation in the cytoplasm and nucleus are well established in plants, ubiquitination events mediated by E3 ubiquitin ligases at the plasma membrane are largely unknown. Here, it is demonstrated that the suppressor of premature senescence and cell death SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED UBIQUITIN LIGASE 1 (SAUL1), a plant U-box armadillo repeat (PUB-ARM) E3 ubiquitin ligase, localizes at the plasma membrane. Among the members of the PUB-ARM protein family, this localization is unique to SAUL1 and its two closest homologues. A novel armadillo repeat domain was identified at the SAUL1 C-terminus that directs specific association with the plasma membrane and is crucial for SAUL1 function in vivo. The data suggest that a small subgroup of PUB-ARM proteins including SAUL1 have functions at the plasma membrane probably by modifying target proteins by ubiquitination.