Jasmonate Signaling Enhances Submergence Tolerance by Stabilizing ERF-VII Transcription Factor RAP2.12 in Arabidopsis

Submergence, which creates a hypoxic environment around plants, is a major abiotic stress that significantly reduces crop productivity worldwide. Although ERF-VII transcription factors are established as central regulators of plant responses to hypoxia and submergence, the role of upstream phytohormone signaling in hypoxia tolerance remains largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that jasmonate (JA) acts as a critical positive regulator of hypoxia and submergence resistance in Arabidopsis by inhibiting the degradation of the ERF-VII transcription factor RAP2.12. To elucidate the mechanism by which JA signaling inhibits RAP2.12 degradation, we found that MYC2, a master transcription factor downstream of JA signaling, interacts with and stabilizes RAP2.12, thereby promoting the expression of downstream hypoxia-responsive genes to enhance plant survival under submergence. Our findings provide new insights into the regulation of submergence tolerance by phytohormones and expand the classical role of MYC2 beyond transcriptional regulation, introducing a new perspective on its function in the post-translational regulation of target proteins.