Switching the hypoxic response on and off in plants.

Oxygen sensing in plants is switched by PCO-controlled degradation of ERF-VII group VII transcription factors, with reoxygenation restoring PCO activity but delaying ERF-VII turnover.

• Why it matters: Low oxygen disrupts mitochondrial respiration and plant growth, and oxygen sensing must coordinate adaptation with development and plant–microbe interactions.
• What they did: The N-degron pathway uses plant cysteine oxidases (PCOs) to oxidize ERF-VIIs for degradation in normoxia, while hypoxia lowers PCO activity to stabilize ERF-VIIs and activate hypoxia-responsive gene transcription.
• The result: Reoxygenation reactivates PCOs and suppresses ERF-VII activity, with delayed degradation possibly linked to reactive oxygen species inhibiting PCO function, alongside modulation by factors like MBR1/MED25, phosphorylation, and energy–oxygen integration.

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