CaSAP8-CaDSK2a Negative Feedback Loop Modulates Pepper Thermotolerance by Integrating Transcriptional Repression and Protein Degradation.

CaSAP8 and CaDSK2a form a negative feedback loop that dynamically regulates thermotolerance in pepper, with CaSAP8 enhancing and CaDSK2a attenuating heat stress responses.

• Why it matters: Understanding how plants balance stress signaling and proteostasis is crucial for improving crop resilience to heat stress, which threatens global food security.
• What they did: The study used yeast two-hybrid screening, in planta assays, and genetic analyses to demonstrate that CaSAP8 positively regulates thermotolerance, while CaDSK2a promotes its degradation, forming a feedback loop.
• The result: This regulatory module offers new insights into plant thermotolerance mechanisms, enabling targeted strategies to enhance crop resilience by manipulating transcriptional and protein degradation pathways.