The adaptor protein AP-3β disassembles heat-induced stress granules via 19S regulatory particle in Arabidopsis

To survive under adverse conditions, plants form stress granules (SGs) to temporally store mRNA and halt translation as a primary response. Dysregulation in SG disassembly can have detrimental effects on plant survival after stress release, yet the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Using Arabidopsis as a model system, we demonstrate that the beta subunit of adaptor protein (AP) -3 complex (AP-3 beta) interacts with the SG core RNA-binding proteins Tudor staphylococcal nuclease 1/2 (TSN1/2) both in vitro and in vivo. We also show that AP-3 beta is rapidly recruited to SGs upon heat induction and plays a key role in disassembling SGs during stress recovery. Genetic evidences support that AP-3 beta serves as an adaptor to recruit the 19S regulatory particle (RP) of the proteasome to SGs. Notably, the 19S RP promotes SG disassembly through RP-associated deubiquitylation, independent of its proteolytic activity. This deubiquitylation process of SG components is crucial for translation reinitiation and growth recovery after heat release. Our findings uncover a previously unexplored role of the 19S RP in regulating SG disassembly and highlights the importance of endomembrane proteins in supporting RNA granule dynamics in plants.