TY  - EJOU
AU  - Xu, Shi 
AU  - Sun, Jingjing 
AU  - Ji, ayi 
AU  - Huang, Junhao 
AU  - Zhu, Yiyong 
AU  - Ding, Haidong 
AU  - Ding, Ming 

TI  - Heavy Metal-Associated Isoprenylated Plant Proteins (HIPPs): Multifunctional Regulators of Metal Homeostasis, Abiotic/Biotic Stress Responses, and Plant Development
T2  - Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany

PY  - 2026
VL  - 95
IS  - 7
SN  - 1851-5657

AB  - Heavy metal-associated isoprenylated plant proteins (HIPPs) are a class of vascular plant specific metallochaperones, characterized by the presence of one or two N-terminal heavy metal-associated (HMA) domains and a C-terminal isoprenylation motif (CaaX). The HMA domain contains a conserved CysXXCys motif that is responsible for binding transition metals such as Cd<sup>2</sup><sup>+</sup>, Cu<sup>2</sup><sup>+</sup>, Zn<sup>2</sup><sup>+</sup> and Pb<sup>2</sup><sup>+</sup>. The CaaX motif modulates post-translational prenylation that anchors HIPPs to membranes and facilitates protein-protein interactions. This review systematically summarizes the structural features and multifaceted functions of HIPPs in plants. Beyond their well known function in heavy metal detoxification, HIPPs are more recently recognized as key regulators of abiotic stress responses, including drought, cold, and salinity, and biotic stress resistance via interactions with pathogen effectors. Moreover, HIPPs also participate in plant growth and development and in hormone signaling, including the cytokinin and abscisic acid (ABA) pathways. Translating this knowledge holds great promise for developing stress-tolerant crop varieties, breeding low-cadmium crops, and advancing phytoremediation technologies.
KW  - HIPP; biotic stress; abiotic stress; plant development; heavy metal

DO  - 10.32604/phyton.2026.086430