The Arabidopsis polyadenylation factor subunit CPSF30 as conceptual link between mRNA polyadenylation and cellular signaling

•The Arabidopsis CPSF30 is regulated by calmodulin and by disulfide remodeling.•The Arabidopsis CPSF30 controls the usage of thousands of poly(A) sites.•This protein thus provides a conceptual link between polyadenylation and signaling.

Alternative polyadenylation plays important roles in growth processes in plants. Although the scope and significance of the phenomenon have been described to considerable extent, the mechanisms that govern differential poly(A) site selection remain active areas of investigation. Of particular interest are the means by which the factors that control differential poly(A) site choice are themselves activated and inhibited. In this review, the case is made that one particular Arabidopsis polyadenylation factor subunit, termed AtCPSF30, stands out as a conceptual link between cellular signaling pathways and differential poly(A) site choice.