A specific cellular mechanism regulates the protein balance of plants, thereby influencing how they respond to environmental stress. A particular protein complex plays a key role in that process. It dynamically controls the degradation and recycling of proteins, a discovery made by an international research team led by Dr Markus Wirtz at the Centre for Organismal Studies of Heidelberg University. The investigations provide new insights into how this basic process – known as N-terminal acetylation – maintains the balance in protein turnover, thus contributing to the stability of the plant proteome.