Frederikke Gro Malinovsky

The Arabidopsis Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor–Like Kinases BAK1/SERK3 and BKK1/SERK4 Are Required for Innate Immunity to Hemibiotrophic and Biotrophic Pathogens

This work demonstrates that the leucine-rich receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) EFR and FLS2 form a ligand-induced complex with several LRR-RKs that belong to the SERK subfamily. Among these, BAK1 and BKK1 play an important role in responses to EF-Tu, flagellin, and other elicitors of plant defense and are required for full immunity to hemibiotrophic and biotrophic pathogens. Recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) constitutes an important layer of innate immunity in plants. The leucine-rich repeat (LRR) receptor kinases EF-TU RECEPTOR (EFR) and FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2) are the PRRs for the peptide PAMPs elf18 and flg22, which are derived from bacterial EF-Tu and flagellin, respectively. Using coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analyses, we demonstrated that EFR and FLS2 undergo ligand-induced heteromerization in planta with several LRR receptor-like kinases that belong to the SOMATIC-EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE (SERK) family, including BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-ASSOCIATED KINASE1/SERK3 (BAK1/SERK3) and BAK1-LIKE1/SERK4 (BKK1/SERK4). Using a novel bak1 allele that does not exhibit pleiotropic defects in brassinosteroid and cell death responses, we determined that BAK1 and BKK1 cooperate genetically to achieve full signaling capability in response to elf18 and flg22 and to the damage-associated molecular pattern AtPep1. Furthermore, we demonstrated that BAK1 and BKK1 contribute to disease resistance against the hemibiotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae and the obligate biotrophic oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. Our work reveals that the establishment of PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) relies on the rapid ligand-induced recruitment of multiple SERKs within PRR complexes and provides insight into the early PTI signaling events underlying this important layer of plant innate immunity.

The role of the cell wall in plant immunity.

The battle between plants and microbes is evolutionarily ancient, highly complex, and often co-dependent. A primary challenge for microbes is to breach the physical barrier of host cell walls whilst avoiding detection by the plant’s immune receptors. While some receptors sense conserved microbial features, others monitor physical changes caused by an infection attempt. Detection of microbes leads to activation of appropriate defense responses that then challenge the attack. Plant cell walls are formidable and dynamic barriers. They are constructed primarily of complex carbohydrates joined by numerous distinct connection types, and are subject to extensive post-synthetic modification to suit prevailing local requirements. Multiple changes can be triggered in cell walls in response to microbial attack. Some of these are well described, but many remain obscure. The study of the myriad of subtle processes underlying cell wall modification poses special challenges for plant glycobiology. In this review we describe the major molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the roles of cell walls in plant defense against pathogen attack. In so doing, we also highlight some of the challenges inherent in studying these interactions, and briefly describe the analytical potential of molecular probes used in conjunction with carbohydrate microarray technology.

Autoimmunity in Arabidopsis acd11 is mediated by epigenetic regulation of an immune receptor.

Certain pathogens deliver effectors into plant cells to modify host protein targets and thereby suppress immunity. These target modifications can be detected by intracellular immune receptors, or Resistance (R) proteins, that trigger strong immune responses including localized host cell death. The accelerated cell death 11 (acd11) “lesion mimic” mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana exhibits autoimmune phenotypes such as constitutive defense responses and cell death without pathogen perception. ACD11 encodes a putative sphingosine transfer protein, but its precise role during these processes is unknown. In a screen for lazarus (laz) mutants that suppress acd11 death we identified two genes, LAZ2 and LAZ5. LAZ2 encodes the histone lysine methyltransferase SDG8, previously shown to epigenetically regulate flowering time via modification of histone 3 (H3). LAZ5 encodes an RPS4-like R-protein, defined by several dominant negative alleles. Microarray and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses showed that LAZ2/SDG8 is required for LAZ5 expression and H3 lysine 36 trimethylation at LAZ5 chromatin to maintain a transcriptionally active state. We hypothesize that LAZ5 triggers cell death in the absence of ACD11, and that cell death in other lesion mimic mutants may also be caused by inappropriate activation of R genes. Moreover, SDG8 is required for basal and R protein-mediated pathogen resistance in Arabidopsis, revealing the importance of chromatin remodeling as a key process in plant innate immunity.

The Role of Salicylic Acid in the Induction of Cell Death in Arabidopsis acd11

Salicylic acid (SA) is implicated in the induction of programmed cell death (PCD) associated with pathogen defense responses because SA levels increase in response to PCD-inducing infections, and PCD development can be inhibited by expression of salicylate hydroxylase encoded by the bacterial nahG gene. The acd11 mutant of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L. Heynh.) activates PCD and defense responses that are fully suppressed by nahG. To further study the role of SA in PCD induction, we compared phenotypes of acd11/nahG with those of acd11/eds5-1 and acd11/sid2-2 mutants deficient in a putative transporter and isochorismate synthase required for SA biosynthesis. We show that sid2-2 fully suppresses SA accumulation and cell death in acd11, although growth inhibition and premature leaf chlorosis still occur. In addition, application of exogenous SA to acd11/sid2-2 is insufficient to restore cell death. This indicates that isochorismate-derived compounds other than SA are required for induction of PCD in acd11 and that some acd11 phenotypes require NahG-degradable compounds not synthesized via isochorismate.

A bacterial tyrosine phosphatase inhibits plant pattern recognition receptor activation

Move and Countermove Receptors on plant cell surfaces are tuned to recognize molecular patterns associated with pathogenic bacteria. Macho et al. (p. 1509; published online 13 March) found that activation of one of these receptors in Arabidopsis results in phosphorylation of a specific tyrosine residue, which in turn triggers the plants immune response to the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae. P. syringae counters by secreting a specifically targeted phosphatase, thus stalling the plants immune response. A plant pathogen and its host compete for control over a key phosphorylation site in an innate immune receptor. Innate immunity relies on the perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) located on the host cell’s surface. Many plant PRRs are kinases. Here, we report that the Arabidopsis receptor kinase EF-TU RECEPTOR (EFR), which perceives the elf18 peptide derived from bacterial elongation factor Tu, is activated upon ligand binding by phosphorylation on its tyrosine residues. Phosphorylation of a single tyrosine residue, Y836, is required for activation of EFR and downstream immunity to the phytopathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. A tyrosine phosphatase, HopAO1, secreted by P. syringae, reduces EFR phosphorylation and prevents subsequent immune responses. Thus, host and pathogen compete to take control of PRR tyrosine phosphorylation used to initiate antibacterial immunity.

Antagonistic Regulation of Growth and Immunity by the Arabidopsis Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor HOMOLOG OF BRASSINOSTEROID ENHANCED EXPRESSION2 INTERACTING WITH INCREASED LEAF INCLINATION1 BINDING bHLH1

A basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor antagonistically regulates growth and immunity. Plants need to finely balance resources allocated to growth and immunity to achieve optimal fitness. A tradeoff between pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) and brassinosteroid (BR)-mediated growth was recently reported, but more information about the underlying mechanisms is needed. Here, we identify the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor HOMOLOG OF BRASSINOSTEROID ENHANCED EXPRESSION2 INTERACTING WITH IBH1 (HBI1) as a negative regulator of PTI signaling in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). HBI1 expression is down-regulated in response to different PAMPs. HBI1 overexpression leads to reduced PAMP-triggered responses. This inhibition correlates with reduced steady-state expression of immune marker genes, leading to increased susceptibility to the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. Overexpression of the HBI1-related bHLHs BRASSINOSTEROID ENHANCED EXPRESSION2 (BEE2) and CRYPTOCHROME-INTERACTING bHLH (CIB1) partially inhibits immunity, indicating that BEE2 and CIB1 may act redundantly with HBI1. In contrast to its expression pattern upon PAMP treatment, HBI1 expression is enhanced by BR treatment. Also, HBI1-overexpressing plants are hyperresponsive to BR and more resistant to the BR biosynthetic inhibitor brassinazole. HBI1 is nucleus localized, and a mutation in a conserved leucine residue within the first helix of the protein interaction domain impairs its function in BR signaling. Interestingly, HBI1 interacts with several inhibitory atypical bHLHs, which likely keep HBI1 under negative control. Hence, HBI1 is a positive regulator of BR-triggered responses, and the negative effect of PTI is likely due to the antagonism between BR and PTI signaling. This study identifies a novel component involved in the complex tradeoff between innate immunity and BR-regulated growth.

Understanding CrRLK1L Function: Cell Walls and Growth Control

To develop successfully in an ever-changing environment, it is essential for plants to monitor and control their growth. Therefore, cell expansion is carefully regulated to establish correct cell shape and size. In this review, we explore the role of the Catharanthus roseus receptor-like kinase (CrRLK1L) subfamily as regulators of cell expansion. Recently, the downstream signalling events of individual CrRLK1L pathways were discovered, implicating known modulators of cell expansion, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, Ca(2+) dynamics, and exocytosis of cell wall material. Based on these intriguing new insights, we propose a model for a common pathway of CrRLK1L signalling that enables spatial and temporal control of cell wall extensibility throughout the plant.

Retromer Contributes to Immunity-Associated Cell Death in Arabidopsis

Loss of Arabidopsis retromer subunits suppresses immune receptor-mediated cell death and affects autophagy-related vacuolar processes, thus implicating retromer trafficking in cell death regulation. Membrane trafficking is required during plant immune responses, but its contribution to the hypersensitive response (HR), a form of programmed cell death (PCD) associated with effector-triggered immunity, is not well understood. HR is induced by nucleotide binding-leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) immune receptors and can involve vacuole-mediated processes, including autophagy. We previously isolated lazarus (laz) suppressors of autoimmunity-triggered PCD in the Arabidopsis thaliana mutant accelerated cell death11 (acd11) and demonstrated that the cell death phenotype is due to ectopic activation of the LAZ5 NB-LRR. We report here that laz4 is mutated in one of three VACUOLAR PROTEIN SORTING35 (VPS35) genes. We verify that LAZ4/VPS35B is part of the retromer complex, which functions in endosomal protein sorting and vacuolar trafficking. We show that VPS35B acts in an endosomal trafficking pathway and plays a role in LAZ5-dependent acd11 cell death. Furthermore, we find that VPS35 homologs contribute to certain forms of NB-LRR protein-mediated autoimmunity as well as pathogen-triggered HR. Finally, we demonstrate that retromer deficiency causes defects in late endocytic/lytic compartments and impairs autophagy-associated vacuolar processes. Our findings indicate important roles of retromer-mediated trafficking during the HR; these may include endosomal sorting of immune components and targeting of vacuolar cargo.

Tracking developmentally regulated post-synthetic processing of homogalacturonan and chitin using reciprocal oligosaccharide probes

Polysaccharides are major components of extracellular matrices and are often extensively modified post-synthetically to suit local requirements and developmental programmes. However, our current understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics and functional significance of these modifications is limited by a lack of suitable molecular tools. Here, we report the development of a novel non-immunological approach for producing highly selective reciprocal oligosaccharide-based probes for chitosan (the product of chitin deacetylation) and for demethylesterified homogalacturonan. Specific reciprocal binding is mediated by the unique stereochemical arrangement of oppositely charged amino and carboxy groups. Conjugation of oligosaccharides to fluorophores or gold nanoparticles enables direct and rapid imaging of homogalacturonan and chitosan with unprecedented precision in diverse plant, fungal and animal systems. We demonstrated their potential for providing new biological insights by using them to study homogalacturonan processing during Arabidopsis thaliana root cap development and by analyzing sites of chitosan deposition in fungal cell walls and arthropod exoskeletons.

Specialized roles of the conserved subunit OST3/6 of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex in innate immunity and tolerance to abiotic stresses

A subunit of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex is important for efficient glycosylation of specific glycoproteins, including the receptor kinase EFR involved in innate immunity and the endo-β-1,4-glucanase KORRIGAN1 required for cellulose biosynthesis. Asparagine-linked glycosylation of proteins is an essential cotranslational and posttranslational protein modification in plants. The central step in this process is the transfer of a preassembled oligosaccharide to nascent proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum by the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) complex. Despite the importance of the catalyzed reaction, the composition and the function of individual OST subunits are still ill defined in plants. Here, we report the function of the highly conserved OST subunit OST3/6. We have identified a mutant in the OST3/6 gene that causes overall underglycosylation of proteins and affects the biogenesis of the receptor kinase EF-TU RECEPTOR involved in innate immunity and the endo-β-1,4-glucanase KORRIGAN1 required for cellulose biosynthesis. Notably, the ost3/6 mutation does not affect mutant variants of the receptor kinase BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1. OST3/6 deficiency results in activation of the unfolded protein response and causes hypersensitivity to salt/osmotic stress and to the glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin. Consistent with its role in protein glycosylation, OST3/6 resides in the endoplasmic reticulum and interacts with other subunits of the OST complex. Together, our findings reveal the importance of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) OST3/6 for the efficient glycosylation of specific glycoproteins involved in different physiological processes and shed light on the composition and function of the plant OST complex.