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Plant pathogens

Coordinated defence

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 3, page 584 (2005)Cite this article

Innate immune systems in plants and animals detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which are pathogen-specific molecules such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide. In animals, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) detect PAMPs, whereas in plants, the innate immune response (basal defence) is mediated by PAMP receptors. Following PAMP detection, receptors activate signalling pathways that effect defence responses.

A second system in plants recognizes bacterial virulence factors (type III effectors) that are injected into plant cells by the type III secretion system. When a resistance (R) protein that recognizes a specific type III effector is present, a defence response that includes cell death, named the hypersensitive response (HR), occurs and the type III effector is known as an avirulence protein (Avr). If the R protein is absent, there is no HR and the type III effector mediates its virulence function. Some R proteins recognize interactions between type III effectors and cellular proteins instead of interacting with the type III effector. Such R proteins 'guard' the cellular protein that is targeted by the type III effector — the basis of the guard hypothesis.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Kim, M. G. et al. Two Pseudomonas syringae type III effectors inhibit RIN4-regulated basal defense in Arabidopsis. Cell 121, 749–759 (2005)

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Authors
  1. Susan Jones
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Jones, S. Coordinated defence. Nat Rev Microbiol 3, 584 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1222

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1222

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