Translational Regulation of Metabolic Dynamics during Effector-Triggered Immunity

Recent studies have shown that global translational reprogramming is an early activation event in pattern-triggered immunity,when plants recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns.However,it is not fully known whether translational regulation also occurs in subsequent immune responses,such as effector-triggered immunity(ETI).In this study,we performed genome-wide ribosome profiling in Arabidopsis upon RPS2-mediated ETI activation and discovered that specific groups of genes were translationally regulated,mostly in coordination with transcription.These genes encode enzymes involved in aromatic amino acid,phenylpropanoid,camalexin,and sphingolipid metabolism.The functional significance of these components in ETI was confirmed by genetic and biochemical analyses.Our findings provide new insights into diverse translational regulation of plant immune responses and demonstrate that translational coordination of metabolic gene expression is an important strategy for ETI.

The Magnaporthe oryzae effector Avr-PikD suppresses rice immunity by inhibiting an LSD1-like transcriptional activator

Avirulence effectors(Avrs),encoded by plant pathogens,can be recognized by plants harboring the corresponding resistance proteins,thereby initiating effector-triggered immunity(ETI).In susceptible plants,however,Avrs can function as effectors,facilitating infection via effector-triggered susceptibility(ETS).Mechanisms of Avr-mediated ETS remain largely unexplored.Here we report that the Magnaporthe oryzae effector Avr-PikD enters rice cells via the canonical cytoplasmic secretion pathway and suppresses rice basal defense.Avr-PikD interacts with an LSD1-like transcriptional activator AKIP30 of rice,and AKIP30 is also a positive regulator of rice immunity,whereas Avr-PikD impedes its nuclear localization and suppresses its transcriptional activity.In summary,M.oryzae delivers Avr-PikD into rice cells to facilitate ETS by inhibiting AKIP30-mediated transcriptional regulation of immune response against M.oryzae.

Suppression of ETI by PTI priming to balance plant growth and defense through an MPK3/MPK6-WRKYs-PP2Cs module

Pattern-triggered immunity(PTI)and effector-triggered immunity(ETI)are required for host defense against pathogens.Although PTI and ETI are intimately connected,the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive.In this study,we demonstrate that flg22 priming attenuates Pseudomonas syringae pv.tomato DC3000(Pst)AvrRpt2-induced hypersensitive cell death,resistance,and biomass reduction in Arabidopsis.Mitogen-activated protein kinases(MAPKs)are key signaling regulators of PTI and ETI.The absence of MPK3 and MPK6 significantly reduces pre-PTI-mediated ETI suppression(PES).We found that MPK3/MPK6 interact with and phosphorylate the downstream transcription factor WRKY18,which regulates the expression of AP2C1 and PP2C5,two genes encoding protein phosphatases.Furthermore,we observed that the PTI-suppressed ETI-triggered cell death,MAPK activation,and growth retardation are significantly attenuated in wrky18/40/60 and ap2c1 pp2c5 mutants.Taken together,our results suggest that the MPK3/MPK6-WRKYs-PP2Cs module underlies PES and is essential for the maintenance of plant fitness during ETI.

Plant Immune Mechanisms:From Reductionistic to Holistic Points of View

After three decades of the amazing progress made on molecular studies of plant-microbe interactions(MPMI),we have begun to ask ourselves"what are the major questions still remaining?"as if the puzzle has only a few pieces missing.Such an exercise has ultimately led to the realization that we still have many more questions than answers.Therefore,it would be an impossible task for us to project a coherent"big picture"of the MPMI field in a single review.Instead,we provide our opinions on where we would like to go in our research as an invitation to the community to join us in this exploration of new MPMI frontiers.

A Host KH RNA-Binding Protein Is a Susceptibility Factor Targeted by an RXLR Effector to Promote Late Blight Disease

Plant pathogens deliver effector proteins that alter host processes to create an environment conducive to colonization. Attention has focused on identifying the targets of effectors and how their manipulation facil- itates disease. RXLR effector Pi04089 from the potato blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans accumu- lates in the host nucleus and enhances colonization when transiently expressed in planta. Its nuclear local- ization is required for enhanced P. infestans colonization. Pi04089 interacts in yeast and in planta with a putative potato K-homology （KH） RNA-binding protein, StKRBPI. Co-localization of Pi04089 and StKRBP1, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation between them, indicate they associate at nuclear speckles. StKRBP1 protein levels increased when it was co-expressed with Pi04089. Indeed, such accumu- lation of StKRBP1 was observed also on the first day of leaf colonization by the pathogen. Remarkably, overexpression of StKRBP1 significantly enhances P. infestans infection. Mutation of the nucleotide- binding motif GxxG to GDDG in all three KH domains of StKRBP1 abolishes its interaction with Pi04089, its localization to nuclear speckles, and its increased accumulation when co-expressed with the effector. Moreover, the mutant StKRBP1 protein no longer enhances leaf colonization by P. infestans, implying that nucleotide binding is likely required for this activity. We thus argue that StKRBP1 can be regarded as a sus- ceptibility factor, as its activity is beneficial to the pathogen.

Roles of small RNAs in plant disease resistance

The interaction between plants and pathogens represents a dynamic competition between a robust immune system and efficient infectious strategies. Plant innate immunity is composed of complex and highly regulated molecular networks, which can be triggered by the perception of either conserved or race-specific pathogenic molecular signatures. Small RNAs are emerging as versatile regulators of plant development, growth and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. They act in different tiers of plant immunity, including the pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered and the effector-triggered immunity. On the other hand, pathogens have evolved effector molecules to suppress or hijack the host small RNA pathways. This leads to an arms race between plants and pathogens at the level of small RNA-mediated defense. Here, we review recent advances in small RNA-mediated defense responses and discuss the challenging questions in this area.

The BZR1-EDS1 module regulates plant growth-defense coordination

Plants have developed sophisticated strategies to coordinate growth and immunity,but our understanding of the underlying mechanism remains limited.In this study,we identified a novel molecular module that reg-ulates plant growth and defense in both compatible and incompatible infections.This module consisted of BZR1,a key transcription factor in brassinosteroid(BR)signaling,and EDS1,an essential positive regulator of plant innate immunity.We found that EDS1 interacts with BZR1 and suppresses its transcriptional activ-ities.Consistently,upregulation of EDS1 function by a virulent Pseudomonas syringae strain or salicylic acid treatment inhibited BZR1-regulated expression of BR-responsive genes and BR-promoted growth.Furthermore,we showed that the cytoplasmic fraction of BZR1 positively regulates effector-triggered im-munity(ETI)controlled by the TIR-NB-LRR protein RPS4,which is attenuated by BZR1's nuclear transloca-tion.Mechanistically,cytoplasmic BZR1 facilitated AvrRps4-triggered dissociation of EDS1 and RPS4 by binding to EDS1,thus leading to efficient activation of RPS4-controlled ETI.Notably,transgenic expression of a mutant BZR1 that accumulates exclusively in the cytoplasm improved pathogen resistance without compromising plant growth.Collectively,these results shed new light on plant growth-defense coordina-tion and reveal a previously unknown function for the cytoplasmic fraction of BZR1.The BZR1-EDS1 mod-ule may be harnessed for the simultaneous improvement of crop productivity and pathogen resistance.

Natural Variation in Tomato Reveals Differences in the Recognition of AvrPto and AvrPtoB Effectors from Pseudomonas syringae

The Pto protein kinase from Solanum pimpinellifolium interacts with Pseudomonas syringae effectors AvrPto or AvrPtoB to activate effector-triggered immunity. The previously solved crystal structures of the AvrPto-Pto and AvrPtoB-Pto complexes revealed that Pro binds each effector through both a shared and a unique interface. Hera we use natural variation in wild species of tomato to further investigate Pto recognition of these two effectors. One species, Solanum chmielewskU, was found to have many accessions that recognize only AvrPtoB. The Pto ortholog from one of these accessions was responsible for recognition of AvrPtoB and it differed from Solanum pimpinellifolium Pto by only 14 amino acids, including two in the AvrPto-specific interface, glutamate-49/glycine-51. Converting these two residues to those in Pro （histidine-49/valine-51） did not restore recognition of AvrPto. Subsequent experiments revealed that a single substitution of a histidine-to-aspartate at position 193 in Pto, which is not near the AvrPto- specific interface, was sufficient for conferring recognRion of AvrPto in plant cells. The reciprocal substi- tution of aspartate-to-histidine-193 in Pto abolished AvrPto recognition, confirming the importance of this residue. Our results reveal new aspects about effector recognition by Pto and demonstrate the value of using natural variation to understand the interaction between resistance proteins and pathogen effectors.

Direct acetylation of a conserved threonine of RIN4 by the bacterial effector HopZ5 or AvrBsT activates RPM1-dependent immunity in Arabidopsis

Plant pathogenic bacteria deliver effectors into plant cells to suppress immunity and promote pathogen survival;however, these effectors can be recognised by plant disease resistance (R) proteins to activate innate immunity. The bacterial acetyltransferase effectors HopZ5 and AvrBsT trigger immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes lacking SUPPRESSOR OF AVRBST-ELICITED RESISTANCE 1 (SOBER1). Using an Arabidopsis accession, Tscha-1, that naturally lacks functional SOBER1 but is unable to recognise HopZ5, we demonstrate that RESISTANCE TO P. SYRINGAE PV MACULICOLA 1 (RPM1) and RPM1-INTERACTING PROTEIN 4 (RIN4) are indispensable for HopZ5- or AvrBsT-triggered immunity. Remarkably, T166 of RIN4, the phosphorylation of which is induced by AvrB and AvrRpm1, was directly acetylated by HopZ5 and AvrBsT. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the acetylation of RIN4 T166 is required and sufficient for HopZ5- or AvrBsT-triggered RPM1-dependent defence activation. Finally, we show that SOBER1 interferes with HopZ5- or AvrBsT-triggered immunity by deacetylating RIN4 T166. We have thus elucidated detailed molecular mechanisms underlying the activation and suppression of plant innate immunity triggered by two bacterial acetyltransferases, HopZ5 and AvrBsT from different bacterial pathogens.

Robust transcriptional indicators of immune cell death revealed by spatiotemporal transcriptome analyses

Recognition of a pathogen by the plant immune system often triggers a form of regulated cell death traditionally known as the hypersensitive response(HR).This type of cell death occurs precisely at the site of pathogen recognition,and it is restricted to a few cells.Extensive research has shed light on how plant immune receptors are mechanistically activated.However,two central key questions remain largely unresolved:how does cell death zonation take place,and what are the mechanisms that underpin this phenomenon?Consequently,bona fide transcriptional indicators of HR are lacking,which prevents deeper insight into its mechanisms before cell death becomes macroscopic and precludes early or live observation.In this study,to identify the transcriptional indicators of HR we used the paradigmatic Arabidopsis thaliana–Pseudomonas syringae pathosystem and performed a spatiotemporally resolved gene expression analysis that compared infected cells that will undergo HR upon pathogen recognition with bystander cells that will stay alive and activate immunity.Our data revealed unique and time-dependent differences in the repertoire of differentially expressed genes,expression profiles,and biological processes derived from tissue undergoing HR and that of its surroundings.Furthermore,we generated a pipeline based on concatenated pairwise comparisons between time,zone,and treatment that enabled us to define 13 robust transcriptional HR markers.Among these genes,the promoter of an uncharacterized AAA-ATPase was used to obtain a fluorescent reporter transgenic line that displays a strong spatiotemporally resolved signal specifically in cells that will later undergo pathogen-triggered cell death.This valuable set of genes can be used to define cells that are destined to die upon infection with HR-triggering bacteria,opening new avenues for specific and/or high-throughput techniques to study HR processes at a single-cell level.