Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Plant Gene Expression Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #326924

Title: Die another day: molecular mechanisms of effector-triggered immunity elicited by type III secreted effector proteins

Author
item SCHREIBER, KARL - University Of California
item BAUDIN, MAEL - University Of California
item HASSAN, JANA - University Of California
item Lewis, Jennifer

Submitted to: Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2016
Publication Date: 5/9/2016
Citation: Schreiber, K.J., Baudin, M., Hassan, J.A., Lewis, J.D. 2016. Die another day: molecular mechanisms of effector-triggered immunity elicited by type III secreted effector proteins. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology. 56:124-133.

Interpretive Summary: Plant diseases cause substantial crop losses, at a cost of $220 Billion. Pathogens target specific proteins in the host in order to promote bacterial growth. The plant responds by evolving Resistance proteins that recognize pathogen proteins. We analyze well-characterized examples of plant defense responses elicited by bacterial pathogens. This work illustrates the diverse strategies plants use to protect themselves, and can suggest alternate means to protect plants from pathogens.

Technical Abstract: Bacterial pathogens inject type III secreted effector (T3SE) proteins into their hosts where they display dual roles depending on the host genotype. T3SEs promote bacterial virulence in susceptible hosts, and elicit immunity in resistant hosts. T3SEs are typically recognized when they modify a host target that is associated with a NOD-like receptor protein. We focus on the molecular mechanisms of T3SE recognition in plants. Plants guard multiple nodes of the immune signaling pathway, from recognition at the cell surface by receptor-like kinases to nuclear signaling. Some nodes are bacterial virulence targets, while other nodes are decoys that resemble true virulence targets.