title: Alternative splicing of transcripts encoding Toll-like plant resistance proteins - what's the functional relevance to innate immunity?
abstract: Innate immunity in plants and animals shares many structural and functional homologies, which suggests an ancient origin of cellular defense mechanisms in both kingdoms. Pathogen sensing in animal innate immunity is mediated by Toll-like receptors (TLRs). These receptors have TIR (Toll/interleukin-1 receptor) domains and leucine-rich repeats, which are modules also present in many plant resistance (R) proteins. Molecular analysis of transcripts encoding animal TLRs and Toll-like plant R proteins revealed many cases of alternative splicing. Recent studies of the tobacco N and the Arabidopsis RPS4 genes, both encoding Toll-like plant R proteins, showed that intron-deprived genes have reduced or no activity, suggesting that alternative splicing is a crucial component in these signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics, Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle-Wittenberg, 06099 Halle, Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schornack
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lahaye
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019597:Flax / Q000235:genetics; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000235:genetics; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C095731:L6 protein, Linum usitatissimum; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C089425:N protein, Nicotiana glutinosa; D010940:Plant Proteins; C107295:RPP5 protein, Arabidopsis; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors