A Pseudomonas syringae effector inactivates MAPKs to suppress PAMP-induced immunity in plants.
Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) elicit basal defense responses in plants, and, in turn, pathogens have evolved mechanisms to overcome these PAMP-induced defenses. To suppress immunity, the phytopathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae secretes effector proteins, the biochemical function and virulence targets of which remain largely unknown. We show that HopAI1, an effector widely conserved in both plant and animal bacterial pathogens, inhibits the Arabidopsis mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activated by exposure to PAMPs. HopAI1 inactivates MAPKs by removing the phosphate group from phosphothreonine through a unique phosphothreonine lyase activity, which is required for HopAI1 function. The inhibition of MAPKs by HopA1 suppresses two independent downstream events, namely the reinforcement of cell wall defense and transcriptional activation of PAMP response genes. The MAPKs MPK3 and MPK6 physically interact with HopAI1 indicating that they are direct targets of HopAI1. These findings uncover a mechanism by which Pseudomonas syringae overcomes host innate immunity to promote pathogenesis.
Zhang
Jie
J
National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
Shao
Feng
F
Li
Yan
Y
Cui
Haitao
H
Chen
Linjie
L
Li
Hongtao
H
Zou
Yan
Y
Long
Chengzu
C
Lan
Lefu
L
Chai
Jijie
J
Chen
She
S
Tang
Xiaoyan
X
Zhou
Jian-Min
JM
D017360:Arabidopsis; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D010769:Phosphothreonine / Q000378:metabolism; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D044224:Pseudomonas syringae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors; D010769:Phosphothreonine; D010758:Phosphorus; C458516:AtMPK3 protein, Arabidopsis; C436293:MPK6 protein, Arabidopsis; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases