title: From Guard to Decoy: a new model for perception of plant pathogen effectors.
abstract: The Guard Model for disease resistance postulates that plant resistance proteins act by monitoring (guarding) the target of their corresponding pathogen effector. We posit, however, that guarded effector targets are evolutionarily unstable in plant populations polymorphic for resistance (R) genes. Depending on the absence or presence of the R gene, guarded effector targets are subject to opposing selection forces (1) to evade manipulation by effectors (weaker interaction) and (2) to improve perception of effectors (stronger interaction). Duplication of the effector target gene or independent evolution of a target mimic could relax evolutionary constraints and result in a decoy that would be solely involved in effector perception. There is growing support for this Decoy Model from four diverse cases of effector perception involving Pto, Bs3, RCR3, and RIN4. We discuss the differences between the Guard and Decoy Models and their variants, hypothesize how decoys might have evolved, and suggest ways to challenge the Decoy Model.
authors: Plant Chemetics Lab, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, 50829 Cologne, Germany. hoorn@mpiz-koeln.mpg.de
authors: Renier A L
authors: RA
authors: van der Hoorn
authors: Sophien
authors: S
authors: Kamoun
mesh_terms: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002963:Cladosporium / Q000502:physiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008954:Models, Biological; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D044224:Pseudomonas syringae / Q000502:physiology; D016959:Xanthomonas campestris / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; C453279:RIN4 protein, Arabidopsis; C084354:Pto protein, Lycopersicon; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases