The ERECTA Receptor-Like Kinase Regulates Cell Wall-Mediated Resistance to Pathogens in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Some receptor-like kinases (RLK) control plant development while others regulate immunity. The Arabidopsis ERECTA (ER) RLK regulates both biological processes. To discover specific components of ER-mediated immunity, a genetic screen was conducted to identify suppressors of erecta (ser) susceptibility to Plectosphaerella cucumerina fungus. The ser1 and ser2 mutations restored disease resistance to this pathogen to wild-type levels in the er-1 background but failed to suppress er-associated developmental phenotypes. The deposition of callose upon P. cucumerina inoculation, which was impaired in the er-1 plants, was also restored to near wild-type levels in the ser er-1 mutants. Analyses of er cell walls revealed that total neutral sugars were reduced and uronic acids increased relative to those of wild-type walls. Interestingly, in the ser er-1 walls, neutral sugars were elevated and uronic acids were reduced relative to both er-1 and wild-type plants. The cell-wall changes found in er-1 and the ser er-1 mutants are unlikely to contribute to their developmental alterations. However, they may influence disease resistance, as a positive correlation was found between uronic acids content and resistance to P. cucumerina. We propose a specific function for ER in regulating cell wall-mediated disease resistance that is distinct from its role in development.
Sánchez-Rodríguez
Clara
C
Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (UPM-INIA), Departamento Biotecnología, Campus Montegancedo Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E-28223-Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain.
Estévez
José Manuel
JM
Llorente
Francisco
F
Hernández-Blanco
Camilo
C
Jordá
Lucía
L
Pagán
Israel
I
Berrocal
Marta
M
Marco
Yves
Y
Somerville
Shauna
S
Molina
Antonio
A
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005936:Glucans / Q000378:metabolism; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D020081:Phyllachorales / Q000502:physiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014574:Uronic Acids / Q000378:metabolism
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D005936:Glucans; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D014574:Uronic Acids; C048306:callose; C457763:ER protein, Arabidopsis; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases