title: Emerging role for RNA-based regulation in plant immunity.
abstract: Infection by phytopathogenic bacteria triggers massive changes in plant gene expression, which are thought to be mostly a result of transcriptional reprogramming. However, evidence is accumulating that plants additionally use post-transcriptional regulation of immune-responsive mRNAs as a strategic weapon to shape the defense-related transcriptome. Cellular RNA-binding proteins regulate RNA stability, splicing or mRNA export of immune-response transcripts. In particular, mutants defective in alternative splicing of resistance genes exhibit compromised disease resistance. Furthermore, detection of bacterial pathogens induces the differential expression of small non-coding RNAs including microRNAs that impact the host defense transcriptome. Phytopathogenic bacteria in turn have evolved effector proteins to inhibit biogenesis and/or activity of cellular microRNAs. Whereas RNA silencing has long been known as an antiviral defense response, recent findings also reveal a major role of this process in antibacterial defense. Here we review the function of RNA-binding proteins and small RNA-directed post-transcriptional regulation in antibacterial defense. We mainly focus on studies that used the model system Arabidopsis thaliana and also discuss selected examples from other plants.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Cell Physiology, Bielefeld University, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany.|Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, CeBiTec, Bielefeld University, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Dorothee
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Staiger
authors.affiliation: Molecular Cell Physiology, Bielefeld University, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany.|Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, CeBiTec, Bielefeld University, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Christin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Korneli
authors.affiliation: Molecular Cell Physiology, Bielefeld University, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany.|Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, CeBiTec, Bielefeld University, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lummer
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie de L'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), 46 Rue d'Ulm, 75230, Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Navarro
mesh_terms: D020868:Gene Silencing; D057865:Plant Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D012326:RNA Splicing / Q000235:genetics; D020871:RNA Stability / Q000235:genetics; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018749:RNA, Plant; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins