title: The phylogenetically-related pattern recognition receptors EFR and XA21 recruit similar immune signaling components in monocots and dicots.
abstract: During plant immunity, surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The transfer of PRRs between plant species is a promising strategy for engineering broad-spectrum disease resistance. Thus, there is a great interest in understanding the mechanisms of PRR-mediated resistance across different plant species. Two well-characterized plant PRRs are the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) EFR and XA21 from Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) and rice, respectively. Interestingly, despite being evolutionary distant, EFR and XA21 are phylogenetically closely related and are both members of the sub-family XII of LRR-RKs that contains numerous potential PRRs. Here, we compared the ability of these related PRRs to engage immune signaling across the monocots-dicots taxonomic divide. Using chimera between Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21, we show that the kinase domain of the rice XA21 is functional in triggering elf18-induced signaling and quantitative immunity to the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the EFR:XA21 chimera associates dynamically in a ligand-dependent manner with known components of the EFR complex. Conversely, EFR associates with Arabidopsis orthologues of rice XA21-interacting proteins, which appear to be involved in EFR-mediated signaling and immunity in Arabidopsis. Our work indicates the overall functional conservation of immune components acting downstream of distinct LRR-RK-type PRRs between monocots and dicots.
authors.affiliation: The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Holton
authors.affiliation: The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nekrasov
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Pamela C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ronald
authors.affiliation: The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zipfel
mesh_terms: D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D057865:Plant Immunity / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044224:Pseudomonas syringae / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C545106:EFR protein, Arabidopsis; D010940:Plant Proteins; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition; C097148:Xa21 protein, Oryza sativa; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases