Structure and dynamics of the plant immune signaling network in plant-bacteria interactions

Abstract

The plant innate immune system deploys receptor proteins on the cell surface or inside the cell to sense microbial invasions. Perception of microbe associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), which are typically derived from conserved molecules in a class of microbes such as bacterial flagellin, triggers pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). While pathogens possess a repertoire of effectors that dampen PTI, plants detect the presence or actions of effectors and induce effector-triggered immunity (ETI) to prevent pathogen infection. PTI and ETI utilize a number of common signaling components such as reactive oxygen species, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and phytohormones to reprogram the cell state toward defense responses. It has become increasingly clear that these signaling components do not act in isolation but interact with each other to form an intricate network. Here, I discuss structure and dynamics of the plant immune signaling network that operate behind the interaction between the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pto).