Chitin Elicitor Receptor Kinase Research Articles

The Arabidopsis Malectin-Like/LRR-RLK IOS1 Is Critical for BAK1-Dependent and BAK1-Independent Pattern-Triggered Immunity.

Plasma membrane-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2), EF-TU RECEPTOR (EFR), and CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE1 (CERK1) recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) to activate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). A reverse genetics approach on genes responsive to the priming agent β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) revealed IMPAIRED OOMYCETE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (IOS1) as a critical PTI player. Arabidopsis thaliana ios1 mutants were hypersusceptible to Pseudomonas syringae bacteria. Accordingly, ios1 mutants showed defective PTI responses, notably delayed upregulation of the PTI marker gene FLG22-INDUCED RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE1, reduced callose deposition, and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation upon MAMP treatment. Moreover, Arabidopsis lines overexpressing IOS1 were more resistant to bacteria and showed a primed PTI response. In vitro pull-down, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, coimmunoprecipitation, and mass spectrometry analyses supported the existence of complexes between the membrane-localized IOS1 and BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-ASSOCIATED KINASE1 (BAK1)-dependent PRRs FLS2 and EFR, as well as with the BAK1-independent PRR CERK1. IOS1 also associated with BAK1 in a ligand-independent manner and positively regulated FLS2-BAK1 complex formation upon MAMP treatment. In addition, IOS1 was critical for chitin-mediated PTI. Finally, ios1 mutants were defective in BABA-induced resistance and priming. This work reveals IOS1 as a novel regulatory protein of FLS2-, EFR-, and CERK1-mediated signaling pathways that primes PTI activation.

Genome-wide transcriptomic analyses provide insights into the lifestyle transition and effector repertoire of Leptosphaeria maculans during the colonization of Brassica napus seedlings.

Molecular interaction between the causal agent of blackleg disease, Leptosphaeria maculans (Lm), and its host, Brassica napus, is largely unknown. We applied a deep RNA-sequencing approach to gain insight into the pathogenicity mechanisms of Lm and the defence response of B. napus. RNA from the infected susceptible B. napus cultivar Topas DH16516, sampled at 2-day intervals (0-8 days), was sequenced and used for gene expression profiling. Patterns of gene expression regulation in B. napus showed multifaceted defence responses evident by the differential expression of genes encoding the pattern recognition receptor CERK1 (chitin elicitor receptor kinase 1), receptor like proteins and WRKY transcription factors. The up-regulation of genes related to salicylic acid and jasmonic acid at the initial and late stages of infection, respectively, provided evidence for the biotrophic and necrotrophic life stages of Lm during the infection of B. napus cotyledons. Lm transition from biotrophy to necrotropy was also supported by the expression function of Lm necrosis and ethylene-inducing (Nep-1)-like peptide. Genes encoding polyketide synthases and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases, with potential roles in pathogenicity, were up-regulated at 6-8 days after inoculation. Among other plant defence-related genes differentially regulated in response to Lm infection were genes involved in the reinforcement of the cell wall and the production of glucosinolates. Dual RNA-sequencing allowed us to define the Lm candidate effectors expressed during the infection of B. napus. Several candidate effectors suppressed Bax-induced cell death when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamaina leaves.

Transcriptome changes specifically associated with apple (Malus domestica) root defense response during Pythium ultimum infection

RNA-seq technology was applied to identify the transcriptomic changes associated with apple root defense response to Pythium ultimum infection. Genes encoding homolog proteins with functions of pathogen detection such as chitin elicitor receptor kinase (CERK) and wall-associated receptor kinase (WAK) were among the differentially expressed apple genes. The biosynthesis and signaling of several plant hormones including ethylene, jasmonate and cytokinin were specifically induced in response to P. ultimum inoculation. Genes encoding enzymes of secondary metabolisms, cell wall fortification and pathogenesis related (PR) protein, laccase, mandelonitrile lyase and cyanogenic beta-glucosidase were consistently up-regulated in the later stages of infection.

Chitin Nanofiber Elucidates the Elicitor Activity of Polymeric Chitin in Plants

Chitin, an N-acetyl-D-glucosamine polymer, is a component of fungal cell walls and a microbe/pathogen-associated molecular pattern that elicits plant defense responses. As polymeric chitin is difficult to handle due to its insolubility in water, many studies on chitin-induced immune responses have used water-soluble low-molecular weight chitin instead. Thus, it is unclear if polymeric chitin can induce resistance. Here, we examined the elicitor activity of chitin nanofiber (CNF) of submicron thickness prepared from polymeric chitin. CNF showed a high dispersing ability in water and induced both reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and chitin-induced defense-related gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. The Arabidopsis chitin elicitor receptor kinase 1 (Atcerk1) mutant, which is impaired in chitin perception, also failed to respond to CNF. CNF exposure triggered ROS generation in suspension-cultured cells from Oryza sativa. Furthermore, pre-treatment of Arabidopsis leaves with CNF effectively reduced pathogen infection by both the fungus Alternaria brassicicola and the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. These results demonstrate that CNF has elicitor activity and will help define the role of polymeric chitin in plant immune responses.

Splicing of Receptor-Like Kinase-Encoding SNC4 and CERK1 is Regulated by Two Conserved Splicing Factors that Are Required for Plant Immunity

Plant immune receptors belonging to the receptor-like kinase (RLK) family play important roles in the recognition of microbial pathogens and activation of downstream defense responses. The Arabidopsis mutant snc4-1D contains a gain-of-function mutation in the RLK SNC4 (SUPPRESSOR OF NPR1-1, CONSTITUTIVE4), which leads to constitutive activation of defense responses. Analysis of suppressor mutants of snc4-1D identified two conserved splicing factors, SUA (SUPPRESSOR OF ABI3-5) and RSN2 (REQUIRED FOR SNC4-1D 2), that are required for the constitutive defense responses in snc4-1D. In sua and rsn2 mutants, SNC4 splicing is altered and the amount of SNC4 transcripts is reduced. Further analysis showed that SUA and RSN2 are also required for the proper splicing of CERK1 (CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE1), which encodes another RLK that functions as a receptor for chitin. In sua and rsn2 mutants, induction of reactive oxygen species by chitin is reduced and the non-pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000hrcC grows to higher titers than in wild-type plants. Our study suggests that pre-mRNA splicing plays important roles in the regulation of plant immunity mediated by the RLKs SNC4 and CERK1.

A novel Arabidopsis CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE 1 (CERK1) mutant with enhanced pathogen-induced cell death and altered receptor processing.

Plants detect pathogens by sensing microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) through pattern recognition receptors. Pattern recognition receptor complexes also have roles in cell death control, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we report isolation of cerk1-4, a novel mutant allele of the Arabidopsis chitin receptor CERK1 with enhanced defense responses. We identified cerk1-4 in a forward genetic screen with barley powdery mildew and consequently characterized it by pathogen assays, mutant crosses and analysis of defense pathways. CERK1 and CERK1-4 proteins were analyzed biochemically. The cerk1-4 mutation causes an amino acid exchange in the CERK1 ectodomain. Mutant plants maintain chitin signaling capacity but exhibit hyper-inducible salicylic acid concentrations and deregulated cell death upon pathogen challenge. In contrast to chitin signaling, the cerk1-4 phenotype does not require kinase activity and is conferred by the N-terminal part of the receptor. CERK1 undergoes ectodomain shedding, a well-known process in animal cell surface proteins. Wild-type plants contain the full-length CERK1 receptor protein as well as a soluble form of the CERK1 ectodomain, whereas cerk1-4 plants lack the N-terminal shedding product. Our work suggests that CERK1 may have a chitin-independent role in cell death control and is the first report of ectodomain shedding in plants.

Functional analysis of chimeric lysin motif domain receptors mediating Nod factor‐induced defense signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana and chitin‐induced nodulation signaling in Lotus japonicus

The expression of chimeric receptors in plants is a way to activate specific signaling pathways by corresponding signal molecules. Defense signaling induced by chitin from pathogens and nodulation signaling of legumes induced by rhizobial Nod factors (NFs) depend on receptors with extracellular lysin motif (LysM) domains. Here, we constructed chimeras by replacing the ectodomain of chitin elicitor receptor kinase 1 (AtCERK1) of Arabidopsis thaliana with ectodomains of NF receptors of Lotus japonicus (LjNFR1 and LjNFR5). The hybrid constructs, named LjNFR1-AtCERK1 and LjNFR5-AtCERK1, were expressed in cerk1-2, an A.thaliana CERK1 mutant lacking chitin-induced defense signaling. When treated with NFs from Rhizobium sp. NGR234, cerk1-2 expressing both chimeras accumulated reactive oxygen species, expressed chitin-responsive defense genes and showed increased resistance to Fusarium oxysporum. In contrast, expression of a single chimera showed no effects. Likewise, the ectodomains of LjNFR1 and LjNFR5 were replaced by those of OsCERK1 (Oryza sativa chitin elicitor receptor kinase 1) and OsCEBiP (O.sativa chitin elicitor-binding protein), respectively. The chimeras, named OsCERK1-LjNFR1 and OsCEBiP-LjNFR5, were expressed in L.japonicus NF receptor mutants (nfr1-1; nfr5-2) carrying a GUS (β-glucuronidase) gene under the control of the NIN (nodule inception) promoter. Upon chitin treatment, GUS activation reflecting nodulation signaling was observed in the roots of NF receptor mutants expressing both chimeras, whereas a single construct was not sufficient for activation. Hence, replacement of ectodomains in LysM domain receptors provides a way to specifically trigger NF-induced defense signaling in non-legumes and chitin-induced nodulation signaling in legumes.

The ESCRT-III-Interacting Deubiquitinating Enzyme AMSH3 is Essential for Degradation of Ubiquitinated Membrane Proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana

Post-translational modification by ubiquitin plays a key role in the regulation of endocytic degradation in which ubiquitinated plasma membrane cargos are transported to the vacuole for degradation dependent on the ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) machinery. Arabidopsis AMSH3 (ASSOCIATED MOLECULE WITH THE SH3 DOMAIN OF STAM 3) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that interacts with at least two subunits of the ESCRT-III machinery, VPS2.1 and VPS24.1. amsh3 null mutation causes seedling lethality, and amsh3 null mutants show defects in multiple intracellular trafficking pathways. In this study, we further analyzed the amsh3 mutant phenotype and showed that amsh3 accumulates membrane-associated ubiquitinated proteins, supporting the indication that AMSH3 functions in ubiquitin-mediated endocytic degradation. In accordance with this, an enzymatic inactive variant of AMSH3 inhibits the AvrPtoB-dependent endocytic degradation of CERK1 (CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE 1). Furthermore, we showed that the interaction of AMSH3 with ESCRT-III is important for its function in planta. Together, our data indicate the importance of AMSH3 and the AMSH3-ESCRT-III interaction for deubiquitination and degradation of ubiquitinated membrane substrates in plants.

Biosynthesis of Phytoalexins and Regulatory Mechanisms of It in Rice

We performed extensive functional characterization of diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthetic genes in rice, and found that the genes for the biosynthesis of the major diterpenoid phytoalexins, phytocassanes and momilactones, are clustered on chromosomes 2 and 4, and that their expression is coordinately induced in rice cells after elicitation. Isopentenyl diphosphate, an early precursor of diterpenoid phytoalexins, was found to be synthesized through the plastidic methylerythritol phosphate pathway. We also found that chitin elicitor receptor kinase OsCERK1 and a mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade, the OsMKK4-OsMPK6 cascade, play essential roles in the elicitor-induced production of diterpenoid phytoalexins. In addition, a basic leucine zipper transcription factor, OsTGAP1, was identified as a key regulator of the coordinated expression of the clustered genes and the methylerythritol phosphate pathway genes. Naringenin 7-O-methyltransferase (OsNOMT) was also identified as a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of another major rice phytoalexin, sakuranetin.

Heterotrimeric G Proteins Serve as a Converging Point in Plant Defense Signaling Activated by Multiple Receptor-Like Kinases

In fungi and metazoans, extracellular signals are often perceived by G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and transduced through heterotrimeric G-protein complexes to downstream targets. Plant heterotrimeric G proteins are also involved in diverse biological processes, but little is known about their upstream receptors. Moreover, the presence of bona fide GPCRs in plants is yet to be established. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), heterotrimeric G protein consists of one Gα subunit (G protein α-subunit1), one Gβ subunit (Arabidopsis G protein β-subunit1 [AGB1]), and three Gγs subunits (Arabidopsis G protein γ-subunit1 [AGG1], AGG2, and AGG3). We identified AGB1 from a suppressor screen of BAK1-interacting receptor-like kinase1-1 (bir1-1), a mutant that activates cell death and defense responses mediated by the receptor-like kinase (RLK) suppressor of BIR1-1. Mutations in AGB1 suppress the cell death and defense responses in bir1-1 and transgenic plants overexpressing suppressor of BIR1-1. In addition, agb1 mutant plants were severely compromised in immunity mediated by three other RLKs, flagellin-sensitive2 (FLS2), Elongation Factor-TU RECEPTOR (EFR), and chitin elicitor receptor kinase1 (CERK1), respectively. By contrast, G protein α-subunit1 is not required for either cell death in bir1-1 or pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity mediated by FLS2, EFR, and CERK1. Further analysis of agg1 and agg2 mutant plants indicates that AGG1 and AGG2 are also required for pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immune responses mediated by FLS2, EFR, and CERK1, as well as cell death and defense responses in bir1-1. We hypothesize that the Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G proteins function as a converging point of plant defense signaling by mediating responses initiated by multiple RLKs, which may fulfill equivalent roles to GPCRs in fungi and animals.

Two LysM receptor molecules, CEBiP and OsCERK1, cooperatively regulate chitin elicitor signaling in rice

Chitin is a major molecular pattern for various fungi, and its fragments, chitin oligosaccharides, are known to induce various defense responses in plant cells. A plasma membrane glycoprotein, CEBiP (chitin elicitor binding protein) and a receptor kinase, CERK1 (chitin elicitor receptor kinase) (also known as LysM-RLK1), were identified as critical components for chitin signaling in rice and Arabidopsis, respectively. However, it is not known whether each plant species requires both of these two types of molecules for chitin signaling, nor the relationships between these molecules in membrane signaling. We report here that rice cells require a LysM receptor-like kinase, OsCERK1, in addition to CEBiP, for chitin signaling. Knockdown of OsCERK1 resulted in marked suppression of the defense responses induced by chitin oligosaccharides, indicating that OsCERK1 is essential for chitin signaling in rice. The results of a yeast two-hybrid assay indicated that both CEBiP and OsCERK1 have the potential to form hetero- or homo-oligomers. Immunoprecipitation using a membrane preparation from rice cells treated with chitin oligosaccharides suggested the ligand-induced formation of a receptor complex containing both CEBiP and OsCERK1. Blue native PAGE and chemical cross-linking experiments also suggested that a major portion of CEBiP exists as homo-oligomers even in the absence of chitin oligosaccharides.

The Lysin Motif Receptor-like Kinase (LysM-RLK) CERK1 Is a Major Chitin-binding Protein in Arabidopsis thaliana and Subject to Chitin-induced Phosphorylation

Plants detect potential pathogens by sensing microbe-associated molecular patterns via pattern recognition receptors. In the dicot model plant Arabidopsis, the lysin motif (LysM)-containing chitin elicitor receptor kinase 1 (CERK1) has been shown to be essential for perception of the fungal cell wall component chitin and for resistance to fungal pathogens. Recent in vitro studies with CERK1 protein expressed heterologously in yeast suggested direct chitin binding activity. Here we show in an affinity purification approach that CERK1 is a major chitin-binding protein of Arabidopsis cells, along with several known and putative chitinases. The ectodomain of CERK1 harbors three distinct LysM domains with potential ligand binding capacity. We demonstrate that the CERK1 ectodomain binds chitin and partially deacetylated chitosan directly without any requirement for interacting proteins and that all three LysM domains are necessary for chitin binding. Ligand-induced phosphorylation events are a general feature of animal and plant signal transduction pathways. Our studies show that chitin, chitin oligomers, and chitosan rapidly induce in vivo phosphorylation of CERK1 at multiple residues in the juxtamembrane and kinase domain. Functional analyses with a kinase dead variant provide evidence that kinase activity of CERK1 is required for its chitin-dependent in vivo phosphorylation, as well as for early defense responses and downstream signaling. Collectively, our data suggest that in Arabidopsis, CERK1 is a major chitin, chitosan, and chito-oligomer binding component and that chitin signaling depends on CERK1 post-translational modification and kinase activity.