Life and death: the destiny of Phytophthora sojae determined by a receptor-like kinase

Abstract

Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs) are well known to act in plant growth, development, and defense responses. Plant LRR-RLKs locate on cell surface to sense and initiate responsive signals to a variety of extracellular stimuli, such as microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) released from microorganisms. LRR-RLKs are also present in microbes and function in microbial growth and development, but their roles in communicating with hosts are largely unknown. A recent study published in Nature Communications uncovered that a microbial LRR-RLK, PsRLK6, is required for oospore development in the sexual reproduction of Phytophthora sojae, an oomycete pathogen that causes root and stem rot in soybean. Meanwhile, PsRLK6 is recognized as a novel type of MAMP by an unknown plant LRR receptor-like protein and triggers immune responses in soybean, tomato, and Nicotiana benthamiana. The findings reveal dual roles of a pathogen LRR-RLK in determining both life through sexual reproduction and death through triggering plant immunity.

Keywords

Phytophthora sojae / PsRLK6 / Oospore / Microbe-associated molecular patterns / Plant immunity

References

[1] BergerF. Reproductive biology: receptor-like kinases orchestrate love songs in plants. Curr Biol, 2009, 19(15):R647-649

[2] DiévartA, GilbertN, DrocG, AttardA, GourguesM, GuiderdoniE, PérinC. Leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases are sporadically distributed in eukaryotic genomes. BMC Evol Biol, 2011, 11: 367

[3] Gómez-Gómez L, Boller T (2000) FLS2: an LRR receptor-like kinase involved in the perception of the bacterial elicitor flagellin in Arabidopsis. Mol Cell 5(6):1003–1011. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1097-2765(00)80265-8

[4] Kunze G, Zipfel C, Robatzek S, Niehaus K, Boller T, Felix G (2004) The N terminus of bacterial elongation factor Tu elicits innate immunity in Arabidopsis plants. Plant Cell 16(12):3496–507. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.104.026765

[5] MaZ, SongT, ZhuL, YeW, WangY, ShaoY, DongSZZ, DouD, ZhengX, Tyler BmYW. A Phytophthora sojae Glycoside Hydrolase 12 Protein Is a Major Virulence Factor during Soybean Infection and Is Recognized as a PAMP. Plant Cell, 2015, 27(7):2057-2072

[6] PeiY, JiP, SiJ, ZhaoH, ZhangS, XuR, QiaoH, DuanW, ShenD, YinZ, DouD. A Phytophthora receptor-like kinase regulates oospore development and can activate pattern-triggered plant immunity. Nat Commun, 2023, 14(1):4593

[7] SafdarA, LiQ, ShenD, ChenL, HeF, WangR, ZhangM, MafurahJ, KhanS, DouD. An LRR receptor kinase regulates growth, development and pathogenesis in Phytophthora capsici. Microbiol Res, 2017, 198: 8-15

[8] Si J, Pei Y, Shen D, Ji P, Xu R, Xue X, Peng H, Liang X, Dou D (2021) Phytophthora sojae leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases: diverse and essential roles in development and pathogenicity. iScience 24(7):102725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102725

[9] TylerB. Phytophthora sojae: root rot pathogen of soybean and model oomycete. Mol Plant Pathol, 2007, 8(1):1-8

[10] WangY, XuY, SunY, WangH, QiJ, WanB, YeW, LinY, ShaoY, DongS, TylerB, WangY. Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like gene screen reveals that Nicotiana RXEG1 regulates glycoside hydrolase 12 MAMP detection. Nat Commun, 2018, 9(1):594

[11] YuX, FengB, HeP, ShanL. From Chaos to Harmony: Responses and Signaling upon Microbial Pattern Recognition. Annu Rev Phytopathol, 2017, 55(1):109-137

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(32372490); Sichuan Applied Fundamental Research Foundation(2022JDTD0023); Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(2022NSFSC0174)