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Publications - Stress and Develop Biology

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Publications

Wirthmueller, L.; Asai, S.; Rallapalli, G.; Sklenar, J.; Fabro, G.; Kim, D. S.; Lintermann, R.; Jaspers, P.; Wrzaczek, M.; Kangasjärvi, J.; MacLean, D.; Menke, F. L. H.; Banfield, M. J.; Jones, J. D. G.; Arabidopsis downy mildew effector HaRxL106 suppresses plant immunity by binding to RADICAL-INDUCED CELL DEATH1 New Phytol. 220, 232-248, (2018) DOI: 10.1111/nph.15277

The oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa) causes downy mildew disease on Arabidopsis. To colonize its host, Hpa translocates effector proteins that suppress plant immunity into infected host cells. Here, we investigate the relevance of the interaction between one of these effectors, HaRxL106, and Arabidopsis RADICAL‐INDUCED CELL DEATH1 (RCD1).We use pathogen infection assays as well as molecular and biochemical analyses to test the hypothesis that HaRxL106 manipulates RCD1 to attenuate transcriptional activation of defense genes.We report that HaRxL106 suppresses transcriptional activation of salicylic acid (SA)‐induced defense genes and alters plant growth responses to light. HaRxL106‐mediated suppression of immunity is abolished in RCD1 loss‐of‐function mutants. We report that RCD1‐type proteins are phosphorylated, and we identified Mut9‐like kinases (MLKs), which function as phosphoregulatory nodes at the level of photoreceptors, as RCD1‐interacting proteins. An mlk1,3,4 triple mutant exhibits stronger SA‐induced defense marker gene expression compared with wild‐type plants, suggesting that MLKs also affect transcriptional regulation of SA signaling.Based on the combined evidence, we hypothesize that nuclear RCD1/MLK complexes act as signaling nodes that integrate information from environmental cues and pathogen sensors, and that the Arabidopsis downy mildew pathogen targets RCD1 to prevent activation of plant immunity.
Publications

Wirthmueller, L.; Roth, C.; Fabro, G.; Caillaud, M.-C.; Rallapalli, G.; Asai, S.; Sklenar, J.; Jones, A. M. E.; Wiermer, M.; Jones, J. D. G.; Banfield, M. J.; Probing formation of cargo/importin-α transport complexes in plant cells using a pathogen effector Plant J. 81, 40-52, (2015) DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12691

Importin‐αs are essential adapter proteins that recruit cytoplasmic proteins destined for active nuclear import to the nuclear transport machinery. Cargo proteins interact with the importin‐α armadillo repeat domain via nuclear localization sequences (NLSs), short amino acids motifs enriched in Lys and Arg residues. Plant genomes typically encode several importin‐α paralogs that can have both specific and partially redundant functions. Although some cargos are preferentially imported by a distinct importin‐α it remains unknown how this specificity is generated and to what extent cargos compete for binding to nuclear transport receptors. Here we report that the effector protein HaRxL106 from the oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis co‐opts the host cell's nuclear import machinery. We use HaRxL106 as a probe to determine redundant and specific functions of importin‐α paralogs from Arabidopsis thaliana. A crystal structure of the importin‐α3/MOS6 armadillo repeat domain suggests that five of the six Arabidopsis importin‐αs expressed in rosette leaves have an almost identical NLS‐binding site. Comparison of the importin‐α binding affinities of HaRxL106 and other cargos in vitro and in plant cells suggests that relatively small affinity differences in vitro affect the rate of transport complex formation in vivo. Our results suggest that cargo affinity for importin‐α, sequence variation at the importin‐α NLS‐binding sites and tissue‐specific expression levels of importin‐αs determine formation of cargo/importin‐α transport complexes in plant cells.
Publications

Zhou, X.; Graumann, K.; Wirthmueller, L.; Jones, J. D. G.; Meier, I.; Identification of unique SUN-interacting nuclear envelope proteins with diverse functions in plants J. Cell Biol. 205, 677-692, (2014) DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201401138

Although a plethora of nuclear envelope (NE) transmembrane proteins (NETs) have been identified in opisthokonts, plant NETs are largely unknown. The only known NET homologues in plants are Sad1/UNC-84 (SUN) proteins, which bind Klarsicht/ANC-1/Syne-1 homology (KASH) proteins. Therefore, de novo identification of plant NETs is necessary. Based on similarities between opisthokont KASH proteins and the only known plant KASH proteins, WPP domain–interacting proteins, we used a computational method to identify the KASH subset of plant NETs. Ten potential plant KASH protein families were identified, and five candidates from four of these families were verified for their NE localization, depending on SUN domain interaction. Of those, Arabidopsis thaliana SINE1 is involved in actin-dependent nuclear positioning in guard cells, whereas its paralogue SINE2 contributes to innate immunity against an oomycete pathogen. This study dramatically expands our knowledge of plant KASH proteins and suggests that plants and opisthokonts have recruited different KASH proteins to perform NE regulatory functions.
Publications

Asai, S.; Rallapalli, G.; Piquerez, S. J. M.; Caillaud, M.-C.; Furzer, O. J.; Ishaque, N.; Wirthmueller, L.; Fabro, G.; Shirasu, K.; Jones, J. D. G.; Expression Profiling during Arabidopsis/Downy Mildew Interaction Reveals a Highly-Expressed Effector That Attenuates Responses to Salicylic Acid PLOS Pathog. 10, e1004443, (2014) DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004443

Plants have evolved strong innate immunity mechanisms, but successful pathogens evade or suppress plant immunity via effectors delivered into the plant cell. Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa) causes downy mildew on Arabidopsis thaliana, and a genome sequence is available for isolate Emoy2. Here, we exploit the availability of genome sequences for Hpa and Arabidopsis to measure gene-expression changes in both Hpa and Arabidopsis simultaneously during infection. Using a high-throughput cDNA tag sequencing method, we reveal expression patterns of Hpa predicted effectors and Arabidopsis genes in compatible and incompatible interactions, and promoter elements associated with Hpa genes expressed during infection. By resequencing Hpa isolate Waco9, we found it evades Arabidopsis resistance gene RPP1 through deletion of the cognate recognized effector ATR1. Arabidopsis salicylic acid (SA)-responsive genes including PR1 were activated not only at early time points in the incompatible interaction but also at late time points in the compatible interaction. By histochemical analysis, we found that Hpa suppresses SA-inducible PR1 expression, specifically in the haustoriated cells into which host-translocated effectors are delivered, but not in non-haustoriated adjacent cells. Finally, we found a highly-expressed Hpa effector candidate that suppresses responsiveness to SA. As this approach can be easily applied to host-pathogen interactions for which both host and pathogen genome sequences are available, this work opens the door towards transcriptome studies in infection biology that should help unravel pathogen infection strategies and the mechanisms by which host defense responses are overcome.
Publications

Caillaud, M.-C.; Wirthmueller, L.; Sklenar, J.; Findlay, K.; Piquerez, S. J. M.; Jones, A. M. E.; Robatzek, S.; Jones, J. D. G.; Faulkner, C.; The Plasmodesmal Protein PDLP1 Localises to Haustoria-Associated Membranes during Downy Mildew Infection and Regulates Callose Deposition PLOS Pathog. 10, e1004496, (2014) DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004496

The downy mildew pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa) is a filamentous oomycete that invades plant cells via sophisticated but poorly understood structures called haustoria. Haustoria are separated from the host cell cytoplasm and surrounded by an extrahaustorial membrane (EHM) of unknown origin. In some interactions, including Hpa-Arabidopsis, haustoria are progressively encased by host-derived, callose-rich materials but the molecular mechanisms by which callose accumulates around haustoria remain unclear. Here, we report that PLASMODESMATA-LOCATED PROTEIN 1 (PDLP1) is expressed at high levels in Hpa infected cells. Unlike other plasma membrane proteins, which are often excluded from the EHM, PDLP1 is located at the EHM in Hpa-infected cells prior to encasement. The transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic tail of PDLP1 are sufficient to convey this localization. PDLP1 also associates with the developing encasement but this association is lost when encasements are fully mature. We found that the pdlp1,2,3 triple mutant is more susceptible to Hpa while overexpression of PDLP1 enhances plant resistance, suggesting that PDLPs enhance basal immunity against Hpa. Haustorial encasements are depleted in callose in pdlp1,2,3 mutant plants whereas PDLP1 over-expression elevates callose deposition around haustoria and across the cell surface. These data indicate that PDLPs contribute to callose encasement of Hpa haustoria and suggests that the deposition of callose at haustoria may involve similar mechanisms to callose deposition at plasmodesmata.
Publications

Caillaud, M.-. C.; Wirthmueller, L.; Fabro, G.; Piquerez, S. J. M.; Asai, S.; Ishaque, N.; Jones, J. D. G.; Mechanisms of Nuclear Suppression of Host Immunity by Effectors from the Arabidopsis Downy Mildew Pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa) Cold Spring Harb. Symp. Quant. Biol. 77, 285-293, (2012) DOI: 10.1101/sqb.2012.77.015115

Filamentous phytopathogens form sophisticated intracellular feeding structures called haustoria in plant cells. Pathogen effectors are likely to play a role in the establishment and maintenance of haustoria additional to their more characterized role of suppressing plant defense. Recent studies suggest that effectors may manipulate host transcription or other nuclear regulatory components for the benefit of pathogen development. However, the specific mechanisms by which these effectors promote susceptibility remain unclear. Of two recent screenings, we identified 15 nuclear-localized Hpa effectors (HaRxLs) that interact directly or indirectly with host nuclear components. When stably expressed in planta, nuclear HaRxLs cause diverse developmental phenotypes highlighting that nuclear effectors might interfere with fundamental plant regulatory mechanisms. Here, we report recent advances in understanding how a pathogen can manipulate nuclear processes in order to cause disease.
Publications

Wirthmueller, L.; Zhang, Y.; Jones, J. D. G.; Parker, J. E.; Nuclear Accumulation of the Arabidopsis Immune Receptor RPS4 Is Necessary for Triggering EDS1-Dependent Defense Curr. Biol. 17, 2023-2029, (2007) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.10.042

Recognition of specific pathogen molecules inside the cell by nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) receptors constitutes an important layer of innate immunity in plants [1]. Receptor activation triggers host cellular reprogramming involving transcriptional potentiation of basal defenses and localized programmed cell death 1, 2, 3. The sites and modes of action of NB-LRR receptors are, however, poorly understood. Arabidopsis Toll/Interleukin-1 (TIR) type NB-LRR receptor RPS4 recognizes the bacterial type III effector AvrRps4 [4]. We show that epitope-tagged RPS4 expressed under its native regulatory sequences distributes between endomembranes and nuclei in healthy and AvrRps4-triggered tissues. RPS4 accumulation in the nucleus, mediated by a bipartite nuclear localization sequence (NLS) at its C terminus, is necessary for triggering immunity through authentic activation by AvrRps4 in Arabidopsis or as an effector-independent “deregulated” receptor in tobacco. A strikingly conserved feature of TIR-NB-LRR receptors is their recruitment of the nucleocytoplasmic basal-defense regulator EDS1 in resistance to diverse pathogens 5, 6. We find that EDS1 is an indispensable component of RPS4 signaling and that it functions downstream of RPS4 activation but upstream of RPS4-mediated transcriptional reprogramming in the nucleus.
Publications

Ludwig, A. A.; Saitoh, H.; Felix, G.; Freymark, G.; Miersch, O.; Wasternack, C.; Boller, T.; Jones, J. D. G.; Romeis, T.; Ethylene-mediated cross-talk between calcium-dependent protein kinase and MAPK signaling controls stress responses in plants Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 10736-10741, (2005) DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0502954102

Plants are constantly exposed to environmental changes and need to integrate multiple external stress cues. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are implicated as major primary Ca2+ sensors in plants. CDPK activation, like activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), is triggered by biotic and abiotic stresses, although distinct stimulus-specific stress responses are induced. To investigate whether CDPKs are part of an underlying mechanism to guarantee response specificity, we identified CDPK-controlled signaling pathways. A truncated form of Nicotiana tabacum CDPK2 lacking its regulatory autoinhibitor and calcium-binding domains was ectopically expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. Infiltrated leaves responded to an abiotic stress stimulus with the activation of biotic stress reactions. These responses included synthesis of reactive oxygen species, defense gene induction, and SGT1-dependent cell death. Furthermore, N-terminal CDPK2 signaling triggered enhanced levels of the phytohormones jasmonic acid, 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid, and ethylene but not salicylic acid. These responses, commonly only observed after challenge with a strong biotic stimulus, were prevented when the CDPK's intrinsic autoinhibitory peptide was coexpressed. Remarkably, elevated CDPK signaling compromised stress-induced MAPK activation, and this inhibition required ethylene synthesis and perception. These data indicate that CDPK and MAPK pathways do not function independently and that a concerted activation of both pathways controls response specificity to biotic and abiotic stress.
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