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Publications - Stress and Develop Biology

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Publications

Ranf, S.; Scheel, D.; Lee, J.; Challenges in the identification of microbe-associated molecular patterns in plant and animal innate immunity: a case study with bacterial lipopolysaccharide Mol. Plant Pathol. 17, 1165-1169, (2016) DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12452

Immunity against pathogen infection depends on a host's ability to sense invading pathogens and to rapidly trigger defence reactions that block pathogen proliferation. Both plants and animals detect conserved structural motifs of microbe‐specific compounds, so‐called microbe‐associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), through germline‐encoded immune sensors, which are accordingly termed pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) (Akira et al., 2006; Boller and Felix, 2009). Activated PRRs initiate signal transduction and trigger innate immune responses. MAMPs are generally derived from elements essential for microbial fitness and are conserved across species, thus enabling the host to detect a range of potential pathogens. In mammals, innate immune sensing of MAMPs is not only crucial for basal immune responses but is also tightly connected with and required for a subsequent adaptive, antibody‐mediated immunity (Akira et al., 2006; Janeway and Medzhitov, 2002). Plants, lacking an adaptive immune system, have apparently evolved a greater capacity to detect a broader repertoire of MAMPs. Different plant species possess distinct sets of highly specific PRRs, but the downstream signalling pathways are rather conserved and converge on common signalling steps. This allows the transfer of PRRs, even to different plant families, whilst maintaining their functionality and specificity (Zipfel, 2014). This also enables researchers to use well‐studied, genetically amenable model systems for the identification of MAMPs and their respective PRRs. Several examples of interfamily PRR transfer have demonstrated that the introduction of novel PRRs into plant species can confer relevant levels of resistance to otherwise susceptible plants (e.g. Afroz et al., 2011; Hao et al., 2015; Lacombe et al., 2010; Mendes et al., 2010; Schoonbeek et al., 2015; Tripathi et al., 2014). Hence, MAMP sensing by PRRs has great potential for the engineering of disease resistance in crop plants. In recent years, it has therefore become a major task to identify and isolate MAMPs from a range of microorganisms, and their respective PRRs, to study their role in innate immunity and their application potential.
Publications

Avrova, A.; Knogge, W.; Rhynchosporium commune: a persistent threat to barley cultivation Mol. Plant Pathol. 13, 986-997, (2012) DOI: 10.1111/j.1364-3703.2012.00811.x

Rhynchosporium commune is a haploid fungus causing scald or leaf blotch on barley, other Hordeum spp. and Bromus diandrus.TaxonomyRhynchosporium commune is an anamorphic Ascomycete closely related to the teleomorph Helotiales genera Oculimacula and Pyrenopeziza.Disease symptomsRhynchosporium commune causes scald‐like lesions on leaves, leaf sheaths and ears. Early symptoms are generally pale grey oval lesions. With time, the lesions acquire a dark brown margin with the centre of the lesion remaining pale green or pale brown. Lesions often merge to form large areas around which leaf yellowing is common. Infection frequently occurs in the leaf axil, which can lead to chlorosis and eventual death of the leaf.Life cycleRhynchosporium commune is seed borne, but the importance of this phase of the disease is not fully understood. Debris from previous crops and volunteers, infected from the stubble from previous crops, are considered to be the most important sources of the disease. Autumn‐sown crops can become infected very soon after sowing. Secondary spread of disease occurs mainly through splash dispersal of conidia from infected leaves. Rainfall at the stem extension growth stage is the major environmental factor in epidemic development.Detection and quantificationRhynchosporium commune produces unique beak‐shaped, one‐septate spores both on leaves and in culture. The development of a specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and, more recently, quantitative PCR (qPCR) has allowed the identification of asymptomatic infection in seeds and during the growing season.Disease controlThe main measure for the control of R. commune is the use of fungicides with different modes of action, in combination with the use of resistant cultivars. However, this is constantly under review because of the ability of the pathogen to adapt to host plant resistance and to develop fungicide resistance.
Publications

Haapalainen, M.; Engelhardt, S.; Küfner, I.; Li, C.-M.; Nürnberger, T.; Lee, J.; Romantschuk, M.; Taira, S.; Functional mapping of harpin HrpZ of Pseudomonas syringae reveals the sites responsible for protein oligomerization, lipid interactions and plant defence induction Mol. Plant Pathol. 12, 151-166, (2011) DOI: 10.1111/j.1364-3703.2010.00655.x

Harpin HrpZ is one of the most abundant proteins secreted through the pathogenesis‐associated type III secretion system of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. HrpZ shows membrane‐binding and pore‐forming activities in vitro, suggesting that it could be targeted to the host cell plasma membrane. We studied the native molecular forms of HrpZ and found that it forms dimers and higher order oligomers. Lipid binding by HrpZ was tested with 15 different membrane lipids, with HrpZ interacting only with phosphatidic acid. Pore formation by HrpZ in artificial lipid vesicles was found to be dependent on the presence of phosphatidic acid. In addition, HrpZ was able to form pores in vesicles prepared from Arabidopsis thaliana plasma membrane, providing evidence for the suggested target of HrpZ in the host. To map the functions associated with HrpZ, we constructed a comprehensive series of deletions in the hrpZ gene derived from P. syringae pv. phaseolicola, and studied the mutant proteins. We found that oligomerization is mainly mediated by a region near the C‐terminus of the protein, and that the same region is also essential for membrane pore formation. Phosphatidic acid binding seems to be mediated by two regions separate in the primary structure. Tobacco, a nonhost plant, recognizes, as a defence elicitor, a 24‐amino‐acid HrpZ fragment which resides in the region indispensable for the oligomerization and pore formation functions of HrpZ.
Books and chapters

Clemens, S.; Simm, C.; Maier, T.; Heavy Metal‐binding Proteins and Peptides (2005) DOI: 10.1002/3527600035.bpol8010

IntroductionHistorical OutlineChemical StructuresNomenclature and Structure of MetallothioneinsPhytochelatins and Phytochelatin–Metal ComplexesStructural Properties of MetallochaperonesChemical Analysis and DetectionMetallothioneinsPhytochelatinsOccurrenceMetallothioneinsPhytochelatinsMetallochaperonesFunctionsMetal Homeostasis and the Role of MetallochaperonesBuffering and DetoxificationPhytochelatin FunctionsMetallothionein FunctionsPhysiologyMetallothionein Localization and IsoformsLocalization and Compartmentation of Phytochelatin SynthesisBiochemistryMetal‐binding Characteristics of MetallothioneinsBiochemistry of Phytochelatin SynthesisMolecular GeneticsMetallothionein Genes and Their RegulationPhytochelatin Synthase GenesBiotechnological ApplicationsPatentsOutlook and Perspectives
Publications

NICKSTADT, A.; THOMMA, B. P. H. J.; Feussner, I.; Kangasjärvi, J.; ZEIER, J.; LOEFFLER, C.; Scheel, D.; BERGER, S.; The jasmonate-insensitive mutant jin1 shows increased resistance to biotrophic as well as necrotrophic pathogens Mol. Plant Pathol. 5, 425-434, (2004) DOI: 10.1111/j.1364-3703.2004.00242.x

Jasmonic acid and related oxylipin compounds are plant signalling molecules that are involved in the response to pathogens, insects, wounding and ozone. To explore further the role of jasmonates in stress signal transduction, the response of two jasmonate‐signalling mutants, jin1 and jin4 , to pathogens and ozone was analysed in this study. Upon treatment with the biotrophic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae , endogenous jasmonate levels increased in jin1 and jin4 similar to wild‐type, demonstrating that these mutants are not defective in jasmonate biosynthesis. Jin1 but not jin4 is more resistant to P. syringae and this higher resistance is accompanied by higher levels of salicylic acid. Jin1 is also more resistant to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea and shows wild‐type sensitivity to ozone whereas jin4 is more susceptible to B. cinerea and ozone. These results indicate that the mutations in jin1 and jin4 affect different branches of the jasmonate signalling pathway. Additionally, in this combination of phenotypes, jin1 is unique among all other jasmonate‐related mutants described thus far. These data also provide support for a crosstalk between the jasmonate and salicylate pathways.
Books and chapters

Scheel, D.; Nuernberger, T.; Signal Transduction in Plant Defense Responses to Fungal Infection 1-30, (2004)

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Books and chapters

Rosahl, S.; Feussner, I.; Oxylipins 329-354, (2004)

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Books and chapters

Lee, J.; Nürnberger, T.; Is Pore Formation Activity of HrpZ Required for Defence Activation in Plant Cells? 165-173, (2003) DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-0133-4_18

The HrpZ gene product, harpin, is an export substrate of the type III secretion system of phytopathogenic Pseudomonas syringae. The role of this protein in pathogenesis is largely unknown. We previously determined that HrpZ binds to lipids and can form cation pores in synthetic lipid bilayers. Such pore-forming activity may allow nutrient release during bacterial colonisation of host plants. In addition. HrpZ is known to trigger plant defence responses in a variety of plants, such as tobacco. We have previously also characterised a binding site in tobacco plasma membranes that likely mediates HrpZ-induced defence responses. In order to reconcile these findings, we pose the question as to whether the activation of plant defence responses by HrpZ is mediated through a “classical” receptor perception mode or if plant membrane perturbation through the inherent pore-forming activity of HrpZ may induce defence responses. As defence in parsley cells can be induced both in a receptor-mediated manner or through ionophores these cells served as an ideal system for our analysis. We first performed ligand binding studies to characterise the presence of a binding site/receptor. We further digested HrpZ with endopeptidases and used subfragments of HrpZ to assess the elicitor-active domain of HrpZ. A C-terminal region of HrpZ appears to be sufficient to elicit plant defence responses. A novel assay involving dye-loaded liposomes was developed to validate previous electrophysiological findings on HrpZ-mediated cation pore formation. More importantly, this assay was used to establish if the elicitor-active C-terminal fragment of HrpZ could form pores. Our findings suggest that the structural requirements for ion pore formation and activation of plant defence responses by HrpZ are different. Thus, ion pore formation alone may not explain the activation of plant defence by HrpZ.
Books and chapters

Scheel, D.; Oxidative burst and the role of reactive oxygen species in plant-pathogen interactions (Inzé, D. & van Montagu, M., eds.). 137-153, (2002)

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Books and chapters

Clemens, S.; Thomine, S.; Schroeder, J. I.; Molecular mechanisms that control plant tolerance to heavy metals and possible roles towards manipulating metal accumulation 665-691, (2002)

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