MAPK cascade signalling networks in plant defence.

The sensing of stress signals and their transduction into appropriate responses is crucial for the adaptation and survival of plants. Kinase cascades of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) class play a remarkably important role in plant signalling of a variety of abiotic and biotic stresses. MAPK cascade-mediated signalling is an essential step in the establishment of resistance to pathogens. Here, we describe the most recent insights into MAPK-mediated pathogen defence response regulation with a particular focus on the cascades involving MPK3, MPK4 and MPK6. We also discuss the strategies developed by plant pathogens to circumvent, inactivate or even 'hijack' MAPK-mediated defence responses.

[1]  Armin Djamei,et al.  The Arabidopsis Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase MKK3 Is Upstream of Group C Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases and Participates in Pathogen Signaling[W] , 2007, The Plant Cell Online.

[2]  M. Sussman,et al.  An Arabidopsis Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase Gene Family Encodes Essential Positive Regulators of Cytokinesis Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1105/tpc.001164. , 2002, The Plant Cell Online.

[3]  Caren Chang,et al.  Ethylene signaling: new levels of complexity and regulation. , 2008, Current opinion in plant biology.

[4]  E. Lam,et al.  Phytotoxicity and Innate Immune Responses Induced by Nep1-Like Proteins[W] , 2006, The Plant Cell Online.

[5]  Sophia Mersmann,et al.  Plant Pattern-Recognition Receptor FLS2 Is Directed for Degradation by the Bacterial Ubiquitin Ligase AvrPtoB , 2008, Current Biology.

[6]  W. van Workum,et al.  Kinome profiling of Arabidopsis using arrays of kinase consensus substrates , 2007, Plant Methods.

[7]  Y. Miao,et al.  Arabidopsis MEKK1 can take a short cut: it can directly interact with senescence-related WRKY53 transcription factor on the protein level and can bind to its promoter , 2007, Plant Molecular Biology.

[8]  Marie Boudsocq,et al.  Involvement of MPK4 in osmotic stress response pathways in cell suspensions and plantlets of Arabidopsis thaliana: activation by hypoosmolarity and negative role in hyperosmolarity tolerance , 2004, FEBS letters.

[9]  K. Shinozaki,et al.  The MKK 2 Pathway Mediates Cold and Salt Stress Signaling in Arabidopsis lar metabolism to a changing environment , 2004 .

[10]  T. Tzfira,et al.  Involvement of targeted proteolysis in plant genetic transformation by Agrobacterium , 2004, Nature.

[11]  Jonathan D. G. Jones,et al.  The plant immune system , 2006, Nature.

[12]  Yuqing Xiong,et al.  Overexpression of Arabidopsis MAP kinase kinase 7 leads to activation of plant basal and systemic acquired resistance. , 2007, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[13]  H. Hirt,et al.  A major role of the MEKK1-MKK1/2-MPK4 pathway in ROS signalling. , 2009, Molecular plant.

[14]  Minghui Gao,et al.  MEKK1, MKK1/MKK2 and MPK4 function together in a mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade to regulate innate immunity in plants , 2008, Cell Research.

[15]  Sorina C. Popescu,et al.  MAPK target networks in Arabidopsis thaliana revealed using functional protein microarrays. , 2009, Genes & development.

[16]  Armin Djamei,et al.  Trojan Horse Strategy in Agrobacterium Transformation: Abusing MAPK Defense Signaling , 2007, Science.

[17]  Jiayang Li,et al.  Increased Expression of MAP KINASE KINASE7 Causes Deficiency in Polar Auxin Transport and Leads to Plant Architectural Abnormality in Arabidopsis[W] , 2005, The Plant Cell Online.

[18]  Patrick J Krysan,et al.  MEKK1 Is Required for flg22-Induced MPK4 Activation in Arabidopsis Plants1[C][W] , 2006, Plant Physiology.

[19]  Yan Xiong,et al.  Dual control of nuclear EIN3 by bifurcate MAPK cascades in C2H4 signalling , 2008, Nature.

[20]  N. Iusem,et al.  Guard cell-specific inhibition of Arabidopsis MPK3 expression causes abnormal stomatal responses to abscisic acid and hydrogen peroxide. , 2007, The New phytologist.

[21]  J. Durner,et al.  Transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to the bacteria-derived PAMPs harpin and lipopolysaccharide. , 2008, Immunobiology.

[22]  A. Bottin,et al.  Cellulose Binding Domains of a Phytophthora Cell Wall Protein Are Novel Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns[W] , 2006, The Plant Cell Online.

[23]  Heribert Hirt,et al.  Arabidopsis MAPKs: a complex signalling network involved in multiple biological processes. , 2008, The Biochemical journal.

[24]  F. Ausubel,et al.  MAP kinase signalling cascade in Arabidopsis innate immunity , 2002, Nature.

[25]  J. Hancock,et al.  Harpin induces activation of the Arabidopsis mitogen-activated protein kinases AtMPK4 and AtMPK6. , 2001, Plant physiology.

[26]  Ping He,et al.  Bacterial effectors target the common signaling partner BAK1 to disrupt multiple MAMP receptor-signaling complexes and impede plant immunity. , 2008, Cell host & microbe.

[27]  T. Boller,et al.  Perception of the Bacterial PAMP EF-Tu by the Receptor EFR Restricts Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation , 2006, Cell.

[28]  Kazuo Shinozaki,et al.  Mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades in plants: a new nomenclature. , 2002, Trends in plant science.

[29]  She Chen,et al.  Structural insights into the enzymatic mechanism of the pathogenic MAPK phosphothreonine lyase. , 2007, Molecular cell.

[30]  K. Shokat,et al.  Arabidopsis MAP kinase 4 regulates salicylic acid- and jasmonic acid/ethylene-dependent responses via EDS1 and PAD4. , 2006, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[31]  Dominique C Bergmann,et al.  Stomatal Development and Pattern Controlled by a MAPKK Kinase , 2004, Science.

[32]  Yuan Li,et al.  Activation of MAPK Kinase 9 Induces Ethylene and Camalexin Biosynthesis and Enhances Sensitivity to Salt Stress in Arabidopsis* , 2008, Journal of Biological Chemistry.

[33]  P. Krysan,et al.  The protein kinase genes MAP3K ɛ 1 and MAP3K ɛ 2 are required for pollen viability in Arabidopsis thaliana , 2006 .

[34]  H. Nielsen,et al.  Arabidopsis Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases MKK1 and MKK2 Have Overlapping Functions in Defense Signaling Mediated by MEKK1, MPK4, and MKS11[W] , 2008, Plant Physiology.

[35]  W. Lukowitz,et al.  A MAPKK Kinase Gene Regulates Extra-Embryonic Cell Fate in Arabidopsis , 2004, Cell.

[36]  P. Sansonetti,et al.  SpvC is a Salmonella effector with phosphothreonine lyase activity on host mitogen-activated protein kinases , 2008, Molecular microbiology.

[37]  She Chen,et al.  The Phosphothreonine Lyase Activity of a Bacterial Type III Effector Family , 2007, Science.

[38]  John C. Walker,et al.  Stomatal Development and Patterning Are Regulated by Environmentally Responsive Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases in Arabidopsis[W] , 2007, The Plant Cell Online.

[39]  T. Boller,et al.  A single locus determines sensitivity to bacterial flagellin in Arabidopsis thaliana. , 1999, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[40]  K. Irie,et al.  Isolation of ATMEKK1 (a MAP kinase kinase kinase)-interacting proteins and analysis of a MAP kinase cascade in Arabidopsis. , 1998, Biochemical and biophysical research communications.

[41]  P. Ronald,et al.  The Rice Kinase Database. A Phylogenomic Database for the Rice Kinome1[OA] , 2006, Plant Physiology.

[42]  Yoko Nishizawa,et al.  Plant cells recognize chitin fragments for defense signaling through a plasma membrane receptor. , 2006, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[43]  F. Ausubel,et al.  Resistance to Botrytis cinerea Induced in Arabidopsis by Elicitors Is Independent of Salicylic Acid, Ethylene, or Jasmonate Signaling But Requires PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT31[W] , 2007, Plant Physiology.

[44]  Kazuo Shinozaki,et al.  MEKK1 Is Required for MPK4 Activation and Regulates Tissue-specific and Temperature-dependent Cell Death in Arabidopsis* , 2006, Journal of Biological Chemistry.

[45]  J. Ecker,et al.  Flagellin is not a major defense elicitor in Ralstonia solanacearum cells or extracts applied to Arabidopsis thaliana. , 2004, Molecular plant-microbe interactions : MPMI.

[46]  K. Shinozaki,et al.  The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascade MKK3–MPK6 Is an Important Part of the Jasmonate Signal Transduction Pathway in Arabidopsis[W][OA] , 2007, The Plant Cell Online.

[47]  H. Hirt,et al.  The MAP kinase substrate MKS1 is a regulator of plant defense responses. , 2005, The EMBO journal.

[48]  Hirofumi Nakagami,et al.  A Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase Mediates Reactive Oxygen Species Homeostasis in Arabidopsis* , 2006, Journal of Biological Chemistry.

[49]  V. Tam,et al.  The Pseudomonas syringae type III‐secreted protein HopPtoD2 possesses protein tyrosine phosphatase activity and suppresses programmed cell death in plants , 2003, Molecular microbiology.

[50]  Erik Andreasson,et al.  Arabidopsis MAP Kinase 4 Negatively Regulates Systemic Acquired Resistance , 2000, Cell.

[51]  J. Glazebrook,et al.  A fungal-responsive MAPK cascade regulates phytoalexin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis , 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[52]  J. Mundy,et al.  Ancient signals: comparative genomics of plant MAPK and MAPKK gene families. , 2006, Trends in plant science.

[53]  Jane Glazebrook,et al.  Arabidopsis MAP kinase 4 regulates gene expression through transcription factor release in the nucleus , 2008, The EMBO journal.

[54]  Vitaly Citovsky,et al.  Protein Interactions Involved in Nuclear Import of the Agrobacterium VirE2 Protein in Vivo and in Vitro* , 2004, Journal of Biological Chemistry.

[55]  She Chen,et al.  A Pseudomonas syringae effector inactivates MAPKs to suppress PAMP-induced immunity in plants. , 2007, Cell host & microbe.