An RNA binding protein phosphorylated in response to Plant Elicitor Peptides is a negative regulator of plant innate immunity.
K. DRESSANO (1), P. Weckwerth (1), S. Briggs (1), A. Huffaker (1) (1) UCSD, U.S.A.

Human population growth requires increased agricultural productivity. Strategies to minimize the losses caused by pests/pathogens are necessary. Plants can perceive molecules from foreign organisms to detect attack, and produce/recognize endogenous peptide elicitors related to the immune response. The Plant Elicitor Peptides (Peps) were discovered in Arabidopsis and regulate pathogen defense. Orthologous PROPEP genes have been discovered in over 100 plant species. In maize, ZmPep3 mediates anti-herbivore defense responses. The identification of Pep signaling pathway components will contribute to our understanding of how Peps induce resistance to pathogens and herbivores, enabling the development of strategies to improve plant immunity. To identify Pep signaling components, the profiling of rapid changes in the phosphoproteome was investigated in suspension cells of Arabidopsis and maize treated with AtPep1 and ZmPep3, respectively. One of the proteins altered in phosphorylation state in response to both treatments was an RNA recognition motif (RRM)-containing protein. Our results showed that mutants containing T-DNA insertions in the gene encoding this protein are hypersensitive to AtPep1, indicating the potential activity of RRM as a negative regulator of Pep-induced responses. We are characterizing the molecular mechanisms by which this RRM-containing protein affects Pep signaling and immunity through studies of early signaling responses and transcriptional profiling.

Abstract Number: P18-664
Session Type: Poster