PI CBGP: Antonio Molina

Plant innate Immunity and Resistance to Necrotrophic Fungi

Co-PI CBGP: Lucia Jordá

PI CEPLAS: Markus Pauly

Co-PI CEPLAS: Vicente Ramírez

Project summary:

The plant immune system perceives diverse carbohydrate ligands from plant and microbial cell walls through extracellular ectodomains (ECDs) of Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs), which activate Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI) and disease resistance. Among these ligands are oligosaccharides derived from mixed-linked β-1,3/β-1,4-glucans (MLGs) which are main components of plant (cereals) walls and microbial extracellular layers. The mechanisms of MLGs perception by PRRs are poorly characterized, though several Arabidopsis receptor kinases (RKs) with Leucine-Rich-Repeat (LRR) and Malectin (MAL) domains in their ECDs have been described to be required for MLGs perception, but their functions in crops PTI have not been characterized. Moreover, the mechanisms of MLGs biosynthesis in plants and microbes are not well determined. The MLG-BIOPROTECT proposal uses synthetic biology approaches in heterologous system (yeast) to produce active MLGs and structurally related glycans that would be perceived by the plant immune system. Also, we will use genetic, genomic and heterologous expression approaches to identify crop RKs required for MLG perception and disease resistance activation. Knowledge acquired in MLG-BIOPROTECT will allow the development of sustainable crop protection solutions by using the MLGs identified as biostimulants triggering crops PTI.