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Putative members of the Arabidopsis Nup107-160 nuclear pore sub-complex contribute to pathogen defense

Marcel Wiermer1, Yu Ti Cheng, Julia Imkampe

  • 1Michael Smith Laboratories, Room 301, 2185 East Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. wiermer@uni-goettingen.de

The Plant Journal : for Cell and Molecular Biology
|February 1, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Nuclear pore complex proteins Nup160 and Seh1 are crucial for plant immunity in Arabidopsis, regulating mRNA export and defense signaling pathways. Defects in these nucleoporins impair basal resistance and EDS1-mediated immunity.

Area of Science:

  • Plant molecular biology
  • Cellular and nuclear transport
  • Plant immunity and defense signaling

Background:

  • Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), built from nucleoporin proteins (Nups), mediate nucleocytoplasmic transport essential for gene expression.
  • Arabidopsis MOS3 (a Nup96 homolog) is vital for plant immunity, particularly for resistance mediated by the Toll interleukin-1 receptor/nucleotide-binding/leucine-rich repeat (TNL) immune receptor snc1.
  • Vertebrate Nup96 is part of the Nup107-160 complex, involved in mRNA export and immunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of additional subunits of the predicted Arabidopsis Nup107-160 complex in plant immunity.
  • To determine the specific contributions of Nup160 and Seh1 to basal, constitutive (snc1-mediated), and TNL-type R gene-triggered resistance.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of Nup160 and Seh1 in plant defense.

Main Methods:

  • Reverse genetics approach using Arabidopsis mutants with defects in putative Nup107-160 complex members.
  • Phenotypic analysis of plant immunity, including basal resistance and resistance mediated by specific immune receptors (snc1, TNL-type R genes, coiled-coil type receptors).
  • Molecular analysis of mRNA export (poly(A) mRNA localization) and protein levels of key defense regulators (e.g., EDS1).

Main Results:

  • Mutants with defects in Nup160 or Seh1, in addition to MOS3, showed impaired basal resistance.
  • Constitutive resistance in snc1 mutants and TNL-type R gene-mediated immunity were dependent on Nup160 and partially on Seh1.
  • Resistance mediated by coiled-coil type immune receptors was largely independent of Nup160 and Seh1, highlighting specificity.
  • nup160 and seh1 mutants exhibited nuclear poly(A) mRNA accumulation, indicating defects in mRNA export.
  • nup160 mutants showed significant depletion of EDS1, a critical regulator of plant immunity.

Conclusions:

  • Nup160 and Seh1 are key components of the Arabidopsis Nup107-160 complex required for plant immunity.
  • Nup160 plays a critical role in nuclear mRNA export and the full expression of EDS1-dependent resistance pathways.
  • These findings reveal specific roles for nucleoporins in plant defense signaling, distinct from their general role in nucleocytoplasmic transport.

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