Membrane Trafficking in Plant Immunity
Yangnan Gu1, Raul Zavaliev2, Xinnian Dong2
1Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China; Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Abstract:
Plants employ sophisticated mechanisms to interact with pathogenic as well as beneficial microbes. Of those, membrane trafficking is key in establishing a rapid and precise response. Upon interaction with pathogenic microbes, surface-localized immune receptors undergo endocytosis for signal transduction and activity regulation while cell wall components, antimicrobial compounds, and defense proteins are delivered to pathogen invasion sites through polarized secretion. To sustain mutualistic associations, host cells also reprogram the membrane trafficking system to accommodate invasive structures of symbiotic microbes. Here, we provide an analysis of recent advances in understanding the roles of secretory and endocytic membrane trafficking pathways in plant immune activation. We also discuss strategies deployed by adapted microbes to manipulate these pathways to subvert or inhibit plant defense.
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