A phosphorelay circuit drives extracellular alkalinization in receptor kinase-mediated immune and cell-wall damage signaling.
Zhai K, Derbyshire P, Zhang S, Choi S, Wang L
Plant Signaling
Tomatoes, peppers, and wheat in farms worldwide rely on this exact molecular alarm system to fight off bacteria and fungi — understanding it opens the door to crops that defend themselves better without needing as many pesticides.
When a plant detects a germ or gets physically damaged, it needs to quickly spread the alarm to its cells. This study found that plants do this partly by changing the chemistry of the fluid outside their cells — making it less acidic — through a specific chain of protein switches. That chemical change turns out to be a crucial part of how the plant activates its immune system, not just a side effect.
Key Findings
A phosphorelay signaling circuit (a chain of proteins passing chemical tags) drives extracellular alkalinization downstream of cell-surface immune receptors
The mechanism works by inhibiting autoinhibited H+-ATPase proton pumps, reducing acid secretion and raising extracellular pH
Extracellular alkalinization functions as an active signaling component in both pathogen-triggered immunity (PTI) and cell-wall damage responses, not merely a passive byproduct
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered how plants sound a molecular alarm when attacked by pathogens or damaged: a chain of protein signals blocks an acid pump on cell surfaces, making the fluid around cells more alkaline. This pH shift acts as a key messenger that helps plants mount their immune response.
Abstract Preview
Extracellular alkalinization has long been recognized as a hallmark of plant cell-surface receptor activation, including during pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), yet the mechanisms driving elicitor...
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