A multi-disciplinary approach to understand anti-bacterial plant immunity

Thursday, July 17, 2025

08:40 - 09:05

Location: Confex Hall 1+2

Author(s)

MS

Meng Shen

1. Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
PM

Pei Mao

Yazhouwan National Laboratory, Hainan, China
HW

Haijun Wang

College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
WW

Wei Wang

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
YZ

Yangan Zheng

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Author(s)

MH

Meijuan Hu

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Beijing, CHINA
JW

Jiayu Wang

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Author(s)

XL

Xiaoguang Lei

College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
KH

Kangmin He

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Speaker(s)

JZ

Jian-Min Zhou

Yazhouwan National Laboratory
Beijing

The plant immune system employs cell surface pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) and intracellular nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich receptors (NLRs) to perceive danger signals from pathogen assaults and initiate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Recent advances in structure biology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics are rapidly advancing our understanding of plant immune signaling mediated by various receptors. Compared to pathogen recognition and immune signaling, much less is known about how the plant immune system stops pathogen progression. We have been collaborating with chemists to identify plant metabolites and mechanisms involved in disease resistance against phytopathogenic bacteria. We will discuss our recent discovery of an ancient phytoalexin, erucamide, which underlies anti-bacterial PTI, and highlight the importance of anti-virulence in disease resistance. In addition, we have been working with structure biologists, biophysicists and cell biologists to investigate the model NLR protein ZAR1, which indirectly recognizes a plethora of pathogen effectors and execute immune signaling. The collaborative work led to the discovery that the activated ZAR1 protein forms an oligomeric resistosome that functions as an ion channel to conduct Ca2+ influx that is crucial for immune signaling. We will discuss our progress on the regulation of the ZAR1 resistosome assembly in the plasma membrane and highlight the importance of membrane-membrane contacts in the process.