Linking ligand perception by PEPR pattern recognition receptors to cytosolic Ca2+ elevation and downstream immune signaling in plants

Little is known about molecular steps linking perception of pathogen invasion by cell surface sentry proteins acting as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to downstream cytosolic Ca2+ elevation, a critical step in plant immune signaling cascades. Some PRRs recognize molecules (such as flagellin) associated with microbial pathogens (pathogen-associated molecular patterns, PAMPs), whereas others bind endogenous plant compounds (damage-associated molecular patterns, DAMPs) such as peptides released from cells upon attack. This work focuses on the Arabidopsis DAMPs plant elicitor peptides (Peps) and their receptors, PEPR1 and PEPR2. Pep application causes in vivo cGMP generation and downstream signaling that is lost when the predicted PEPR receptor guanylyl cyclase (GC) active site is mutated. Pep-induced Ca2+ elevation is attributable to cGMP activation of a Ca2+ channel. Some differences were identified between Pep/PEPR signaling and the Ca2+-dependent immune signaling initiated by the flagellin peptide flg22 and its cognate receptor Flagellin-sensing 2 (FLS2). FLS2 signalingmay have a greater requirement for intracellular Ca2+ stores and inositol phosphate signaling, whereas Pep/PEPR signaling requires extracellular Ca2+. Maximal FLS2 signaling requires a functional Pep/PEPR system. This dependence was evidenced as a requirement for functional PEPR receptors for maximal flg22-dependent Ca2+ elevation, H2O2 generation, defense gene [WRKY33 and Plant Defensin 1.2 (PDF1.2)] expression, and flg22/FLS2-dependent impairment of pathogen growth. In a corresponding fashion, FLS2 loss of function impaired Pep signaling. In addition, a role for PAMP and DAMP perception in bolstering effector-triggered immunity (ETI) is reported; loss of function of either FLS2 or PEPR receptors impaired the hypersensitive response (HR) to an avirulent pathogen.