Biology subjects

Maroschek, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Maroschek, J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

MIK2 clade receptor function in perception of a Fusarium-derived elicitor is conserved among different plant families

Plants continuously monitor their environment to adapt to threats affecting health and fitness. Cell-surface receptors detect conserved microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) or endogenous immunogenic signals to activate signaling pathways that induce broad-spectrum disease resistance, known as pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). In Arabidopsis thaliana, the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase MIK2 emerged as a versatile receptor involved in perceiving endogenous SCOOP peptides as well as potential MAMPs derived from Fusarium and related fungi. While SCOOP perception appears restricted to Brassicales, the Fusarium-derived elicitor triggers PTI-responses across different plant lineages. Here, we demonstrate that Fusarium elicitor-responsiveness and MIK2-clade proteins are conserved among seed plants. We identified a tomato MIK2-clade receptor that shares AtMIK2 properties in perceiving the Fusarium elicitor, but not SCOOPs. Tomato mutants lacking the receptor show compromised PTI-responses to the fungal elicitor and increased susceptibility to Fusarium oxysporum. By integrating AI-assisted structural prediction with experimental data, we identify conserved and variable residues in Arabidopsis and tomato MIK2-clade receptors that may underlie shared and lineage-specific recognition specificities. Together, these findings establish MIK2-clade receptors as immune surveillance modules that have undergone lineage-specific diversification, supporting a model in which endogenous danger perception might have evolved from an ancestral role in microbial pattern recognition.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Phytocytokine signaling integrates cell surface immunity and nitrogen limitation

Plant endogenous signaling peptides shape growth, development and adaptations to biotic and abiotic stress. Here, we identified C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDEs (CEPs) as novel immune-modulatory peptides (phytocytokines) in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our data reveals that CEPs induce immune outputs and are required to mount resistance against the leaf-infecting bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. We show that effective immunity requires CEP perception by tissue-specific CEP RECEPTOR 1 (CEPR1) and CEPR2. Moreover, we identified the related RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE 7 (RLK7) as a novel CEP4-specific CEP receptor contributing to CEP-mediated immunity, suggesting a complex interplay of multiple CEP ligands and receptors in different tissues during biotic stress. CEPs have a known role in the regulation of root growth and systemic nitrogen (N)-demand signaling. We now provide evidence that CEPs and their receptors promote immunity in an N status-dependent manner, suggesting a previously unknown molecular crosstalk between plant nutrition and cell surface immunity. We propose that CEPs and their receptors are central regulators for the adaptation of biotic stress responses to plant-available resources.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2019

The Arabidopsis leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase MIK2 is a crucial component of pattern-triggered immunity responses to Fusarium fungi

Fusarium is a genus of fungi causing severe economic damage in many crop species exemplified by Fusarium Head Blight of wheat or Panama Disease of banana. Plants sense immunogenic patterns (termed elicitors) at the cell surface contributing to disease resistance via the activation of pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Knowledge of such elicitors or corresponding plant immunity components is largely lacking for Fusarium species. We describe a new peptide elicitor fraction present in several Fusarium spp. which elicits canonical PTI responses in Arabidopsis thaliana but depends on a currently unknown perception mechanism. We therefore employed a forward-genetics screen using Arabidopsis plants containing a cytosolic calcium reporter (apoaequorin) to isolate fere (Fusarium Elicitor Reduced Elicitation) mutants. The fere1 mutant showed impaired PTI marker responses to an enriched elicitor fraction derived from Fusarium oxysporum but normal responses to other fungal elicitors. We mapped the causal mutation to the receptor-like kinase MIK2 (MALE DISCOVERER1-INTERACTING RECEPTOR LIKE KINASE 2) with a hitherto undescribed role in PTI pathways but documented functions in other cell surface signalling pathways. The strength of the phenotype in fere1 and independent mik2 mutants supports that MIK2 is a new key component in sensing Fusarium. Fusarium elicitor responses also partially depend on PTI signalling components known for other cell surface elicitor responses such as BAK1, BIK1, PBL1, FERONIA, LLG1 and RBOHD. This shows that Arabidopsis senses Fusarium by a novel receptor complex at the cell surface that feeds into common PTI pathways and positions MIK2 as a central player that potentially integrates plant endogenous signals with biotic and abiotic stress responses.

plant biology↗