Functions of the Arabidopsis immune adaptor protein SRFR1 in regulating effector-triggered immunity

任何高等有机体的免疫系统都需要对构成威胁的微生物做出强有力的反应，同时忽视无害的微生物。从生物学上讲，这是一个重要的平衡行动。为了达到这种程度的特异性，植物进化了一种特殊的免疫反应，称为效应器触发免疫，使植物能够检测有害蛋白质，并做出防御和适当的反应；就像人类一样，过于强烈的免疫反应可能对植物自身的健康有害。为了确保最佳的免疫反应，拟南芥进化出了一种质量控制机制，其中一个关键成分是一种新的蛋白质，称为SRFR1，它在动物和植物中都是保守的。该项目将确定SRFR1是否通过与积极的免疫调节器物理结合来抑制效应器触发的免疫反应。通过结合遗传、基因组和生化技术，研究人员将确定SRFR1是如何工作的，特别是如何诱导SRFR1转换蛋白质结合伙伴，以调节植物免疫反应的不同步骤。该项目的成果包括更好地了解植物免疫信号是如何受到控制的，特别是单个蛋白质如何通过与其他蛋白质的直接和动态相互作用来调节整个信号通路。这些知识可能有助于生产对病原体具有强大抵抗力的作物，同时将对产量的负面影响降至最低。该项目的更广泛影响包括对研究生和博士后研究员的教育和培训。密苏里大学还将利用该项目进行更大规模的努力，让一年级本科生参与植物生物学的研究体验。有了植物如何抗击疾病的机械知识，社会将更好地装备起来，提高植物的自然免疫反应，这将有利于可持续农业、生物质生产和环境。

The immune system of any higher organism needs to respond vigorously to microorganisms that pose a threat while simultaneously ignoring harmless ones. Biologically speaking, this is a significant balancing act. To achieve this degree of specificity, plants have evolved a special immune response, called effector-triggered immunity, that allows the plant to detect harmful proteins and to react both defensively and appropriately; as is true with humans, an overly vigorous immune response can be harmful to a plant's own health. To ensure an optimal immune response, the plant Arabidopsis thaliana has evolved a type of "quality control" mechanism, a key component of which is a novel protein, called SRFR1, that is conserved in animals as well as plants. This project will determine whether SRFR1 dampens effector-triggered immune responses by physically binding to positive immune regulators. Through a combination of genetic, genomic, and biochemical techniques, the investigators will determine how SRFR1 works and, specifically, how SRFR1 is induced to switch protein binding partners in order to regulate different steps in the plant's immune response. The project's outcome includes a better understanding of how plant immune signaling is kept in check and, specifically, how a single protein can regulate a whole signaling pathway through direct and dynamic interactions with other proteins. This knowledge may aid efforts to produce crops with robust resistance to pathogens while minimizing negative side effects on yield.This project's broader impacts include the education and training of a graduate student and a post-doctoral researcher. The project also will be used in a larger effort by the University of Missouri to engage freshmen undergraduate students in research experiences in plant biology. With mechanistic knowledge of how plants fight off disease, society will be better equipped to boost plants' natural immune responses, which would benefit sustainable agriculture, biomass production, and the environment.