Poster: Molecular & Cellular Plant-Microbe Interactions: Biochemistry & Cell Biology
688-P
Identification of essential protein machinery involved in the plant disease resistance-signaling node in Arabidopsis, NDR1.
A. CORRION (1), B. Day (2), (1) Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, U.S.A.; (2) Michigan State University, U.S.A.
Plant disease epidemics result in an estimated $200 billion in crop losses globally each year. To understand how plants and pathogens interact, and moreover, to develop a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that drive pathogen virulence and adaptation, research in our group is focused on the molecular-genetic processes underpinning host resistance. To do this, we use the Arabidopsis thaliana – Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst DC3000) pathosystem to study the role of non-host disease resistance-1 (NDR1), a key regulator of the of the disease signaling network of CC-NB-LRR (coiled-coil nucleotide binding leucine rich repeat) resistance (R) proteins. In the current study, we present a comprehensive analysis, utilizing a combination of genetic-, biochemical- and cell biology-based approaches to identify and define the NDR1 interactome. In brief, we utilized immunoprecipitation methods, coupled with liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy, to identify a list of candidate interacting proteins. Through this approach, we have identified a family of proteins that interact with NDR1 directly in planta, and have begun to characterize the role of these interactions in the NDR1-dependent resistance-signaling pathway. Data will be presented that provides support for a model that posits NDR1’s association with key, Rho-related GTPases from plants (ROPs), plasma membrane-localized signaling proteins involved in the resistance to Pst DC3000.