E3 ubiquitin ligases and plant innate immunity

In yeast and in animals the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is responsible for removing or modifying most abnormal peptides and also short-lived cellular regulators. The UPS therefore influences many processes such as the cell cycle, signal transduction, transcription, and stress responses including defence. In recent years, similar regulatory roles have been identified in plants. In Arabidopsis, mutations in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway block development, circadian rhythms, photomorphogenesis, floral homeosis, hormone responses, senescence, and pathogen invasion. Plants have evolved an armoury of defence mechanisms that allow them to counter infection. These encompass both basal responses, triggered by recognition of conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns, and pathogen-specific responses, mediated via pathogen- and plant-specific gene-for-gene recognition events. The role of E3 ubiquitin ligases in mediating plant defence signalling is reviewed and examples where pathogens impinge on the host's ubiquitination machinery acting as molecular mimics to undermine defence are also highlighted.