Open AccessThe role of lipopolysaccharides in induction of plant defence responses
Author(s) -
Erbs Gitte,
Newman MariAnne
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
molecular plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.945
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1364-3703
pISSN - 1464-6722
DOI - 10.1046/j.1364-3703.2003.00179.x
Subject(s) - biology , bacteria , signal transduction , bacterial outer membrane , microbiology and biotechnology , plant defense against herbivory , pathogenesis , pathogen , antimicrobial , defence mechanisms , transduction (biophysics) , hypersensitive response , gram negative bacteria , gene , plant disease resistance , immunology , botany , biochemistry , genetics , escherichia coli
SUMMARY Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are ubiquitous, indispensable components of the cell surface of Gram‐negative bacteria that apparently have diverse roles in bacterial pathogenesis of plants. As an outer membrane component, LPS may contribute to the exclusion of plant‐derived antimicrobial compounds promoting the ability of a bacterial plant pathogen to infect plants. In contrast, LPS can be recognized by plants to directly trigger some plant defence‐related responses. LPS also sensitize plant tissue to respond more rapidly or to a greater extent to subsequently inoculated phytopathogenic bacteria. Sensitization is manifested by an accelerated synthesis of antimicrobial hydroxycinnamoyl‐tyramine conjugates, in the expression patterns of genes coding for some pathogenesis‐related (PR) proteins, and prevention of the hypersensitive reaction caused by avirulent bacteria. The description at the molecular level of the various effects of LPS on plants is a necessary step towards an understanding of the signal transduction mechanisms through which LPS triggers these responses. A definition of these signal transduction pathways should allow an assessment of the contribution that LPS signalling makes to plant disease resistance in both natural infections and biocontrol.