Plants and animals recognize microbial invaders by detecting microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) by cell surface receptors. Many plant species of the Solanaceae family detect the highly conserved nucleic acid binding motif RNP-1 of bacterial cold-shock proteins (CSPs), represented by the peptide csp22, as a MAMP. Here, we exploited the natural variation in csp22 perception observed between cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and Solanum pennellii to map and identify the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) receptor kinase CORE (cold shock protein receptor) of tomato as the specific, high-affinity receptor site for csp22. Corroborating its function as a genuine receptor, heterologous expression of CORE in Arabidopsis thaliana conferred full sensitivity to csp22 and, importantly, it also rendered these plants more resistant to infection by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. Our study also confirms the biotechnological potential of enhancing plant immunity by interspecies transfer of highly effective pattern-recognition receptors such as CORE to different plant families.

The discovery in tomato of systemin, the first plant peptide hormone, was a fundamental change for the concept of plant hormones. Numerous other peptides have since been shown to play regulatory roles in many aspects of the plant life, including growth, development, fertilization and interactions with symbiotic organisms. Systemin, an 18 amino acid peptide derived from a larger precursor protein , was proposed to act as the spreading signal that triggers systemic defence responses observed in plants after wounding or attack by herbivores. Further work culminated in the identification of a leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase (LRR-RK) as the systemin receptor 160 (SR160). SR160 is a tomato homologue of Brassinosteroid Insensitive 1 (BRI1), which mediates the regulation of growth and development in response to the steroid hormone brassinolide. However, a role of SR160/BRI1 as systemin receptor could not be corroborated by others. Here, we demonstrate that perception of systemin depends on a pair of distinct LRR-RKs termed SYR1 and SYR2. SYR1 acts as a genuine systemin receptor that binds systemin with high affinity and specificity. Further, we show that presence of SYR1, although not decisive for local and systemic wound responses, is important for defence against insect herbivory.

Aquaporins (AQPs) are multifunctional membrane channels and facilitate the transport of water across plant cell membranes. Among the plant AQPs, plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), which cluster in two phylogenetic groups (PIP1 and PIP2), play a key role in plant growth. Our previous work has indicated that RhPIP2;1, a member of PIP2, is involved in ethylene-regulated cell expansion of rose petals. However, whether PIP1s also play a role in petal expansion is still unclear. Here, we identified RhPIP1;1, a PIP1 subfamily member, from 18 PIPs assemble transcripts in rose microarray database responsive to ethylene. RhPIP1;1 was rapidly and significantly down-regulated by ethylene treatment. RhETRs-silencing also clearly decreased the expression of RhPIP1;1 in rose petals. The activity of the RhPIP1;1 promoter was repressed by ethylene in rosettes and roots of Arabidopsis. RhPIP1;1 is mainly localized on endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane. We demonstrated that RhPIP1;1-silencing significantly inhibited the expansion of petals with decreased petal size and cell area, as well as reduced fresh weight when compared to controls. Expression of RhPIP1;1 in Xenopus oocytes indicated that RhPIP1;1 was inactive in terms of water transport, while coexpression of RhPIP1;1 with the functional RhPIP2;1 led to a significant increase in plasma membrane permeability. Yeast growth, β-Galactosidase activity, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and colocalization assay proved existence of the interaction between RhPIP1;1 and RhPIP2;1. We argue that RhPIP1;1 plays an important role in ethylene-regulated petal cell expansion, at least partially through the interaction with RhPIP2;1.

Herbivore-induced plant volatiles regulate defenses in undamaged neighboring plants. Understanding the mechanisms by which plant volatiles are taken up, perceived, and translated into canonical defense signaling pathways is an important frontier of knowledge. Volatiles can enter plants through stomata and the cuticle. They are likely perceived by membrane-associated receptors as well as intracellular receptors. The latter likely involves metabolization and transport across cell membranes by volatile transporters. Translation of volatiles into defense priming and induction typically involves mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), WRKY transcription factors, and jasmonates. We propose that the broad range of molecular processes involved in volatile signaling will likely result in substantial spatiotemporal and ontogenetic variation in plant responsiveness to volatiles, with important consequences for plant–environment interactions.

Plants perceive herbivore-induced volatiles and respond to them by upregulating their defenses. So far, the organs responsible for volatile perception remain poorly described. Here, we show that responsiveness to the herbivore-induced green leaf volatile (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate (HAC) in terms of volatile emission, transcriptional regulation and defense hormone activation is largely constrained to younger maize leaves. Older leaves are much less sensitive to HAC. In a given leaf, responsiveness to HAC is high at immature developmental stages and drops off rapidly during maturation. Responsiveness to the non-volatile elicitor ZmPep3 shows an opposite pattern, demonstrating that hyposmia is not driven by defective canonical defense signaling. Neither stomatal conductance nor leaf cuticle composition explain the unresponsiveness of older leaves to HAC, suggesting perception mechanisms upstream of canonical defense signaling as driving factors. In conclusion, our work identifies immature maize leaves as dominant HAC sensing organs. The tight spatiotemporal control of volatile perception may facilitate within-plant defense signaling to protect young leaves, and may allow plants with complex architectures to explore the dynamic odor landscapes at the outer periphery of their shoots.