The bacterial lipopeptide surfactin targets the lipid fraction of the plant plasma membrane to trigger immune-related defence responses
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: The lipopeptide surfactin secreted by plant-beneficial bacilli has crucial biological functions among which the ability to stimulate immune-related responses in host tissues. This phenomenon is important for biological control of plant diseases but its molecular basis is still poorly understood. In this work, we used various approaches to study the mechanism governing the perception of this biosurfactant at the plant cell surface. Combining data on oxidative burst induction in tobacco cells, structure/activity relationship, competitive inhibition, insertion kinetics within plant membranes and thermodynamic determination of binding parameters on model membranes globally indicates that surfactin perception relies on a lipid-driven process at the plasma membrane level. Such a sensor role of the lipid bilayer is quite uncommon considering that plant basal immunity is usually triggered upon recognition of microbial molecular patterns by high-affinity proteic receptors.
Source: Cellular Microbiology
Authors: Guillaume Henry, Magali Deleu, Emmanuel Jourdan, Philippe Thonart, Marc Ongena
Institutions: University of Liège, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: Interreg
OpenAlex ID: W1495947039