Understanding How Stress Signals Work in Tomatoes

Jim Crocker
31st July, 2024

Understanding How Stress Signals Work in Tomatoes

Image Source: Natural Science News, 2024

Key Findings

  • The University of Connecticut study identified new plant elicitor peptides (Peps) in the Solanaceae family and Coffea plants
  • These Peps play a crucial role in plant defense by signaling cellular damage and activating immune responses
  • The study refined the understanding of specific amino acid residues important for Pep signaling, such as arginines, prolines, and a C-terminal asparagine
Recent research from the University of Connecticut has made significant strides in understanding the role of plant elicitor peptides (Peps) in the Solanaceae family, which includes important crops like tomatoes, tobacco, and petunias, as well as coffee plants[1]. Peps are endogenous damage-associated polypeptides that play a crucial role in plant defense mechanisms. This study identifies new putative Peps in these plants and explores their properties, providing fresh insights into how these peptides function and their evolutionary relationships. Peps are part of a broader category known as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which are molecules that signal cellular damage and activate immune responses. These signals are transduced by specific receptors called PEPRs (Pep receptors)[2]. The study from the University of Connecticut delves into the properties of newly identified Peps in the Solanaceae family and Coffea, refining our understanding of the specific amino acid residues that are important for Pep signaling. This includes several arginines, prolines that restrict peptide conformations, and a C-terminal asparagine. The degree of disorder in these peptides is also examined, which is likely important for their perception. Previous research has shown that plant elicitor peptides (Peps) are crucial for inducing defense responses such as hormone production and the activation of defensive genes[3]. In solanaceous plants, systemin, an 18-amino-acid peptide hormone, plays a similar role by coordinating local and systemic immune responses[4]. The new study builds on these findings by identifying additional Peps in Solanaceae and Coffea, expanding our understanding of the Pep signaling system. The study also challenges some of the evolutionary relationships between Peps in Solanaceae and specific Arabidopsis Peps that have been published in previous literature. For instance, it questions the naming of SlPep (a Pep in tomato) as SlPep6 due to the lack of conservation of protein sequences between AtPROPEP6 (an Arabidopsis Pep) and SlPROPEP (the precursor protein for SlPep). This suggests that SlPep probably does not have two receptors in tomato, based on phylogenetic analysis. By identifying new putative Peps and refining the understanding of their properties, this study advances our knowledge of the Pep signaling system in Solanaceae. This has important implications for improving crop resistance to pathogens and pests, which is crucial for agriculture. The findings could lead to the development of new strategies for enhancing plant immunity, ultimately contributing to more resilient crops and better food security. In summary, the University of Connecticut's research provides valuable insights into the role of Peps in plant defense mechanisms, particularly in the Solanaceae family and Coffea. By identifying new Peps and refining the understanding of their properties and evolutionary relationships, this study advances our knowledge of plant immunity and opens up new avenues for improving crop resistance.

GeneticsBiochemPlant Science

References

Main Study

1) Pathogen elicitor peptide (pep), systemin, and their receptors in tomato: sequence analysis sheds light on standing disagreements about biotic stress signaling components

Published 30th July, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05403-y

Related Studies

2) Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) in Plant Innate Immunity: Applying the Danger Model and Evolutionary Perspectives.

https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-phyto-082718-100146

3) Plant Elicitor Peptide (Pep) Signaling and Pathogen Defense in Tomato.

https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12152856

4) Systemin-mediated long-distance systemic defense responses.

https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16495


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