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Plants detect conserved microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) and modified self molecules produced during pathogen infection [danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)] with plasma membrane-resident pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). PRR-mediated MAMP and/or DAMP perception activates signal transduction cascades, transcriptional reprogramming and plant immune responses collectively referred to as pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Potential sources for MAMPs and DAMPs are microbial and plant cell walls, which are complex extracellular matrices composed of different carbohydrates and glycoproteins. Mixed linkage beta-1,3/1,4-glucan (beta-1,3/1,4-MLG) oligosaccharides are abundant components of monocot plant cell walls and are present in symbiotic, pathogenic and apathogenic fungi, oomycetes and bacteria, but have not been detected in the cell walls of dicot plant species so far. Here, we provide evidence that the monocot crop plant H. vulgare and the dicot A. thaliana can perceive beta-1,3/1,4-MLG oligosaccharides and react with prototypical PTI responses. A collection of Arabidopsis innate immunity signaling mutants and >100 Arabidopsis ecotypes showed unaltered responses upon treatment with beta-1,3/1,4-MLG oligosaccharides suggesting the employment of a so far unknown and highly conserved perception machinery. In conclusion, we postulate that beta-1,3/1,4-MLG oligosaccharides have the dual capacity to act as immune-active DAMPs and/or MAMPs in monocot and dicot plant species.

Plants detect conserved microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) and modified self molecules produced during pathogen infection [danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)] with plasma membrane-resident pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). PRR-mediated MAMP and/or DAMP perception activates signal transduction cascades, transcriptional reprogramming and plant immune responses collectively referred to as pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Potential sources for MAMPs and DAMPs are microbial and plant cell walls, which are complex extracellular matrices composed of different carbohydrates and glycoproteins. Mixed linkage beta-1,3/1,4-glucan (beta-1,3/1,4-MLG) oligosaccharides are abundant components of monocot plant cell walls and are present in symbiotic, pathogenic and apathogenic fungi, oomycetes and bacteria, but have not been detected in the cell walls of dicot plant species so far. Here, we provide evidence that the monocot crop plant H. vulgare and the dicot A. thaliana can perceive beta-1,3/1,4-MLG oligosaccharides and react with prototypical PTI responses. A collection of Arabidopsis innate immunity signaling mutants and >100 Arabidopsis ecotypes showed unaltered responses upon treatment with beta-1,3/1,4-MLG oligosaccharides suggesting the employment of a so far unknown and highly conserved perception machinery. In conclusion, we postulate that beta-1,3/1,4-MLG oligosaccharides have the dual capacity to act as immune-active DAMPs and/or MAMPs in monocot and dicot plant species.

Plant innate immunity relies on a set of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that respond to ligands known as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) [1-3]. To overcome such immunity, phytopathogenic bacteria deliver virulence molecules called effector proteins into the plant cell that collectively promote pathogenesis [4-7]. The vast majority of PRRs controlling PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and the mechanisms used by specific effectors to suppress these pathways are mostly unknown. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis LysM receptor kinase CERK1 [8, 9], which is critical for chitin elicitor signaling and resistance to fungal pathogens, plays an essential role in restricting bacterial growth on plants. This is supported by the fact that CERK1 is a target of the bacterial type III effector protein AvrPtoB, which blocks all defense responses through this receptor. AvrPtoB ubiquitinates the CERK1 kinase domain in vitro and targets CERK1 for degradation in vivo. We show that CERK1 is a determinant of bacterial immunity, but its contribution is overcome by bacteria expressing AvrPtoB. Our results reveal a new pathway for plant immunity against bacteria and a role for AvrPtoB E3-ligase activity in suppressing PTI.