Abstract
Pathogens constantly attack staple crops, leading to substantial yield losses. Plant-pathogen interactions activate endogenous plant-secreted peptides, which act as immunity inducers and are promising breeding targets for enhancing crop resistance to pathogens. However, the identification and mechanisms of immunogenic peptides in staple crops remain largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrated that plant elicitor peptides (TaPeps) in wheat (Triticum aestivum), processed by a metacaspase, are competent to trigger plant immunity and contribute to resistance against Fusarium head blight (FHB). Using exogenous phytocytokine peptide screens, we identified 3 potential TaPeps acting as elicitors that significantly improve FHB resistance. Mechanistically, these elicitors activate innate immune signals and calcium dynamics in response to the Fusarium pathogen via wheat PEP RECEPTOR 1. Overexpression of endogenous PRECURSOR OF PEPs (TaPROPEPs) further reduces FHB severity. Moreover, we characterized the natural form of TaPeps in planta, revealing that the wheat Type-II metacaspase TaMCA-IIa cleaves TaPROPEPs at a conserved arginine residue, promoting TaPep maturation and immune activation. In Tamca-IIa mutants, the efficiency of TaPep maturation was decreased and calcium dynamics were impaired, resulting in FHB susceptibility. Conversely, overexpressing TaMCA-IIa in wheat enhanced the immune response and FHB resistance without causing pleiotropic growth penalties. Our findings highlight TaPeps as potential immune-inducing biologicals for crop protection and uncover the metacaspase-Peps-receptor module in mediating plant disease resistance.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Processed TaPeps trigger wheat immunity and contribute to FHB resistance.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivumt0 - Gene
- TaPepse0
- Outcome
- plant immunitye0
FusariumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“plant elicitor peptides (TaPeps) in wheat (Triticum aestivum), processed by a metacaspase, are competent to trigger plant immunity and contribute to resistance against Fusarium head blight (FHB).”
t0“wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Three TaPeps significantly improved FHB resistance.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- TaPepse0
- Outcome
- FHB resistancee0
- Direction
- improvee0
- Value
- 3 potential TaPepse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“3 potential TaPeps acting as elicitors that significantly improve FHB resistance.”
t0“wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
TaPep elicitors activate innate immune signals and calcium dynamics through wheat PEP RECEPTOR 1 in response to Fusarium.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Gene
- wheat PEP RECEPTOR 1e0
- Outcome
- innate immune signals and calcium dynamicse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“these elicitors activate innate immune signals and calcium dynamics in response to the Fusarium pathogen via wheat PEP RECEPTOR 1.”
t0“wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
TaPROPEP overexpression reduces FHB severity.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Overexpression of endogenous PRECURSOR OF PEPs (TaPROPEPs)e0
- Gene
- TaPROPEPse0
- Outcome
- FHB severitye0
- Direction
- reducese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Overexpression of endogenous PRECURSOR OF PEPs (TaPROPEPs) further reduces FHB severity.”
t0“wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
TaMCA-IIa cleaves TaPROPEPs at conserved arginine, promoting TaPep maturation and immune activation.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Gene
- TaMCA-IIae0
- Outcome
- TaPep maturation and immune activatione0
- Qualifier
- cleaves TaPROPEPs at a conserved arginine residuee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the wheat Type-II metacaspase TaMCA-IIa cleaves TaPROPEPs at a conserved arginine residue, promoting TaPep maturation and immune activation.”
t0“wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Tamca-IIa mutants had decreased TaPep maturation efficiency.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Material
- Tamca-IIa mutantse0
- Outcome
- efficiency of TaPep maturatione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In Tamca-IIa mutants, the efficiency of TaPep maturation was decreased and calcium dynamics were impaired, resulting in FHB susceptibility.”
t0“wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Tamca-IIa mutants had impaired calcium dynamics and FHB susceptibility.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Material
- Tamca-IIa mutantse0
- Interactor
- FHBe0pathogen
- Outcome
- calcium dynamics were impaired, resulting in FHB susceptibilitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In Tamca-IIa mutants, the efficiency of TaPep maturation was decreased and calcium dynamics were impaired, resulting in FHB susceptibility.”
t0“wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
TaMCA-IIa overexpression enhanced immune response and FHB resistance without growth penalties.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- overexpressing TaMCA-IIae0
- Gene
- TaMCA-IIae0
- Outcome
- immune response and FHB resistancee0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- without causing pleiotropic growth penaltiese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“overexpressing TaMCA-IIa in wheat enhanced the immune response and FHB resistance without causing pleiotropic growth penalties.”
t0“wheat”
The same questions in other papers
resistance inducer · disease · Triticum aestivum (wheat)Positive and negative results
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- no effect
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- positive
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See all 10 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.