Biology subjects

Schattat, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Schattat, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Chloroplast movement and positioning protein CHUP1 is required for focal immunity against Phytophthora infestans

Communication between cellular organelles is essential for mounting effective innate immune responses to eliminate pathogens. In plants, the transport of cellular organelles to pathogen penetration sites and their assembly around the host membrane delineating plant-pathogen interface are well-documented. However, whether organelles associate with these specialized plant-pathogen membrane interfaces and the extent to which this process contributes to immunity remain unknown. Here, we discovered defense-related membrane contact sites (MCS) comprising a membrane tethering complex between chloroplasts and the extrahaustorial membrane (EHM) surrounding the pathogen haustorium. The assembly of this membrane tethering complex relies on the association between the chloroplast outer envelope protein CHLOROPLAST UNUSUAL POSITIONING 1 (CHUP1), and its plasma membrane-associated partner, KINESIN-LIKE PROTEIN FOR ACTIN-BASED CHLOROPLAST MOVEMENT 1 (KAC1). Our biochemical assays revealed that CHUP1 and KAC1 interact, while infection cell biology demonstrated their co-accumulation in foci where chloroplasts contact the EHM. Genetic depletion of CHUP1 or KAC1 reduces the deposition of callose--a cell wall material typically deployed to fortify pathogen penetration resistance--around the haustorium, without affecting other core immune processes. Our findings suggest that the chloroplast-EHM attachment complex positively regulates plant focal immunity, revealing the key components and their potential roles in the targeted deposition of defense components at the pathogen interface. These results advance our understanding of organelle-mediated immune responses and highlight the significance of MCS in plant-pathogen interactions.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

LC-MS Based Draft Map of the Arabidopsis thaliana Nuclear Proteome and Protein Import in Pattern Triggered Immunity

Despite its central role as the ark of genetic information and gene expression the plant nucleus is surprisingly understudied. We isolated nuclei from the Arabidopsis thaliana dark grown cell culture left untreated and treated with flg22 and nlp20, two elicitors of pattern triggered immunity (PTI) in plants, respectively. An LC-MS based discovery proteomics approach was used to measure the nuclear proteome fractions. An enrichment score based on the relative abundance of cytoplasmic, mitochondrial and golgi markers in the nuclear protein fraction allowed us to curate the nuclear proteome producing high quality catalogs of around 3,000 nuclear proteins under untreated and both PTI conditions. The measurements also covered low abundant proteins including more than 100 transcription factors and transcriptional co-activators. Protein import into the nucleus in plant immunity is known. Here we sought to gain a broader impression of this phenomenon employing our proteomics data and found 157 and 73 proteins to be putatively imported into the nucleus upon stimulus with flg22 and nlp20, respectively. Furthermore, the abundance of 93 proteins changed significantly in the nucleus following elicitation of immunity. These results suggest promiscuous ribosome assembly and retrograde signaling from the mitochondrion to the nucleus including Prohibitins and Cytochrome C, in the two forms of PTI.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Chloroplasts navigate towards the pathogen interface to counteract infection by the Irish potato famine pathogen

Upon immune activation, chloroplasts switch off photosynthesis, produce anti-microbial compounds, and associate with the nucleus through tubular extensions called stromules. Although it is well-established that chloroplasts alter their position in response to light, little is known about the dynamics of chloroplasts movement in response to pathogen attack. Here, we report that chloroplasts accumulate at the pathogen interface during infection by the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans, associating with the specialized membrane that engulfs the pathogen haustorium. Chemical inhibition of actin polymerization reduces the accumulation of chloroplasts at the pathogen haustoria, suggesting this process is partially dependent on the actin cytoskeleton. However, chloroplast accumulation at haustoria does not necessarily rely on movement of the nucleus to this interface and is not affected by light conditions. Stromules are typically induced during infection, embracing haustoria and interconnecting chloroplasts, to form dynamic organelle clusters. We found that infection-triggered stromule formation relies on BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1-ASSOCIATED KINASE 1 (BAK1) mediated surface immune signaling, whereas chloroplast repositioning towards haustoria does not. Consistent with the defense-related induction of stromules, effector mediated suppression of BAK1 mediated immune signaling reduced stromule formation during infection. On the other hand, immune recognition of the same effector stimulated stromules, presumably via a different pathway. These findings implicate chloroplasts in a polarized response upon pathogen attack and point to more complex functions of these organelles in plant-pathogen interactions.

plant biology↗