Karrikin and strigolactone signalling affect pattern-triggered immunity and resistance to specific pathogens

Abstract

Hormone signalling is important for plant adaptation to biotic stress. Karrikins (KARs), smoke-derived compounds, and strigolactones (SLs), endogenous plant hormones, are families of butenolide mole-cules, sharing a convergent perception and signalling pathway to regulate a plethora of developmental processes and plant-symbiont relationships. Perception of KARs and SLs is mediated by the /{beta}-hydro-lase KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) and DWARF14 (D14), respectively, each resulting in the for-mation of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex with the F-Box protein MORE AXILLIARY GROWTH 2 (MAX2) to target transcriptional repressors of the SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 (SMAX)/SMAX-LIKE (SMXL) family for degradation. Most likely, KAI2 additionally perceives a still elusive endogenous ligand (KAI2-ligand, KL). Recent reports suggest a role of KL/SL signalling in plant immunity, but how these pathways are involved in defence, while balancing appropriate symbiont interactions remains largely unknown. Here, we report that KL and SL signalling quantitatively modulate plant immune responses and pathogen re-sistance. In Arabidopsis thaliana (hereafter Arabidopsis), disrupting or de-repressing KL or SL signalling affects plant susceptibility to a variety of plant pathogens. Furthermore, we describe a previously un-known role for KL and SL signalling in modulating pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Interfering with KL and SL perception in Arabidopsis had similar effects on microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-triggered reactive oxygen species production, but transcriptomic profiling suggests a predominant role for KL signalling in regulating the extent of PTI. Importantly, KAI2- and D14-mediated regulation of MAMP-triggered ROS production extends to Lotus japonicus and, in the case of KAI2, to Nicotiana benthamiana, indicating conserved immuno-modulatory roles across dicotyledonous lineages. Together our data identify KL and SL signalling, with a predominant role for the KL pathway, as a conserved modulatory layer of plant immunity and provides a framework for understanding how developmental pathways intersect with immune regulation.