New regulatory mechanism on plant immunity via CEP peptide

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K05597
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 39040:Plant protection science-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Toyoda Kazuhiro 岡山大学, 環境生命自然科学学域, 教授 (50294442)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 植物免疫 / 内生サプレッサー / CEP ペプチド / 免疫抑制 / シロイヌナズナ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Plants constitutively possess certain factors that negatively regulate their own immunity. These are called as endogenous suppressors (ESs). Our attempt to purify the ES from Arabidopsis Col-0 revealed CEP5 peptide as one of potential ESs. Actually, in Arabidopsis plants pretreated with synthesized CEP5 peptide, MAMP-induced ROS and callose production were severely suppressed, allowing non-adapted bacteria to cause disease symptom. In this research, we synthesized CEP1, 3 and 5 from group I (CEP1-12) and CEP14 from group II (CEP13-15) of Arabidopsis CEP peptides and demonstrated the redundancy and specificity of their role in regulating immunity and growth.

Free Research Field

植物病理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

傷害や感染時に植物体内で生成される内生エリシターについての研究例は多数あるが、植物免疫を抑制する内生サプレッサーの作用機構を明らかにしようとする研究は世界的にも少ない。このような状況の中、CEP5 ペプチドが、植物の免疫と成長を調節しうることから、それらのトレードオフを調節する有力な鍵分子であると考えられた。この研究の延長上には植物の「成長」と「防御」の人為的制御もあり、その仕組みを利用した作物生産が現実となれば食料生産に大きなインパクトを与え、波及効果は計り知れない。