RGI-GOLVEN signaling promotes cell surface immune receptor abundance to regulate plant immunity

Plant immune responses must be tightly controlled for proper allocation of resources for growth and development. In plants, endogenous signaling peptides regulate developmental and growth-related processes. Recent research indicates that some of these peptides also have regulatory functions in the control of plant immune responses. This classifies these peptides as phytocytokines as they show analogies with metazoan cytokines. However, the mechanistic basis for phytocytokine-mediated regulation of plant immunity remains largely elusive. Here, we identify GOLVEN2 (GLV2) peptides as phytocytokines in Arabidopsis thaliana. GLV2 signaling enhances sensitivity of plants to elicitation with immunogenic bacterial elicitors and contributes to resistance against virulent bacterial pathogens. GLV2 is perceived by ROOT MERISTEM GROWTH FACTOR 1 INSENSITIVE (RGI) receptors. RGI mutants show reduced elicitor sensitivity and enhanced susceptibility to bacterial infection. RGI3 forms ligand-induced complexes with the pattern recognition receptor (PRR) FLAGELLIN SENSITIVE 2 (FLS2), suggesting that RGIs are part of PRR signaling platforms. GLV2-RGI signaling promotes PRR abundance independent of transcriptional regulation and controls plant immunity via a previously undescribed mechanism of phytocytokine activity.

Automated summary

Plant immune responses need to be tightly controlled for proper allocation of resources for growth and development. Recent research has discovered that some endogenous signaling peptides not only regulate plant development and growth but also play a regulatory role in plant immune responses. In this study, GLV2 peptides are identified as phytocytokines in Arabidopsis thaliana, enhancing sensitivity to bacterial elicitors and contributing to resistance against bacterial pathogens. The GLV2 signaling is perceived by RGI receptors and promotes PRR abundance independent of transcriptional regulation, controlling plant immunity through a previously undescribed phytocytokine activity mechanism.