Parys et al., Cell Host & Microbe 2021 (IMAGE)
Caption
The motility of plant-colonizing bacteria is largely dependent on flagellin. In A. thaliana, a short antigenic component from flagellin, termed flg22, is sufficient to induce a plant immune response through the receptor FLS2 (flagellin sensing 2, beige) and its co-receptor BAK1 (BRI1-associated kinase 1, gray). The relevance of flagellin for motility contributes to its conservation in bacteria and places it under a negative evolutionary pressure. On the other hand, the immunogenic action on the plant receptor places flg22 under a positive evolutionary pressure as a mechanism of plant immune response evasion. Although beneficial for decreasing FLS2 stimulation, mutations to flg22 can be detrimental for bacterial motility. Hence, mutations on flg22 that promote immune evasion can also decrease virulence. Parys et al. identify in this co-evolutionary mechanism between flg22 and FLS2 a molecular form of antagonistic pleiotropy, i.e., the ability of a gene to induce opposing effects in different contexts.
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Parys/GMI/UNC-Chapel Hill
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