Plant Signaling

As multicellular organisms, plants constantly perceive their environment and respond appropriately, which is required for their survival, as well as the coordination of their growth and development. In particular, we are focusing on cell surface-localised immune receptors, called pattern recognition receptors, that perceive microbe-derived or endogenous patterns to activate innate immune responses.

Plant pattern recognition receptors are receptor kinases or are part of receptor kinase complexes, and thus offer exquisite model systems to study the molecular basis of plant immunity, but also the mechanisms underlying the function, activation and regulation receptor kinase-mediated pathways in growth, development and responses to environmental stresses. In addition, we are interested in identifying and engineering immune receptors to improve disease resistance in crops. 

• Carbonic anhydrases CA1 and CA4 function in atmospheric CO2-modulated disease resistance
  Zhou, Yeling; Vroegop-Vos, Irene A.; Van Dijken, Anja J. H.; Van der Does, Dieuwertje; Zipfel, Cyril; et al.
  Planta  DOI: 10.1007/s00425-020-03370-w  MAR 7 2020
• CrRLK1L receptor-like kinases HERK1 and ANJEA are female determinants of pollen tube reception
  Galindo-Trigo, Sergio; Blanco-Tourinan, Noel; DeFalco, Tomas A.; Wells, Eloise S.; Gray, Julie E.; et al.
  Embo Reports, 10.15252/embr.201948466, FEB 2020
• The fungal subtilase AsES elicits a PTI-like defence response in Arabidopsis thaliana plants independently of its enzymatic activity
  del Pilar Caro, Maria; Holton, Nicholas; Conti, Gabriela; Laura Venturuzzi, Andrea; Gustavo Martinez-Zamora, Martin; et al.
  Molecular Plant Pathology,  DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12881
• TTL Proteins Scaffold Brassinosteroid Signaling Components at the Plasma Membrane to Optimize Signal Transduction in Arabidopsis
  Amorim-Silva, V; Garcia-Moreno, A; Castillo, AG; Lakhssassi, N; del Valle, AE; Perez-Sancho, J; Li, YS; Pose, D; Perez-Rodriguez, J; Lin, J; Valpuesta, V; Borsani, O; Zipfel, C; Macho, AP; Botella, MA
  PLANT CELL, 31 (8):1807-1828; 10.1105/tpc.19.00150 AUG 2019
• A Lotus japonicus cytoplasmic kinase connects Nod factor perception by the NFR5 LysM receptor to nodulation
  Wong, JEMM; Nadzieja, M; Madsen, LH; Bucherl, CA; Dam, S; Sandal, NN; Couto, D; Derbyshire, P; Uldum-Berentsen, M; Schroeder, S; Schwammle, V; Nogueira, FCS; Asmussen, MH; Thirup, S; Radutoiu, S; Blaise, M; Andersen, KR; Menke, FLH; Zipfel, C; Stougaard, J
  PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 116 (28):14339-14348; 10.1073/pnas.1815425116 JUL 9 2019
• Mechanisms of RALF peptide perception by a heterotypic receptor complex
  Yu Xiao, Martin Stegmann, Zhifu Han, Thomas A. DeFalco, Katarzyna Parys, Li Xu, Youssef Belkhadir, Cyril Zipfel and Jijie Chai
  Nature, 10 July 2019. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1409-7
• Widely Conserved Attenuation of Plant MAMP-Induced Calcium Influx by Bacteria Depends on Multiple Virulence Factors and May Involve Desensitization of Host Pattern Recognition Receptors
  Lammertz, M; Kuhn, H; Pfeilmeier, S; Malone, J; Zipfel, C; Kwaaitaal, M; Lin, NC; Kvitko, BH; Panstruga, R
  MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS, 32 (5):608-621; 10.1094/MPMI-10-18-0291-R MAY 2019
• The grapevine (Vitis vinifera) LysM receptor kinases VvLYK1-1 and VvLYK1-2 mediate chitooligosaccharide-triggered immunity
  Brule D; Villano C; Davies LJ; Trda L; Claverie J; Heloir MC; Chiltz A; Adrian M; Darblade B; Tornero P; Stransfeld L; Boutrot F; Zipfel C; Dry IB; Poinssot B
  PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 17(4): 812-825  10.1111/pbi.13017  APR 2019  
• Expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana immune receptor EFR in Medicago truncatula reduces infection by a root pathogenic bacterium, but not nitrogen-fixing rhizobial symbiosis
  Pfeilmeier, S; George, J; Morel, A; Roy, S; Smoker, M; Stransfeld, L; Downie, JA; Peeters, N; Malone, JG; Zipfel, C
  PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL  17 (3): 569-579  10.1111/pbi.12999   MAR 2019    
• Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis reveals common regulatory mechanisms between effector- and PAMP-triggered immunity in plants
  Kadota, Y; Liebrand, TWH; Goto, Y; Sklenar, J; Derbyshire, P; Menke, FLH; Torres, MA; Molina, A; Zipfel, C; Coaker, G; Shirasu, K
  NEW PHYTOLOGIST 221 (4): 2160-2175  10.1111/nph.15523  MAR 2019
• Comparing Arabidopsis receptor kinase and receptor protein-mediated immune signaling reveals BIK1-dependent differences
  Wan, WL; Zhang, LS; Pruitt, R; Zaidem, M; Brugman, R; Ma, XY; Krol, E; Perraki, A; Kilian, J; Grossmann, G; Stahl, M; Shan, LB; Zipfel, C; van Kan, JAL; Hedrich, R; Weigel, D; Gust, AA; Nurnberger, T
  NEW PHYTOLOGIST 221(4): 2080-2095  DOI: 10.1111/nph.15497  MAR 2019
• Expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana immune receptor EFR in Medicago truncatula reduces infection by a root pathogenic bacterium, but not nitrogen-fixing rhizobial symbiosis
  Pfeilmeier, S; George, J; Morel, A; Roy, S; Smoker, M; Stransfeld, L; Downie, JA; Peeters, N; Malone, JG; Zipfel, C
  PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, 17 (3):569-579; 10.1111/pbi.12999  MAR 2019
• …

• Plant innate immunity
• Plant receptor kinases
• Phosphorylation-based regulation of plant signaling
• Plasma membrane organization
• Cell wall integrity sensing  
• Plant biotechnology 

• Protein-protein interactions
• Protein phosphorylation analysis
• Plant-bacteria interactions
• Bioimaging
• Signaling bioassays in immunity, growth and development
• Electrophysiology