Abstract
Ph.D.
Current models regarding plant : pathogen interactions assume that recognition of pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) molecules can occur through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on the surface of plant cells. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) embedded in the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria can trigger defence responses or prime the plant in order to respond more rapidly, following perception of bacterial pathogens. Limited data has been reported on signal transduction and the nature of the LPS receptors in plants since no receptors have been identified yet.
Parallels have been shown to exist between self-incompatibility and pathogen recognition with regard to self / non-self recognition. The two processes were reviewed and conceptual and mechanistic links between microbial recognition and self-incompatibility were discussed herein. The role of S-domain receptor-like kinases (RLKs) in defence mechanisms has previously not been widely recognized or explored. It was reasoned that S-domain RLKs could be utilized to function as resistance (R) genes or as pattern recognition receptors in perception of PAMPs of a non-protein nature.
It has been found that genes encoding receptors may be up-regulated in response to perception of its ligand. A putative receptor-like kinase was previously reported to be induced by LPS. This 153 bp differentially expressed transcript, HAP3-15 (GenBank accession number DR109311), might be an expressed sequence tag (EST) for a gene encoding a receptor for LPS. The experimental characterisation of this EST was reported herein. Gene-walking, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), cloning, sequencing and bio-informatic analyses were used to identify the full gene. These results revealed that it encoded a receptor-like protein kinase with an extracellular S-domain recognition motif. The 2842 bp genomic sequence obtained, showed that the sequence had a defined promoter region and six major domains. The first five domains were encoded by the first exon. These domains included a B-lectin / agglutinin domain, an S-locus glycoprotein domain, an EGF-like repeat, a PAN domain, a transmembrane region and part of the 6th domain. The 6th domain was a kinase domain consisting of eleven sub-domains interspersed by three introns. The gene was therefore designated as the N. tabacum S-domain Receptor-like kinase (NS-RLK).