An endogenous peptide signal in Arabidopsis activates components of the innate immune response.

ABSTRACT: Innate immunity is initiated in animals and plants through the recognition of a variety of pathogen-associated molecules that in animals are called pathogen-associated molecular patterns and in plants are called elicitors. Some plant pathogen-derived elicitors have been identified as peptides, but peptide elicitors derived from the plant itself that activate defensive genes against pathogens have not been previously identified. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a 23-aa peptide from Arabidopsis, called AtPep1, which activates transcription of the defensive gene defensin (PDF1.2) and activates the synthesis of H(2)O(2), both being components of the innate immune response. The peptide is derived from a 92-aa precursor encoded within a small gene that is inducible by woundi

SUBMITTER: Huffaker A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1502512 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature