The Membrane-Anchored <i>BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE1</i> Plays Distinct Roles in <i>Arabidopsis</i> Resistance to Necrotrophic and Biotrophic Pathogens
December 2005
in “
The Plant Cell
”
TLDR BIK1 gene helps plants resist some pathogens but makes them more vulnerable to others.
The study identified the Arabidopsis thaliana BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE1 (BIK1) gene, which played distinct roles in plant resistance to different pathogens. Inactivation of BIK1 led to increased susceptibility to necrotrophic fungal pathogens but enhanced resistance to a virulent strain of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato, without affecting the response to an avirulent strain. This indicated BIK1's role in basal defense rather than race-specific resistance. The bik1 mutant showed reduced jasmonate- and ethylene-regulated defense responses and altered root growth, with more and longer root hairs, suggesting BIK1's involvement in both defense signaling and normal plant development. BIK1 was membrane-localized, indicating its potential role in early pathogen recognition or response transduction. The study highlighted BIK1's function in modulating defense responses and linking them to growth and development.
