Ubiquitination in plant immunity

Abstract

Plant immune responses require the coordination of a myriad of processes that are triggered upon perception of invading pathogens. Ubiquitin, the ubiquitination system (UBS) and the 26S proteasome are key for the regulation of processes such as the oxidative burst, hormone signaling, gene induction, and programmed cell death. E3 ligases, the specificity determinants of ubiquitination, have received by far the most attention. Several single-unit ligases, which are rapidly induced by biotic cues, function as both positive and negative regulators of immune responses, whereas multisubunit ligases are mainly involved in hormone signaling. An increasing body of evidence emphasizes the heavy targeting of the UBS by pathogen virulence effectors, underlining its importance in immunity. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.