Plants
possess an innate immune system that protects them from invading pathogens.
Molecular structures that only occur in pathogens enable their recognition and
trigger the immune response. Lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) is one such
substance, occurring in the outer membrane of certain bacteria. A team of
scientists has now described the first endotoxin immunosensor in plants.
Plants
possess an innate immune system equipped with various immunosensors that detect
substances occurring only in microorganisms and trigger a defensive reaction.
In mammals, for instance, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) detects
lipopolysaccharide, which is also referred to as endotoxin and is the main
component of the outer membrane of many bacterial pathogens.
The
search for the plant's lipopolysaccharide sensor was complicated by the fact
that the endotoxin does not consist of a single defined molecule, but of a
complex mixture of similar lipopolysaccharide molecules. For that reason, it
has also not yet been possible to synthesize it for testing.
For
further details see:
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