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BAK1 Is Not a Target of the Pseudomonas syringae Effector AvrPto

¹State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (SKLPPB), College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University; ²National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing; ³State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Plant cell surface-localized receptor kinases such as FLS2, EFR, and CERK1 play a crucial role in detecting invading pathogenic bacteria. Upon stimulation by bacterium-derived ligands, FLS2 and EFR interact with BAK1, a receptor-like kinase, to activate immune responses. A number of Pseudomonas syringae effector proteins are known to block immune responses mediated by these receptors. Previous reports suggested that both FLS2 and BAK1 could be targeted by the P. syringae effector AvrPto to inhibit plant defenses. Here, we provide new evidence further supporting that FLS2 but not BAK1 is targeted by AvrPto in plants. The AvrPto-FLS2 interaction prevented the phosphorylation of BIK1, a downstream component of the FLS2 pathway.