Geminivirus-Host Interactions: Action and Reaction in Receptor-Mediated Antiviral Immunity

SERKs and NIKs: Coreceptors or signaling hubs in a complex crosstalk between growth and defense?

SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASES (SERKs) and NUCLEAR SHUTTLE PROTEIN-INTERACTING KINASES (NIKs) belong to superfamily II of leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases, which share cytosolic kinase conservation and a similar ectodomain configuration. SERKs have been extensively demonstrated to function as coreceptors of receptor-like kinases, which sense biotic or developmental signals to initiate specific responses. NIKs, on the other hand, have emerged as downstream components in signaling cascades, not functioning as coreceptors but rather serving as hubs that converge information from both biotic and abiotic signals, resulting in a unified response. Like SERKs, NIKs play a crucial role as information spreaders in plant cells, forming hubs of high centrality. However, unlike SERKs, which function as coreceptors and assemble paired receptor-specific responses, NIKs employ a shared signaling circuit to transduce diverse biotic and abiotic signals into the same physiological response. Therefore, this review highlights the concept of signaling hubs that differ from coreceptors in signaling pathways.

The Hypersensitive Response to Plant Viruses

Plant proteins with domains rich in leucine repeats play important roles in detecting pathogens and triggering defense reactions, both at the cellular surface for pattern-triggered immunity and in the cell to ensure effector-triggered immunity. As intracellular parasites, viruses are mostly detected intracellularly by proteins with a nucleotide binding site and leucine-rich repeats but receptor-like kinases with leucine-rich repeats, known to localize at the cell surface, have also been involved in response to viruses. In the present review we report on the progress that has been achieved in the last decade on the role of these leucine-rich proteins in antiviral immunity, with a special focus on our current understanding of the hypersensitive response.

Begomovirus-Host Interactions: Viral Proteins Orchestrating Intra and Intercellular Transport of Viral DNA While Suppressing Host Defense Mechanisms

Begomoviruses, which belong to the Geminiviridae family, are intracellular parasites transmitted by whiteflies to dicotyledonous plants thatsignificantly damage agronomically relevant crops. These nucleus-replicating DNA viruses move intracellularly from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and then, like other plant viruses, cause disease by spreading systemically throughout the plant. The transport proteins of begomoviruses play a crucial role in recruiting host components for the movement of viral DNA within and between cells, while exhibiting functions that suppress the host's immune defense. Pioneering studies on species of the Begomovirus genus have identified specific viral transport proteins involved in intracellular transport, cell-to-cell movement, and systemic spread. Recent research has primarily focused on viral movement proteins and their interactions with the cellular host transport machinery, which has significantly expanded understanding on viral infection pathways. This review focuses on three components within this context: (i) the role of viral transport proteins, specifically movement proteins (MPs) and nuclear shuttle proteins (NSPs), (ii) their ability to recruit host factors for intra- and intercellular viral movement, and (iii) the suppression of antiviral immunity, with a particular emphasis on bipartite begomoviral movement proteins.