Flagellin sensing, signaling, and immune responses in plants.

Bon-Kyoung Koo, Hyeonmin Ryu, Sejin Choi, Mengwei Cheng, Eun Yu Kim, Ho-Seok Lee, Du-Hwa Lee

Journal: Plant communications 2025;6(7):101383

PMID: 40400167

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Abstract

The flagellin-sensing mechanism is one of the most extensively studied topics in plant defense systems. This widespread interest arises from the ability of flagellin to trigger robust and extensive responses, establishing it as a cornerstone for research into other defense mechanisms. Plants recognize bacterial flagellin epitopes through plasma-membrane-localized pattern-recognition receptors, initiating pattern-triggered immunity as the frontline defense against bacterial pathogens. In this review, we comprehensively summarize flagellin-sensing mechanisms and signal transduction pathways in plants. We compare the flagellin-sensing mechanisms of plants and mammals, focusing on epitope processing and recognition. We present detailed downstream signaling events, from receptor complex formation to transcriptional reprogramming. Furthermore, we highlight the evolutionary arms race between plants and bacteria and incorporate emerging insights into how flagellin-triggered responses are modulated by receptor networking, phytocytokines, and environmental factors. These findings suggest that flagellin-mediated immune responses are highly dynamic and context dependent. By synthesizing current knowledge and recent discoveries, this review provides updated perspectives on plant-microbe interactions and aims to inspire future research in plant immunity.

Address: Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea; Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Korea.; Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea; Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Korea; Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu 215300, China.; Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Korea.; Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea; Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Korea; Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu 215300, China; Environment Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu 215300, China.; Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea; Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].; Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea; Department of Chemistry, BOKU University, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101383

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MeSH Terms: Flagellin, Plant Immunity, Signal Transduction, Plants, Receptors, Pattern Recognition