Figure 2.

Schematic representation of microbial perception and signalling through LysM receptor kinases in plants. Plants sense fungi by recognition of chitin oligomers released from fungal cell walls through the LysM receptor proteins CERK1 and CEBiP in Arabidopsis and rice, respectively. The lack of an intracellular signaling domain in the CEBiP protein suggests that the receptor may associate with another protein such as a receptor kinase to transduce the signal. Chitin perception show many similarities with recognition of symbiotic bacteria in leguminous plants. CERK1 is homologous to the legume Nod factor receptors NFR1 and NFR5 mediating perception and signalling of lipo-chitin Nod factors, probably in a heterodimeric complex. The identification of CERK1 as a component required for bacterial immunity suggests that pathogenic bacteria also contain similar chitin-like PAMPs.