TIR domains of plant immune receptors are 2',3'-cAMP/cGMP synthetases mediating cell death

• Main Authors: Yu, Dongli, Song, Wen, Tan, Eddie Yongjun, Liu, Li, Cao, Yu, Jirschitzka, Jan, Li, Ertong, Logemann, Elke, Xu, Chenrui, Huang, Shijia, Jia, Aolin, Chang, Xiaoyu, Han, Zhifu, Wu, Bin, Schulze-Lefert, Paul, Chai, Jijie
• Other Authors: School of Biological Sciences
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Science::Biological sciences; Bifunctional Enzymes; Plant Immunity
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170339
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

2',3'-cAMP is a positional isomer of the well-established second messenger 3',5'-cAMP, but little is known about the biology of this noncanonical cyclic nucleotide monophosphate (cNMP). Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domains of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors have the NADase function necessary but insufficient to activate plant immune responses. Here, we show that plant TIR proteins, besides being NADases, act as 2',3'-cAMP/cGMP synthetases by hydrolyzing RNA/DNA. Structural data show that a TIR domain adopts distinct oligomers with mutually exclusive NADase and synthetase activity. Mutations specifically disrupting the synthetase activity abrogate TIR-mediated cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana (Nb), supporting an important role for these cNMPs in TIR signaling. Furthermore, the Arabidopsis negative regulator of TIR-NLR signaling, NUDT7, displays 2',3'-cAMP/cGMP but not 3',5'-cAMP/cGMP phosphodiesterase activity and suppresses cell death activity of TIRs in Nb. Our study identifies a family of 2',3'-cAMP/cGMP synthetases and establishes a critical role for them in plant immune responses.