Receptor-like kinases in plant innate immunity.

Plants employ a highly effective surveillance system to detect potential pathogens, which is critical for the success of land plants in an environment surrounded by numerous microbes. Recent efforts have led to the identification of a number of immune receptors and components of immune receptor complexes. It is now clear that receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and receptor-like proteins (RLPs) are key pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) for microbe- and plant-derived molecular patterns that are associated with pathogen invasion. RLKs and RLPs involved in immune signaling belong to large gene families in plants and have undergone lineage specific expansion. Molecular evolution and population studies on phytopathogenic molecular signatures and their receptors have provided crucial insight into the co-evolution between plants and pathogens. [Figure: see text] Jian-Min Zhou (Corresponding author).