Ui-Hwan Jeong
Korea University · Agricultural and Biological Sciences
About the Lab
Professor Ui-Hwan Jeong's research lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant innate immunity, with a central emphasis on nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors and their role in pathogen recognition and immune activation. The lab investigates how NLRs detect pathogen effectors, trigger immune signaling, and induce programmed cell death, particularly through TIR (Toll/interleukin-1 receptor) domain-mediated NAD+ cleavage and downstream signaling. A key focus is understanding the structural and biochemical basis of NLR activation, including autoimmunity arising from natural NLR variants and the role of post-translational modifications such as ADP-ribosylation in virulence and defense. The lab also explores the subcellular dynamics of immune receptors and their interplay with host cellular machinery, such as the exocyst complex and RIN4 protein.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15NAD depletion as pathogen response One way that plants respond to pathogen infection is by sacrificing the infected cells. The nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat immune receptors responsible for this hypersensitive response carry Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domains. In two papers, Horsefield et al. and Wan et al. report that these TIR domains cleave the metabolic cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) as part of their cell-death signaling in response to pathogens. Similar
Plants deploy intracellular innate immune receptors to recognize pathogens and initiate disease resistance. These nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) proteins are activated by pathogen effector proteins that are delivered into the host cell to suppress host defense responses. Little is known about the sites and mechanisms of NB-LRR activation, but some NB-LRR proteins can function inside the plant nucleus. We demonstrate that RPM1 is activated on the plasma membrane and does not rel
Significance Multicellular organisms must have complex immune systems to detect and defeat pathogens. Plants rely on nucleotide binding site leucine rich repeat (NLR) intracellular receptors to detect pathogens. For hundreds of years, plant breeders have selected for disease-resistance traits derived from NLR genes. Despite the molecular cloning of the first NLRs more than 20 y ago, we still do not understand how these sensors function at a mechanistic level. Here, we identified a truncated NLR
Significance Pathogen recognition first occurs at the plasma membrane, where receptor-like kinases perceive pathogen-derived molecules and initiate immune responses. To abrogate this immune response, pathogens evolved effector proteins that act as virulence factors, often following delivery to the host cell. Plants evolved intracellular receptors, known as NOD-like receptors (NLRs), to detect effectors, thereby ensuring activation of effector-triggered immunity. However, despite their importance
When independently evolved immune receptor variants meet in hybrid plants, they can activate immune signaling in the absence of non-self recognition. Such autoimmune risk alleles have recurrently evolved at the DANGEROUS MIX2 (DM2) nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat (NLR)-encoding locus in A. thaliana. One of these activates signaling in the presence of a particular variant encoded at another NLR locus, DM1. We show that the risk variants of DM1 and DM2d NLRs signal through the sa
RIN4 with EXO70E2, which we posit inhibits its callose deposition function. Collectively, these data indicate that AvrRpm1 ADP-ribosyl transferase activity contributes to virulence by promoting phosphorylation of RIN4 Thr-166, which inhibits the secretion of defense compounds by promoting the inhibitory association of RIN4 with EXO70 proteins.plantcell;31/11/2664/FX1F1fx1.
Some virulence effectors secreted from pathogens target host proteins and induce biochemical modifications that are monitored by nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors. Arabidopsis RIN4 protein (AtRIN4: RPM1-interacting protein 4) homologs are present in diverse plant species and targeted by several bacterial type III effector proteins including the cysteine protease AvrRpt2. RIN4 is 'guarded' by several independently evolved NLRs from various plant species, including
Salt stress constitutes a major form of abiotic stress in plants. Histone modification plays an important role in stress tolerance, with particular reference to salt stress resistance. In the current study, we found that HDA15 overexpression confers salt stress resistance to young seedling stages of transgenic plants. Furthermore, salt stress induces HDA15 overexpression. Transcription levels of stress-responsive genes were increased in transgenic plants overexpressing HDA15 ( HDA15 OE ). NCED3
Significance Bacterial pathogens cause plant diseases that threaten the global food supply. To control diseases, it is important to understand how pathogenic bacteria evade plant defense and promote infection. We identify from the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae a small-molecule virulence factor—phevamine A. Both the chemical structure and mode of action of phevamine A are different from known bacterial phytotoxins. Phevamine A promotes bacterial growth by suppressing plant immune responses,
Genomic imprinting describes an epigenetic process through which genes can be expressed in a parent-of-origin-specific manner. The monoallelic expression of imprinted genes renders them particularly susceptible to disease causing mutations. A large proportion of imprinted genes are expressed in the brain, but little is known about their functions. Indeed, it has proven difficult to identify cell type-specific imprinted genes due to the heterogeneity of cell types within the brain. Here we used l
Xanthomonas campestris pv vesicatoria type III effector protein, AvrBsT, triggers hypersensitive cell death in pepper (Capsicum annuum). Here, we have identified the pepper SGT1 (for suppressor of the G2 allele of skp1) as a host interactor of AvrBsT and also the pepper PIK1 (for receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase1). PIK1 specifically phosphorylates SGT1 and AvrBsT in vitro. AvrBsT specifically binds to the CHORD-containing protein and SGT1 domain of SGT1, resulting in the inhibition of PIK1-media
Plants utilize proteins containing nucleotide binding site (NB) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains as intracellular innate immune receptors to recognize pathogens and initiate defense responses. Since mis-activation of defense responses can lead to tissue damage and even developmental arrest, proper regulation of NB-LRR protein signaling is critical. RAR1, SGT1, and HSP90 act as regulatory chaperones of pre-activation NB-LRR steady-state proteins. We extended our analysis of mutants derived f
Research Areas
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