REVIEW article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Pathogen Interactions
This article is part of the Research TopicPlant Immune Responses, Evolutionary Dynamics, Control and Transmission of plant ssDNA viruses: Volume IIView all 5 articles
LRR-RLK Subfamily II of Coreceptors: Emerging, Non-canonical and Canonical Roles in Plant Antiviral Immunity and Development
Provisionally accepted
Fellipe R. Sampaio
Beatriz M. Takagaki
Sâmera S. BrevesRaquel G. RodriguesViviano G. O. NevesFelkerson M. FerreiraNathália G. A. Ribeiro
Eulálio G. D. Santos
Pedro Augusto Braga Dos Reis
Elizabeth PB Fontes*- Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
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Coreceptors act together with receptors in the process of signal transduction. Within the LRR-RLK subfamily II, coreceptors play an essential role by serving as a connection between growth and immunity in plants. The 14 LRRII-RLK identified genes in Arabidopsis have been phylogenetically clustered in four closely related groups. Three of them have been functionally characterized: (i) NIKs, which are associated with responses to viral infections, (ii) SERKs, which are involved in both development and immunity, and (iii) CIKs, which are connected to homeostasis, growth, and meristem development, as well as to a lesser extent, immunity. Currently, LRRII-RLKs have been more intensively investigated as potential antiviral mechanisms due to their emerging roles in antiviral immunity and their potential of being targeted by viral manipulation. Despite their partial functional redundancy and interactions in immunity and developmental signaling mechanisms, targeting LRRII-RLKs through genetic manipulation may lead to the development of a broad-spectrum resistance to viral infections, while also preserving plant growth and yield.
Keywords: NSP-interacting kinase, SERK, CIK, Coreceptors, Receptor-like kinases, antiviral immunity, Signaling hubs
Received: 27 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sampaio, Takagaki, Breves, Rodrigues, Neves, Ferreira, Ribeiro, Santos, Braga Dos Reis and Fontes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Elizabeth PB Fontes, bbfontes@ufv.br
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